Is this mold???

[fvicaire]

We gutted our 1976 Beahcomber and we are now to the fiberglass interior only. We knew we had damage...hence the gutting! Did extensive research on how to kill and remove black mold...tried all the tricks listed: 1- Vinegar; 2- Vinegar and baking soda; 3 - Mold killer from the store; 4 - Bleach and water and yet the black mold is still there????? And I scrubbed! Is this normal? Is this even mold? Here are pics. Please any insights would be appreciated.

[Eddie Longest]

I would treat everything with Concrobium Mold Control, it kills and treats the surface so mold won't grow. I see they now have an extreme mold stain remover. If you are worried about the mold returning. Deal with it like asbestos cover it up and seal it. Mix up some resin and coat all the surfaces to seal things up.
Eddie
Concrobium products are sold on Amazon and check out their website and videos.

[thrifty bill]

You can actually test it for mold. Seal it up and have it tested would be my recommendation.

[k corbin]

It would be difficult to scrub every bit of mold stain off a rough surface. But as to finding some small amounts of it on the surface of the shell of a fiberglass trailer it does not count as being a rare event. What I see in your photo is certainly not an extreme problem. Very much normal in older trailers that are in higher humidity climates other than that of a desert. Mold is all around us in the woods, garden etc. It feeds on moist dirt and substrates such as wood, cloth, etc. So keeping the moisture and dirt from getting behind the walls is actually a major part of having a mold free trailer.

Don't fret over it, that kind of black mold is not toxic, it is just your common and literally garden variety of black mold.
Go to the grocery store in the laundry detergent aisle and purchase some Borax laundry additive. Wash your shell with that. Borate is great for both killing mold and also for preventing it. You don't have to rinse the shell afterwards but if there is heavy mold growth you would want to do some wash, rinse then wash again without a final rinse. Leaving it on the surface helps prevent mold growth. The newer, non toxic version of pressure treated lumber use borates. The companies that make blow in insulation products put borate in it to prevent mold from growing in the insulation.


Here is some more information on using borate for cleaning up and preventing regrowth of mold. Ignore the web page title of "toxic" you don't have the toxic type. What you have is the same stuff that is on the backside of the leaves of trees, the mildew that gets on damp fabrics, etc. But other than the scare tactic title for the website they do have good information on how to use borate to clean it up. Living in the very damp Pacific Northwest I have had to educate myself on what that kind of black mold is and how to handle it when I find it growing on surfaces around the house, the outside and even in my RVs. Understanding leads to the attitude of...that is an easy fix, it is not major crisis, no reason to go into panic mode. Does Borax Kill Mold? Cleaning, Removal, Powder, Detergent, Solution

[fvicaire]

Thank you for your feedback!

[Neto]

Hire a mold expert to inspect it.

[Ken C]

Anyone know if lowes or home depot carry a mold test kit? Thought i saw one the OP could use, can't remember for sure.

[Muletrailer]

As a person who has (and continues to be) severely affected by mold, I recommend strongly that you do whatever you can to deal with the mold issues in your trailer. It can be benign or extremely toxic. Most of the tests for mold are pretty danged useless, but one company provides an excellent way of testing. Most of us Moldies consider it THE place to go for mold information on a house, trailer, car, etc. The company is Mycometrics: From Research to Diagnostics. The least expensive one offered should be just fine. Bleach does a great job of bleaching out the mold, but it tends to spread it around. For people who are sensitive, the particles left behind can still cause problems. I am a huge fan of Concrobium, as well.

