would anyone know how to clean the "mold" off a Therm-a-rest prolite 4

[dmgbos]

I noticed the lifetime warrantee does not cover "mold".

I have tried washing it multiple times with house hold cleaners and while it looks cleaner it still has those brown spore-like spots impregnated into the fabric, although there are less of them and they are less visible.

Any ideas how to really clean it? Or maybe just point me in the direction of where I can find out?

Two quick some-what irrelevant notes: it still functional, and the problem is due to improper storage.

Thanks in advance.

[Snowleopard]

If it is really mold, it needs to be killed. Some soap and chlorine bleach in water will usually kill mold; leave the solution on it for some time to let it work. I know sometimes it's hard to get the mold or mildew out of clothes.

Is it possible that your cleaning has romoved the mold and what you're seeing is just discoloration from your cleaning or from the mold?

[Compass]

It takes about 15 minutes to kill mold and spores with bleach at a 1/8 ratio but that might be enough time to ruin the TRP4.

[Dances with Mice]

I noticed the lifetime warrantee does not cover "mold".

I have tried washing it multiple times with house hold cleaners and while it looks cleaner it still has those brown spore-like spots impregnated into the fabric, although there are less of them and they are less visible.

Any ideas how to really clean it? Or maybe just point me in the direction of where I can find out?

Two quick some-what irrelevant notes: it still functional, and the problem is due to improper storage.

Thanks in advance.
There's two questions here. There's how do you kill mold - and then how do you remove the spots caused by the mold.

You've probably already killed the mold - soap, dryness, sunlight, bleach and many other chemicals including a light coat of oil will kill mold. Most molds have a really small window of growing conditions, they like dark and damp.

But the dead mold that remains is still visible. To remove the mold - soap, water, a mildly abrasive scrub pad like one of those green dish scrubbers, and elbow grease. Mold sends out root-kinda things that dig into whatever surface they're on.

[Connie]

Did you try Windex? Windex works for white mold. Wipe.

If mildew, then I use Starbrite Mildew Stain Remover (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/producte/10001/-1/10001/5210/377%20710/0/mildew%20spray/Secondary%20Search/mode%20matchallpartial/0/0?N=377%20710&Ne=0&Ntt=mildew%20spray&Ntk=Primary%20Search&Ntx=mode%20matchallpartial&Nao=0&Ns=0&keyword=mildew%20spray&isLTokenURL=true&storeNum=33&subdeptNum=34&classNum=34) from West Marine.

Here (http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/SiteSearchView?catalogId=10001&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&keyword=mildew+spray&Ntt=mildew+spray&N=377+710&y=0&x=0&storeId=10001&Ntk=Primary+Search&ddkey=SiteSearch) are other useful products.

. . .

[Tipi Walter]

On one of my recent backpacking trips I left a couple BearVaults for resupply and nearby was a buried cache consisting of a thermarest pad wrapped in a stuff sac and had been there for about 3 months. After about 18 days I swung back to the cache and picked up the "emergency" thermy since my other had a very slow leak, and found it to be wet and completely covered in mold. Foul.

Here's the thing, it held air and after a couple hours at the next camp drying out, it wasn't bad and I used it for the rest of the trip. Leaks are major, mold means nothing. However, I believe with enough mold a pad will delaminate and grow an airtight bulging bubble making sleeping on the thing nearly impossible. I know, I had 3 pads delaminate over the years and found it hard to sleep with a 15 inch air bladder under my chest.

[Egads]

try a car wash wand held several feet back