cleaning softtops

A good brush and hydrogen peroxide *may* work, and has less problems with either smell or accidentally bleaching other areas than chlorine bleach.

If this is real mildew, the only thing that will kill it for sure is bleach. You can make it real dilute and it will still work. Try about a teaspoon in a cup.

If it is white it is probably not mildew. Real mildew is black. It might be mineral stains from the water where you live, or fading from the sun. There are white fungi that will grow on canvas, but if you have that you must live under ground or something.

I know a little about mildew and fungus. I used to live outside Seattle. Nice town, but it rains too much.

Earle

Hydrogen peroxide also kills mildew, pretty good bleach. Too bad the hair strength is so hard to find, and it takes a lot of fast talking to get 30% or 99% from folks like Buffalo Electro Chemical Company. [The latter of which leaves really funny looking scar tissue, pure white... and I have the scars to prove it.]

Dilute bird droppings? Bird with diarrhea?

As dry as Cupertino is, it is still a heavy mildew area. Good thing Smart & Final sells peroxide by the gallon cheap.

NO NO NO with bleach!

Stop you your local agricultural extension and have the mold identified. If you live in an area that has lots of rain, the spots are probably "artillery fungus/mold".

Most fungus/molds/mildews will 'dissolve' in caustic solutions such as 'stong' detergents composed of sodium silicates, etc. Problem with such application is that you may alter the water repeliency. Mildews and molds can be ANY color. Bleach only kills but doesnt remove the cellular debris - which can be the nutrient source for 'other' microorganisms. Dissolve it - is the best method of removal.

Of course bleach doesn't remove debris; that's why you rinse it afterwards with water. Do I have to explain everything? I fail to see the advantage to using a *caustic* solution, compared to *dilute* bleach. Who cares if it's dissolved or not? After you hose it off it is gone.

Earle

And you are an idiot. We are talking about canvas here. If you want to put strong caustic detergent on yours, go right ahead.

That's right. Make sure to use dilute bleach so as not to bleach or damage the canvas.

That's why God invented the toothbrush. It you use your wife's, then make sure to clean it real well before putting it back. ;o)

See above.

Oh, now you're saying "mild" caustics. ;o)

Earle