Getting Mold out of tails

[AniaR]

So I have been trying to avoid getting mold in my tail after losing my first silicone tail to it. With my new one I did so well for nearly 3 years! But after a trip to florida and unable to clean/dry it the way I usually would... it got mold.

I started researching online to find ways to get it out, here is a before and after of one of my experiments. I am trying it again with a variation to see if I can get the rest off. if it works I'll post a tutorial :) For now i'll document everything I try here

Before on the left, after on the right.

https://scontent-lga3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/26168075_2032051410406565_3448212322176107021_n.jp g?oh=b828b115d890d0254e6b6ab8298c1836&oe=5AB52BE4

[Sammi the Sleepy Mermaid]

Oh no!!! I hope it all works out for ya!

[Mermaid hannahML]

Peroxide is the way to kill mold not bleach that will make it spread

[NomadicMermaid]

Following!

[mermaidenspins]

What about putting some rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle? It evaporates quickly and kills everything it touches! It shouldn’t hurt the fabric or silicone ( I would think)


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[Ashton]

Following


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[AniaR]

my photos aren't showing up anymore. I will see if I can find them and re-post them. The change was DRASTIC. lol

[AniaR]

For safety, I wanted to drop this list here of cleaning chemicals you SHOULDN'T mix (remember the chlorine on your tail is a chemical too!):
https://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/16-common-product-combinations-you-should-never-mix?utm_term=.nyoNbwGwX#.shpj6WlW7

Here is how I set up to clean the mold:

1) I used this mold cleaner (made for cleaning silicone) after watching tutorials online for it. use in a ventilated space, wear a mask and gloves. Put something like a garbage bag or disposable table cloth underneath

2) Get strong paper towel or alternative like a thin rag that will stay saturated. Totally saturate it with the cleaner. I'm talking sopping wet.

3) Weigh down the affected area with weights and basically smoosh it into the wet paper towel. The reason this works is because simply spraying will not penetrate the porousness of the silicone. Leave for 12 hours, then swap out the paper towel with new re-saturated paper for another 12 hours.

4) You can see a pretty drastic improvement. The dark color you still see in mine, is because before I could clean it I put a thin layer of silicone over that spot in hopes of stopping the spread (because previously I hadn't found a cleaner that worked)

You can do this throughout your tail. I suggest smaller sections for 12-24 hours at a time for best results. I got pretty much all the mold out of my tail.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Wash your tail with regular soap and warm water before putting it on again.

https://i.imgur.com/i3rd4y8.jpg

[AniaR]

I made this into a shareable blog post incase the images come down again:

Here's a tutorial for preventing, and getting mold out of a mermaid tail:

https://www.mermaidraina.com/blog-tutorials/mold-and-mermaid-tails

[Ashton]

Oh wow, that is amazing. Thank you for sharing the product and process of getting mold out!