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Cleaning mildew from kite ?

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CaptainArgh
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Cleaning mildew from kite ?

Postby CaptainArgh » Mon Aug 09, 2004 3:45 am

Had my kite out 2 days ago in brackish water and I guess it wasn't salty
enough to keep mildew away. Just unpacked it (was mostly dry when I
packed it up on the beach) and found my first mildew stains.

They are tea colored stains that don't wipe off with a wet rag.

Is there any way to clean these stains w/o damaging the fabric or stitching?
How about those citrus based cleaners? Or "simple green"?

Any info or pointers to links would be great. I searched around on the web
and couldn't find any answers on this one. Much thanks, :thumb:

-todd

batty
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Postby batty » Mon Aug 09, 2004 9:01 am

the best way to get mildew off is male sperm.....
i know it sounds stupid, but give it a try and you will see what i mean

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webhiker
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Postby webhiker » Mon Aug 09, 2004 11:04 am

As opposed to, for example, female sperm?

Dude, your women sound pretty rough up there in ice country!

:o

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Postby oceanplay » Mon Aug 09, 2004 1:08 pm

batty wrote:the best way to get mildew off is male sperm.....
i know it sounds stupid, but give it a try and you will see what i mean
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

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Postby damo » Mon Aug 09, 2004 1:22 pm

diluted bleach dude then nutralise with dilted vinegar, Kite will look good as new

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Postby CaptainArgh » Mon Aug 09, 2004 3:39 pm

damo wrote:diluted bleach dude then nutralise with dilted vinegar, Kite will look good as new
Has anyone else tried this?
Just saw another post where someone swore against using bleach. Granted, dilluted and then neutralized sounds better, still don't want to weaken anything. But, I can spot clean it so it won't be like I'm dunking the entire kite.

:) thanks for the sperm tip, while it was fun, it didn't help my kite much.

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Postby Wetstuff » Mon Aug 09, 2004 6:03 pm

Kudos to Damo! I always knew chlorine bleach was used to kill mildew spore on boat covers, outdoor furniture,etc...but the use of vinegar is new info.

"Basically, vinegar:

is an acid
neutralizes alkaline substances
neutralizes bleach and chlorine
is an antiseptic
is a preservative
deodorizes

by killing odor causing bacteria

by neutralizing alkaline substances in the air

dissolves mineral deposits" ....from some helpful website.

The old way was to use a 5% dilute so as not to 'burn' what you were trying to preserve - then rinse like hell. I'd still cut bleach, but at least I now know I have a way to stop the PacMan effects.


.....HOWEVER: if'n you have dye sublimation from a dark panel to light, then you are cooked. I've got two North kites that are funky forever - luckily they fly well enough to keep that long.

jim

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Postby CaptainArgh » Mon Aug 09, 2004 10:09 pm

what about just srubbing with regular soap and water first? see if that works and then rinse well. (also still wondering about those non-detergent cleaners they have for snowboard coats, camping stuff, and the like)

I had heard that soap is a bad thing...but it has to be less damaging then bleach. ...

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Postby damo » Tue Aug 10, 2004 9:25 am

Guys

The bleach wont hurt the kite s long as you dilute at least 50:50 The vinear will nuetralise the bleach once the mildew is gone. I tried this on my rhino18 monts ago not probs at all.

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Postby spearo » Fri Aug 13, 2004 2:43 pm

Another possibility would be hydrogen peroxide. This should kill the mildew and should gently bleach the area. Along the same lines has anyone tried any of the new "Oxy" cleaners you see on every infomercial? Just a thought.
Jay


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