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I hope someone can help me on this one!

I was unable to air my folding camper last year and opened it to find white mould on the inside of the roof, and some black mould on the wood beneath one of the bed ends.

The Conway Owners Club had a list of different things for different problems, so I tried the mild bleach solution (gingerly), and it cleared for about a week before returning.  So I did it again and after nearly 3 weeks its back again :(

There's so much information on different ways to deal with this that I'm totally confused what to try next. 

Hope someone can help!

Dettol mould and Mildew spray is fab, I have used it on an inner tent that was only fit for the bin and it is now like new, but it does bleach, so it would probably sort the wood and any hard surfaces, but if the roof is canvas it will take the colour out.

A good dose of sunshine may do the trick on canvas, brush any mould off it with a stiff brush and let it stand in the sun whenever you can (currently pouring down here...) If canvas is badly affected it may have weakened, so keep a look out for leaks or rips and take care of it as soon as you can.

Hi, we opened up our camper a couple of weeks back and were horrified that it had mildew/mould.  We thought that we had dried it out sufficiently at the end of last year before packing away for the winter.  It also had leaked through the tarpaulin cover so this may have been to blame - who can really tell.  At the time we brushed the worst of the powdery mould off. I took the inner ceiling lining out and both bedroom inner tents.  I sprayed these with Detol Mould & Mildew Remover and washed them in the machine (twice!) and then hung them on the washing line to dry - result was brilliant.

Well this weekend we put the camper back up in the garden, we diluted some milton in water (read somewhere on here that it should be the same as for babies bottles etc) and washed the areas where it was down (a few small marks remain but nothing major). We sprayed the canvas areas where we had washed down with Fabsil to re-waterproof them.  The inner tents and ceiling are now back in. We now have our fingers crossed that everything will be OK.

Thanks everyone, I will definately give these a try.  I have milton, so might try that one first. The detail and iosso mold and mildew stain removers sound a good bet too, so I'll be getting those too - kill or cure as they say :D

I've reproofed the bit with the mould I thought I'd got rid of, using nikwax; but thinking of getting fabsil instead - assuming it will be alright on top of nikwax? Where the mould has spread, it looks like I'll be reproofing the whole canvas now too :(

Has anyone ever varnished the wooden bed ends?  I'm thinking of doing this once killed off everything - to help prevent a reoccurence.  Any thoughts on this idea?

Thanks again

Quote: Originally posted by cheery18 on 07/7/2009

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Has anyone ever varnished the wooden bed ends?  I'm thinking of doing this once killed off everything - to help prevent a reoccurence.  Any thoughts on this idea?

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Varnishing the bed boards will actually make the problem worse as it will encourage condensation. The wood is left bare for a reason...so that it can breathe.

There's no substitute for ventilation/complete drying out when it comes to preventing mould and mildew. The cabin roof of folding campers is a prime spot for condensation because of course you're using the kitchen in there and there's limited airflow between the liner and roof. If at all possible try to drop the roof liners and open all vents and windows once in a while, to air the camper. Similarly, prop up your mattresses a bit in the morning to allow condensation to air out and take your bedding outside. Open up all the windows and doorway at least once a day.

And as for drying out at the end of each trip...well, vital, as you know! It's worth taking linings etc out if the camper is going to be laid up for a while, and consider taking the canvas off too and storing indoors if your's is a model where you can do this fairly easily.

I think mine went moulding due to weather extremes - it's rear was pointing south and it kept sweating, and the front was due north and any air couldn't go right through due to the slide in cover (I preferred the rope on the taupalin all the way round to be honest)

I've never had condensation issues when its been in use, and don't pack it with any of the liners or curtains left in situe; but then I guess that's why it's taken 10 years to get a problem with it - I wish it had waited another 10 hehehe

Getting the canvas off....hmmmm....that sounds a scary option :s I'd be worried I'd forget how to put it on again :s but it's a thought.

For the wood try a light sanding and Cuprinol fungicidal spray for windows and woodwork (and a good airing afterwards) Bought my bottle of the spray from B&Q .

Whatever you do, do not varnish the wood.

for reproofing as an alternative to Fabsil consider Thompsons waterseal its not advertised for canvas but its in the applications on the tin and its cheaper than fabsil just make sure the canvas is clean and dry before you apply it and allow plenty of time to dry and air off. 

Hi All

Well.... they've changed the Thomsons to a new formulae which doesn't do textiles, and I couldn't get the Cuprinol.  So decided to kill or cure the canvas.... gulp

I put water, bleach, anti bacterial cleaner and milton together in a spray bottle and sprayed all the inside and brushed it in - TWICE  (I forgot to put in the vinegar unfortunately but if this concoction doesn't do it, I'll add some vinegar into the mix too, and whatever else I can find at this stage

Fingers crossed it works, and then I can just get rid of the stains - going to try that isoso stuff, and then reproof it - it will have to be nikwax as haven't been able to get anything else like fabsil.

Next installment will hopefully be good news!!!!