[Terry in Fowler]

For a while mold was the new asbestos and lead. Attorneys on the tv and radio all the time. You seldom see it now. They weren't winning enough cases except in extreme situations. The science wasn't there. When air tests are done enterior and exterior to the buiding generally the spore counts are as high or higher exterior. As said above it is every where and very seldom toxic. Before retiring I was certified to work with all three. That does not make me an expert It just means I got a lot of information on how deal with these things. Mold damages just about anything organic it grows on. It stains badly and smells. If you've used one of the commercial mold killers or bleach mixed according to the instruction then thoroughly rinsed you have killed as much mold as you are likely to. Mold produces some hardened spores that are very difficult to kill. This can happen if treated with straight bleach. Treating with borax would be a good deterrent under your new paint. We used zinzzer or kilz stain blocker. Use really good ventilation. The bleach and paint are can be much more dangerous than the mold. Borate can be very effective as can heat treatment. Heat could also be effective since your trailer is gutted and small. You can find the temperature and time requirements on the internet. There are companies that specialize in it. it's much more time and energy consuming in insulated buildings. Doing as you did and impregnated materials is the biggest part of the job.
I would be interested to see your progress in the rebuild.

[Kai in Seattle]

Our trailer was quite nasty, smelled of "something" like mold & rot, and it did have major wood rot--to the point of liquefaction!

Once we got all the old wood OUT, we scrubbed the inside with thinned bleach first, then laundry detergent and borax. We rinsed well each time, not wanting to leave bleach on surfaces.

We ran an extension in and kept the fantastic fan running and everything wide open, Paul wore protective mask and goggles. Really, it was mostly stains.

We set a fan inside and dried everything for two days. When bone dry, we primed the whole inside (anything raw, that is, or stained) with kilz enamel sealer. Made it all white and very bright and pretty. whew!

By the time we had all new wood (uprights, floor, wall replacements, door frame) in and everything buttoned up, all it smelled of was faint new paint and clear sealer.

A few pics: tear down and build up showing raw "mold" areas and primer.

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by fvicaire

We gutted our 1976 Beahcomber and we are now to the fiberglass interior only. We knew we had damage...hence the gutting! Did extensive research on how to kill and remove black mold...tried all the tricks listed: 1- Vinegar; 2- Vinegar and baking soda; 3 - Mold killer from the store; 4 - Bleach and water and yet the black mold is still there????? And I scrubbed! Is this normal? Is this even mold? Here are pics. Please any insights would be appreciated.

After cleaning it, let it dry good and paint it with KILZ. Covers it and seals. Just make sure you are ventilating as you paint. It will dry with no smell. Used it in a Casita that had mold on the floor after pulling out all seats, etc. Worked great.

[Neto]

Lowes and home depot also sell additives to mix in With the paint to kill stuff.

[rbryan]

Originally Posted by Neto

Lowes and home depot also sell additives to mix in With the paint to kill stuff.

Fungicide and Mildewcide paint additives are mainly for preventing growth of such things in the paint film itself - such as in a damp environment. They don't address what's underneath. Much better to do a thorough cleaning and then seal the surface with BIN Shellac Sealer or original Kilz, followed by a topcoat of whatever paint you like. They do make a water based Kilz, but in my experience it doesn't do quite as good a job of sealing or blocking stains as the solvent based does.

Once the surface is properly sealed, there's no need to add a Mildewcide/Fungicide additive to the topcoat paint.

[Terry in Fowler]

I would agree with Robert in not using additive fungicide, but if you deside to make sure that it won't out gas and leave an extra odor in the confined space. You'll want to smell the additive. In the mid 90's there was an additive we tried that was fine outside, but to strong smelling for weeks inside. I don't remember which paint company had it.

[Steve Carlson]

I work as a consultant in mold remediation. You've actually gotten pretty good advice here for the most part (unusual in a public forum ). The bottom line is that mold is a symptom of a moisture problem. Without the moisture (or sufficient humidity) mold will go dormant or die, but the remaining spores and plant parts can still trigger allergic reactions. So here is what I would do:

1. Dry it out. Replace any rotted wood components, but much of it can probably be saved.
2. Kill the mold (not absolutely necessary if the surface is cleanable, but worth doing on rough surfaces).
3. Clean the mold as best you can, using methods that prevent it from becoming airborne.
4. Seal it to keep it from absorbing moisture again, and to prevent anything remaining from becoming airborne.