The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Making a Stovebolt Bed removing mildew from wood bed ?

hey guys. i live here in south florida, and keep a waterproof cover on my truck at all times, since it sets outside.
i noticed today that the wood floor bed is getting mildew.
how do i get it off easily ?
i was told the wood was treated, but with what i dont know.
please dont say to remove allt he wood. is there a way to get rid of the mildew easily ?
thanks much.
leonard

Go to the local hardware store and get a deck wash, it should clean it off. Joe

agree with joe h ,that would be my first guess...........dave

thanks guys. i looked at the side of most deck wash bottles. and they say not to get on metal. so im gonna try some simple clean and see what happens. thanks.

leonard

You could try blowing it off with a pressure washer, too.

Len - vinegar will kill mildew, although it's also corrosive so it'd need to be hosed off well afterward ... it's the humidity and dark that encourages mildew, you might find that leaving the tailgate open so there's some air circulation in there will slow down the reoccurance

Bill

i tried the simple green, diluted, and scrubbed with a plastic brush.
hosed down,a nd when it dried, it left those areas i scrubbed dry looking, like it took off some of the finish. but it did not remove the mildew.
next i will try vinegar, hopefully monday.
looks like i will be taking the wood planks out sooner or later to refinish them with a darker stain and clear urethane.
any other ideas would be greatly appreciated. thanks.
leonard

I'd try what Hotshoe recommended. If you don't have a pressure washer or know someone who does you could run the truck down to a do it yourself car wash.

if the simple green left it looking dry, then the finish on it was just an oil, which most astringent cleaners will suck out ... easy enough to re-oil, but it's the oil that's feeding the stuff so you may have to sand it to get rid of all the stain .... you'll avoid the fungal problems if you put a hard finish on it, urethane as you say - I've had good luck with 'Minwax Helmsman Spar Urethane' on outdoor wood

Bill

thanks guys. do you think just a pressure clean, even from a car wash, would get rid of the mildew ? guess i could always just try it.
man, it looked really goo, then this. i was wanting to redo the wood in the future, getting a darker stain, then eurethane, but wasnt really looking to do it this soon.

i am waiting on 2 rear wheels from centerline to see if they will clear for more lowering, then wated to do a power disc front brake system.

maybe i could squeeze the bed redo between these projects. LOL.
so, lets say i can get rid of the mildew stain with a pressure washer.
then what sould i do to it ? is there a quick fix i can do to it without removing the wood rom the bed, then do it the correct way when i ahve the time ?
thanks much.

here is a pic of the bed when i first bought it.

http://s251.photobucket.com/albums/...00/?action=view&current=DSC01284.jpg

thanks guys.
leonard

You will have tons of problems trying to get those stains off oak. Any moisture left on oak turns it into a greeenish , grayish stain. About the only way to get rid of the stain is to sand the wood. It may go so deep that the board will be dished out with all the sanding. The bed must not have had a good topcoat of urethane on it to stain in the first place. Somebody above said it may have had only an oil finish on it, maybe that is the case. But I would bet that you have moisture stains that only can be sanded out.

I think Oxylic acid removes stains on wood really well.
It is what I've used to remove stains from hardwood floors.
I have no idea of it's effect on painted or bare metal surfaces.

Use half-cup ordinary bleach to one gallon hot water. That will kill the mould fungi. And it will lighten any staining.

thanks again guys.
coach-frank, i love the look of your bed.
laurance, i will try the bleach and water trick on monday.
thanks so much guys. would like to remove the mildew easily without romoving the wood from the bed.
thanks again.
leonard

Leonard,
try some laundry BLEACH diluted 50/50 with HOT water on a samll spot let it dry and it should kill off and bleach out the mildew.
might be worth a try?
Tim

sure will try the bleach. didnt get around to it monday. hopefully this coming saturday.

tim, are you suggesting to use the 50/50 mixture and let it set after applying, and not rinse off ?

thanks again guys.
leonard