mold & mildew everywhere...interior turned stinky green

[Neverhappy]

I left a perfectly well kept 96 leisure travel wide body rv in a friends garden in Florida for a year.
Upon my return...I found a mildew infested rv ..in the closets on the white cabinets ..in the outside compartments..everywhere.Even black mold on the headliner arround the roof windows.
What can be done to save this rv ?

[Redsky]

Dick_B wrote:
This may be a job for the pros if you want to spend the money to save it OR drive it to the nearest junkyard. The mold has got to be BEHIND the walls as well as in front of them.

There is no reason for this to be true. Mold inside walls comes from leaks in the roof or plumbing. An RV with mold on the inside is going to have it only on the inside.

The problem with removing it is when it gets into carpet or fabric. Easier to rip out the fabric and replace it but thoroughly cleaning all the interior surface as much as possible before putting in the new carpet or curtains or bedding or cushions.

It may be more of a problem for RV's in Florida but it is a problem for boat owners almost everywhere. I have used a heating unit to keep air circulating along with a desiccant that is regularly replaced. If you cannot run power to an electric dehumidifier a good alternative is the WM Barr container and absorbent refills. A full charge will last several months where I live and might last a full month in Florida or add more Barr containers as they only cost $10 and refills are only $8.

[JJBIRISH]

With it being a class B, I think no matter what cleaning method he finds that works for him, a ozone generator will be a essential part of the cleanup formula… they can be rented cheaply…

[Pineapple_Kid]

I live on Kauai in Hawaii and like Florida we have Mold, Lots of it.
When I travel for my summer vacations I have someone who takes care of my house
if I am not very specific the local people will shut up the house and mold is everywhere when I return ( I have even put screws in windows so they could not be closed all the way)

A little wiping, a mild bleach solution and a ozone generator wipes the mold out fast. ( except the pillows I toss them or put them in plastic tubs with Damp Rid before I leave) the ozone generator in a small RV will get rid of the mold in one day even behind the walls.

A Ozone generator that really works well and is cheap http://foreverozone.com/products/basic-build-3500-mg-h-ozone-generator.html

Aloha from Kauai
Leon

[westend]

JJBIRISH wrote:
westend, thanks for taking the time to point that out…

I checked it out a little and have some strong opinions I will leave unsaid about where the blame lies there to…

Your welcome. The pity is; the collective wisdom of a lot of industries, not just construction, is lacking. We could expand from the mold issues right to vehicle issues and really stretch the fingers from pointing. :B

The OP's situation will require a wholesale cleaning intervention, by the sounds of it. When I clean and treat an aggressively infested mold area, I primarily use three fungicides, unscented bleach, Lysol cleaner that contains Phenol (the old time version), and Listerine mouthwash. All three kill fungus and have different applicabilities. The easiest way to control mold and mildew is by eliminating one of the three things it needs to establish, that being humidity. Fungi have a very narrow range of humidity in order to propagate. Open all the windows and get the fans going to make sure all moisture is low. A dehumidifier is a great tool for this, also.

[JJBIRISH]

westend, thanks for taking the time to point that out…

I checked it out a little and have some strong opinions I will leave unsaid about where the blame lies there to…

[Jagtech]

I found that using a solution of TSP (tri sodium phosphate) is the best for getting rid of mold. That's the ingredients in the commercial stuff available at Lowes, etc. Its inexpensive, and you can make gallons of it for next to nothing. Spray it on, wipe it on, or paint it on. It works, and doesn't damage most surfaces.

[Neverhappy]

Thanks for the ideas..
My worry is for the areas one can't reach.
It was a nice class B rv, I hope I can save it.
I will try to find the previous topics concerning rv storage in FLA

[2oldman]

Sounds like a disaster to me. I've lived with mold.. and it ain't pretty!

[Gene_Ginny]

The Clorox (bleach) based spray mentioned earlier works well. In places where bleach can't be used, like on fabric, use Vinegar spray.

