Mildew in tractor home

[raykos]

I've built a 24x40 combination garage/tractor home; front is 24x24 for the cars and the back is 16x24 for the tractor. Don't have garage doors on yet, and everything is wide open. The ceiling is finished with 1/2" drywall, insulated & painted. I also put down a 5/8" OSB floor over the insulation in the attic for storage.

Everything was fine( for about 3 months), until this morning. I've been down with the flu/cold for the last 1 1/2 weeks; I'm retired, and working on the garage came to a stand stll until this morning.

When I swam through the humidity, entered the garage, and turned the lights on, I wanted to turn around and retreat back to the couch! The entire ceiling was nothing but mildew; probably because the cement floor must have been flooded out somehow last week, it's still really wet with puddles here & there. And since there's been no activity out there for 1 1/2 weeks, the damp & dark conditions let the mildew flourish?

So now, I'm faced with, what do I do now? If anybody has any suggestions about what to use, how to use it, or any other ideas about getting rid of this mildew, I sure would appreciate them?

Thanks,
Ray

 

[brin]

Add a 1/4 or so of bleach to a gallon of water and use a sponge mop with a handle and it will take the mold off and keep it off for awhile but it will come back if you do not solve your moisture problem...a fan or some air circulation will help.

 

[USNative]

Add a 1/4 or so of bleach to a gallon of water and use a sponge mop with a handle and it will take the mold off and keep it off for awhile but it will come back if you do not solve your moisture problem...a fan or some air circulation will help.

Yep that should work!

 

[ultrarunner]

I found Zinser Perma White paint takes care of all my mold problems...

They make top coats and sealers...

I have used the product in bathrooms, closets, workshops and boat cabins...

http://www.rustoleum.com/CBGProduct.asp?pid=327

http://www.pembertons.com/html/disinfectant/permawash/images/PermaGuardTDB.pdf

 

[woodswolf1]

The bleach will kill it, but you have to soak the wood pretty good wiht it. It actually sends out little runners, so knocking it off the surface wont' completely kill it off. I have used bleach successfully in bathrooms and one heck of a mess under the bottom of my kitchen cabinet where I didn't know I had a leak! It was fuzzy under there! Sorry about your mess, that must have been a huge bummer!
Check out this website How to Kill & Remove Mold with Bleach, Borax, Vinegar, Ammonia
Good luck!

 

[SandburRanch]

That would be a depressing site alright but I would be focusing on how to correct the dew point temperature issue so killing the present mildew problem would only need to be accomplished one time.

 

[JD5210]

Consider using a 2 gallon pump sprayer. This way you will not have to be standing underneath it. Give it a good sprayer as said before roots go into material. If you decide to take it down, put on a mask and eye protection, as that mold will be in the air and is not good for lungs.

You are going to have to get the garage door up and put down some type of vapor barrier on the floor if it is dirt.

 

[BeezFun]

I'd put up some plastic to seal the doors and run a dehumidifier to dry everything out. Then after you install the doors see if there's any more sign of mold. If there is you might have to run a dehumidifier out there during humid weather. Hopefully the water infiltration would be stopped by the doors, otherwise there must be some kind of grade issue allowing that much water to enter.