: I have a canvas-skinned Greenland boat, starting to get a touch of mildew.
: Could I just slosh around a mix of ethylene glycol and get some short-term
: anti-mildew protyection? Anyone done this?

I have heard that ethylene glycol has an impressive abilty to penetrate paint films. If such rumors are true, you might be able to apply this stuff from the outside. Otherwise, you'll just have to work on the inside of the fabric. Tie your brush to a stick to reach the ends if you must.

Test a small area. You don't want to have this stuff lift off your paint.

It does penetrate the skin, so be sure to wear gloves and just don't touch the stuff a lot. You can apply it with a paintbrush or roller without problems. Your body can tolerate quite a bit of it, and you might even see a few products where it is used as a food additive in small quantities -- but in larger quantities it is poisonous. Unfortunately, dogs like to lap up spilled automotive antifreeze because it tastes sweet. Don't leave any around for your pets to get at.

The material loves to mix with water, so it will probably wash off with any bilge water that sloshes around. That means rather frequent recoats.

I have seen commercial mildewcides and paint additives for eliminating mildew in the paint section of my local Ace hardware. I'm sure there are several brands on the market. You might try applying one of these.

Another ingredient you might consider is ordinary borax. You can buy it in the laundry supplies setion at most grocery stores. Dissolve a little in hot water and paint it on. Kills mildew on contact, provides some residual protection and you won't be dealing with something that is highly toxic. Any leftovers can be used in washing clothes. As Groucho Marx said: "Except for the improvement she'll never know the difference."

hope this helps

PGJ