Does Revivex Odor Eliminator Kill Mold and Mildew?
Depending on how ingrained the mold and mildew are in the fabric, Revivex Odor Eliminator could be used to eliminate them. Sometimes you can remove mold by simply scrubbing with soap and water. Other times, you may need something more powerful like bleach.
We recommend that you first hand wash the item with warm soapy water.
Revivex Odor Eliminator, is designed to remove odors caused by mold and mildew, but it is not guaranteed to kill the mold or mildew. If there is an odor associated with the mold or mildew Odor Eliminator will help remove it. As far as killing the mold, I would stick with the above recommendation and try cleaning with soap and water first.
Click here for more tips on removing mold and mildew from tents.
How does it work?
Mix Odor Eliminator with water to activate the microbes. The microbes use water as fuel and they’ll begin consuming any bacteria present. Once they’ve consumed the bacteria, they’ll consume themselves. They will continue to consume until their food source (water) runs out.
How do I use it?
Mix Odor Eliminator with water (see ratios below). Saturate the item that needs to be treated with your Odor Eliminator solution. Allow the item to air dry. Don’t rinse the item because you’ll rinse away the microbes. Don’t apply excessive heat, because heat will impact the microbes. Just saturate the item and allow it to air dry completely.
Recommended Mixing Ratios:
For best results, once diluted with water, use within 72 hours
Preventative Maintenance: Items like wetsuits, dry suits and waders that have a tendency to develop odors can be treated with Odor Eliminator as preventative maintenance. Mix a ½ oz. of Odor Eliminator per 20 gallons of water. This is ideal for items that can be soaked or completely saturated.
Spray Bottle Preventative Maintenance: Items like shoes, boots, tents, backpacks and leather fabrics that should NOT be soaked can be treated with Odor Eliminator as preventative maintenance as well. Mix a ½ oz. per 16 oz. of water. The item does not need to be saturated with the Odor Eliminator solution, but should be noticeably damp.
Spray Bottle Strong Odors: For strong or stubborn odors like pet urine, mold/mildew smells and body odors on items that can NOT be soaked, mix 2 oz. of Odor Eliminator per 16 oz. of water. Again, the item does not need to be saturated with the Odor Eliminator solution, but should be noticeably damp.
Normal Dilution: Items with noticeable odors that can be saturated or soaked with water (i.e., clothing, wetsuits, dry suits, select outdoor gear), mix 1 oz. per 5 gallons of water. Ideally, the item will be soaked or saturated with the Odor Eliminator solution.
Heavy Dilution: Items with extremely stubborn odors that can be saturated with water (i.e., sports gear, skunk spray, pet odors, footwear, waders, wetsuits and drysuits): 3 oz. per gallon of water. The item should be soaked in the Odor Eliminator solution until completely saturated.
Helpful Tips:
- The more you saturate the item with microbes the better the success. This is why a soak application is typically better than a spray application. At that same time, don’t soak anything in water that shouldn’t be soaked in water!
- When pre-mixing a spray application, use the pre-mixed solution within 72 hours. While the microbes prefer to consume bacteria, they will consume themselves as well once mixed with water.
- We recommend sticking with the recommended ratios above. Adding more Odor Eliminator than water can impact plate count and its effectiveness
- For footwear, agitate the foot bed with a stiff brush to help break-up the accumulation of odors that typically form on foot beds before treating with Odor Eliminator.
Technical Product Details
Odor Eliminator does not mask odors. The microbes actually consume the odor-causing bacteria.
Odor Eliminator will not leave behind any residues or impact breathability, so feel free to use it on technical fabrics and GORE-TEX gear.
Odor Eliminator will remove odors typically associated with mold and mildew, but it is not guaranteed to kill mold or mildew. It really depends on how ingrained the mold is into the fabric. Sometimes you can remove mold or mildew by simply scrubbing with soap and water. Other times, you may need something more powerful like bleach. I would recommend that you begin by hand washing with warm soapy water.
Odor Eliminator has a two-year shelf-life. Mixing it with water activates the microbes. Otherwise, they remain fairly dormant. However, because the solution contains live organisms, they can and will begin feeding on themselves because they don’t have any other food source.
Odor Eliminator will only remove “natural” odors. It will not remove chemical odors, fragrances or perfumes.
Odor Eliminator specifically will not cause the polyurethane coating (PU) coating on tents or backpacks to break down, but soaking the tent or pack in water can.
If any lingering odors remain, you can treat the item again.
Do not apply heat or dry in direct sunlight as heat may also kill the microbes.
It is best to allow the item to air dry as long as possible. This gives the microbes plenty of time to do their job.
Soaking for an extended period of time is not recommended. The idea is to saturate the item with microbes and then allow those microbes to consume the odor causing bacteria. Typically you will soak fabrics for about 5 minutes and non-fabric surfaces for about 15 minutes.
You will not notice a reduction in odor, until the item has air dried completely.
When treating footwear we recommend to scrubbing the foot bed with a stiff brush to help break up the invisible film of bacteria which tends to develop on foot beds.
May darken leather. Test for colorfastness before use.
Cap bottle tightly and store in cool, dry place.
The many uses of Revivex Odor Eliminator
Remove odors from: footwear, clothing, outdoor gear, wetsuits, drysuits, dry bags, waders, rubber boots, fire and safety gear, neoprene, pets, exercise gear, sleeping bags or anything that can be dipped in water.