Today was mold day. Ugh. While much of the SF world was at the Locus Awards, I was doing battle with mold and boats. (Ok, not the most physically strenuous battle, but kind of a sneaky guerrilla, slap-it-around-and-run-like-hell kind of battle.)
We’ve been saying for weeks, “We’ll clean up the mildew in the bunk area” but we kept not doing it (we still have hanging lockers to manage as well) so today we finally got to it. It took hours and a break to let the chemicals settle down and I think it’s still kind of a half-assed job and we still haven’t done the hanging lockers (what normal people would call “closets”) yet. Although I did get about half the head done (“washroom” to you non-boatniks–not a bathroom because we don’t have room to take a bath in there.)
During the break, we went to look at some boats and see if there was anything we really liked enough to go into debt–or even consider going into debt–for. We did find one and it’s nice, and set up an appointment to see another, but after the second round of mold-slaying and chemical overdoses and dinner and stupid movies while we recuperated, Mr. Kat talked me out of it. So I’ve had to send email to the broker to say “sorry, changed our minds” and feel like a jerk about it.
I’m sure the other boat would be nice and it’s not a bad price, but realistically, we have to wait until after VANISHED launches and my schedule settles before we can start considering something like this.
Too bad: a new boat doesn’t have mold….
One more application or mold-be-dead tomorrow and maybe we can get to the hanging lockers too and then I think we might be able to live here without my having a headache that lasts 2 days every time we move the mattress or rearrange the closets.
bleh.
And the book is dragging rather badly in spite of my throwing myself at it night and day. It’s rather depressing. Other things are depressing, distressing or kind of in limbo and I’m waiting them out. I’m tired of waiting things out, but there’s nothing else I can do.
The boat was nice, though. (Dear Santa, may I please have an Island Packet 485 for Christmas…? I’ll settle for a Bavaria or a Morgan 44,… a Catalina 42…? OK, a gracefully aging Endeavor will do.)
The mold, on the other hand, was not but I think I kept ahead of it today by taking extra anti-histamines and killing much of it dead before it could kill me.
Hm… zombie mold monsters….
Hi Kat,
If you buy a new boat, will you be selling the current one?
Eventually, yes, but not without cleaning up the mold first.
Just keep swimming, just keep swimming …
Vinegar retards mold. Plain, old white distilled vinegar.
That’s what we’ve been using up until recently. It’s not sufficient for this mold and mildew. This is apparently super mold.
Living in Florida, I can tell you that you don’t want mold to run away on you, especially as you get into the summer. It can, quit literally, destroy whatever it gets into and cause some pretty serious health risks. That having been said, I tend towards plain chlorine bleach in well ventilated areas to kill it. I don’t know if that’d be feasible on a boat; never lived on one although I think it’d be interesting to try one day.
When it comes to depression…
“Now depression’s not a million laughs, but suicide’s too dangerous! Don’t go leapin’ out of buildings in the middle of the night. It’s not the fall but landin’ that’ll alter social standing, so go forth and ask your (insert respected elder here) and I’m sure they’ll set you right.” (Take Her in You Arms)
The book will come along, and you’ll get it out to where I can read it. Just finished Poltergeist (they had it in Trade!) and loved it. You poked me in my psychology studying places, and my paranormal places.
From Sarah Strohmeyer, author of the Bubbles series and other wonderful books…on today’s Lipstick Chronicles, the blog she shares:
PPS – The household tip. Nearly forgot – spray hydrogen peroxide onto mildew. Kills the mold and breaks down quickly into hydrogen and oxygen so it’s not bad for the environment. Bleach, people tell me, simply turns mildew white. (Though, I’m not quite sure that’s a bad thing.)