[westend]

JJBIRISH wrote:

traveylin wrote:
About ten years ago, mold remediation and chronic illness was the very profitable new line of business for the housing in coastal Texas. Lawyers were obtaining 100000$ settlements and people were getting remodeling done on someone else s dime. Then one tiny change in the std house insurance policy cured all that illness overnight. House policies specifically excluded mold damage. The new line of business went away and people were cured of mold sensitivity within the next policy schedule.

pops

You should be more inclusive when making accusations about anyone…
So just what are you talking about, the people that bought homes in good faith, that were built with Chinese poison dry wall… whose insurance companies have dropped coverage or are dropping coverage for having the dry wall if a claim has been made… canceled the insurance if they moved out because of it and the house sits vacant…

Someone is responsible… the insurance companies, the builders, the drywall suppliers, the Chinese… pick whomever you want to blame, but the homeowner living with this is not the cause of any of it and for you to try to articulate that they are the problem, shows your ignorance in what these people face, or your involvement in the use of the poison drywall and point the finger elsewhere, looking for your out…

JJ, mold remediation intricacies happened before the Chinese drywall debacle. There was a landmark case in Texas involving a family that had mold issues in their house, nothing to do with the China stuff. They were awarded a huge amount of money and others hopped on the insurance payoff bandwagon. The bad news is that the word spread about toxic mold issues and that has devolved to most home owners thinking that any mold or mildew is toxic. That isn't the case but it will take years before reality swings back to make mold and mildew less of an issue.

My opinion is that we had mold and mildew in houses in some aspect, since we climbed into caves. There are a few things that will get rid of the problem, the most effective is ventilation. Another fun fact is that a mold spore is so small that in an average house, if dropped from the ceiling, may take 8 hrs. to reach the floor. This negates any use of a mold testing kit as results can't be accurate.

[woodgeezer]

If you want to go an extra step after cleaning with bleach and detergent, rent an ozone generator and run a few cycles with that. It should take care of any of the hidden or subsurface problems. The greenies are from being closed up, so fresh air can help a great deal.

[JJBIRISH]

traveylin wrote:
About ten years ago, mold remediation and chronic illness was the very profitable new line of business for the housing in coastal Texas. Lawyers were obtaining 100000$ settlements and people were getting remodeling done on someone else s dime. Then one tiny change in the std house insurance policy cured all that illness overnight. House policies specifically excluded mold damage. The new line of business went away and people were cured of mold sensitivity within the next policy schedule.

pops

You should be more inclusive when making accusations about anyone…
So just what are you talking about, the people that bought homes in good faith, that were built with Chinese poison dry wall… whose insurance companies have dropped coverage or are dropping coverage for having the dry wall if a claim has been made… canceled the insurance if they moved out because of it and the house sits vacant…

Someone is responsible… the insurance companies, the builders, the drywall suppliers, the Chinese… pick whomever you want to blame, but the homeowner living with this is not the cause of any of it and for you to try to articulate that they are the problem, shows your ignorance in what these people face, or your involvement in the use of the poison drywall and point the finger elsewhere, looking for your out…

[doxiemom11]

Mold is not a problem unless you live with it daily, or have respiratory problems. You should empty everything out, open all doors and windows and then clean every surface with a bleach based solution. What do you think the mold remediation guys use..... You could wear a mask if it would make you more comfortable, but ventilation is the key. Once you have air movement and dry the interior out from condensation, the mold will begin to die. If you close it up again, make sure you have a dehumidifier running or do something for condensation. Running your air conditioner once it is cleaned will help remove any additional moisture.

[popeyemth]

traveylin wrote:
About ten years ago, mold remediation and chronic illness was the very profitable new line of business for the housing in coastal Texas. Lawyers were obtaining 100000$ settlements and people were getting remodeling done on someone else s dime. Then one tiny change in the std house insurance policy cured all that illness overnight. House policies specifically excluded mold damage. The new line of business went away and people were cured of mold sensitivity within the next policy schedule.

pops

abracadabra presto !
Amazing recovery in the numbers of "sensitive" people wasn't it?
Not that some people aren't actually sensitive but there was a lot of obvious fraud.