Advice on caravan curtains wanted please
We have found a line of black mould/mildew on the lining of our front caravan curtains (the curtains that have the plastic hems with poppers top and bottom that fit into the tracks), has anyone got any advice on how to clean the mould/mildew off? In the caravan manual it states that the curtains should be dry cleaned only so I am reluctant to wash them in case they shrink, it is only the lining that is marked not the curtain itself.
I would appreciate any help and advice that you can give.
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We had some black mould on our insect blinds, and used Cillitbang? black mould remover,and rinsed off with cold water, many years ago we had the lined curtains (dry clean only)on one of caravans washed by,by a laundry (Bourton on the Water) and the owner advised they should not shrink ,and she was right,cool wash said she and no tumble dry
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I once removed mould on our curtain linings by gently and carefully wiping them with diluted Milton and rinsing sparingly with plain water afterwards. It worked a treat.
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I had the same problem a while ago. Nothing i tried would remove the black stain and in the end i replaced the lining on all the curtains for a few pounds.
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Thanks everyone for your suggestions and help, I think I might go down the lemon juice or miltons route, I will have to be very careful as I cannot put anything between the curtains and lining due to the plastic strip and poppers.sown on the bottom.
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May be thoughts should be turned to prevention now. Best thing to do is ensure good air circulation around the van and its contents. Then make sure to open the curtains up so not tightly bunched up and keep material from touching the window itself. Open cupboards and move cushions (or remove) to let air circulate in lockers and stop them retaining absorbed moisture. Keep all vents to the outside unobstructed, even fridge covers some argue. They apparently are are for a different purpose, primarily to keep the cooling system warm would you believe, and working efficiently in 'very' cold weather I'm told. I must admit mind I do put mine on if driving fain is forecast.
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All of what you have quoted we have done and always have done, we also have several moisture traps situated in the caravan, we have owned a caravan for over 20 years now and this is the first time that we have ever had any kind of "problem", it is only one curtain that is affected (all of the curtains are drawn/closed and blinds up when the 'van is not in use, winter & summer.) We thought that the very wet autumn/winter we are having (the same as everyone else) probably hasn't helped.
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One school of thought is that the moisture traps actually draw damp air into the caravan through the vents. 🤷🏻♂️
Probably the weather/environmental conditions simply happened to be just right for mould to form this winter.
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Mystery then, Impy! As for those moisture traps it is suggested that they would only work if the van is totally sealed from the outside. Theory is that if we promote good ventilation the moisture content of the air inside will always be balanced wth that outside. That's just the laws of physics which render the moisture traps a waiste of time and money. The secret then is to maintain ventilation and circulation and limiting as best any materials from being able to collect and retain any condensed water vapour in its liquid form.
It does sound like the curtains must have been damp sometime whilst in storage for the mould to form.
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It happened to our liners a few years back, but nothing on the curtains themselves, using various cleaners reduced the appearance of the spots but could not eradicate them.
We always use the blinds anyway and the curtains are permanently tied back, so we removed the liners completely and the curtains continue to be used for show inside. Mould never returned so maybe the liner material is susceptible to changes in the air.
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Thank you all for your replies and inputs. We have an "organic drycleaners" in our area so will take the curtain and have a word with them, if they say they can clean it then we will have all the curtains dry cleaned, if they can't help then as been suggested I will wash them on a cool wash, by hand, cool water and drip dry and hope that works.
We close the curtains whenever the caravan is not in use be it summer or winter (we don't want unwanted eyes peering in although we don't leave anything on display and remove all valuable items), as we don't want to put a strain on the blinds/tension we only use them when we are in occupation. I guess others will have different opinions on that - horses for courses I guess.
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rubbing alcohol?
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It worked for me. I took the curtains down, treated the marks very carefully, then rinsed with water and dried them before rehanging. Good luck.
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Not always the case, Deleted User User. It took over three hours to remove and then refit ten curtains in our Lunar 524. There is almost no room to get one's hands in and the screws that hold the track are not accessible at all, even trying to use a cranked screwdriver. Point nosed pliers helped a bit but still very awkward trying to get the hooks out of the runners. Trying to work upside down for much of the time is no joke. Obviously no thought given at the design stage.
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