what cleaner is best for wiping down PVC based grow tent interior?

[vindiesel]

i know i read somewhere that there is a chemical, maybe simple green and/or alcohol, that is best to wipe down inside of PVC based tents prior to putting plants in to prevent potential yellowing problems. i have an HTG tent. it is PVC inside like the hydrohuts, but i do believe HTG tents made in USA , not china like HH. mine did reak when i assembled it, but i have had it set up and zipped open airing out almost a month now. will install exhaust fan and oscillating fan this weekend too. the smell is just barely noticable now. very, very hint smell. i want to take all precautions before starting grow and would like to know what is best to wipe down inside. i don't want to get a new tent (homebox), but if yellowing does occur, i will. i bought this tent just prior to all the yellowing talk on here, or at least before i started reading about it. hopefully i will not have a problem. i have a feeling alot had problems because they started grow when tent was brand new when PVC really reaked, and/or poor exhaust and air movement . i don't know, just praying i'm all right. i haven't heard anyone have a problem w/ HTG tents, but then again, most go with other brands. thanks.
vin

 

[Americangrower]

I use a 3gal spayer filled with h2o and about a cup of bleach... kills everything...but wear those long rubber glover when you scrub off/wipe up h20/bleach..

I had a hugh mite infestaion.. but after that run I soaked every inch of the room with h2o/Bleach... no more little f ckers and a clean room

 

[vindiesel]

i'm talking about to clean it to minimize the PVC off gassing...

 

[Americangrower]

It has nothing to do with smell.. The materials used are toxic...my guess is Lead mixed in the plastic/PVC or what ever material that liner is made of... China put lead in toys so you tell me..

 

[vindiesel]

anyway, when these hunts/tents are new, they reak, after airing out for about a month, mine has almost no smell. what i want to know is what cleaner some claim they used which illimated the off gassing.

 

[Mr. Bongjangles]

Hi vindiesel..

The spray you're thinking of is a mold killer called Green Cure.

Check out this post for a very informative breakdown:

http://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=79397

If you have access to some bagseed or even paid-for seed, just start 5-10 of those in your tent, and 5-10 in another room. You'll know in 2 weeks if your tent is problematic for sure. For kickers, start a few in the same room as the tent, but not inside, and watch in amazement as they go bad as well (if your tent is bad that is)

Having been through a bad Hydrohut and its bad Habitat replacement, I can tell you that the initial smell doesn't have anything to do with the poisonous off-gassing issue. The strong vinyl smell went away after a month or so, while I was testing this and that & getting replacement poles and whatnot, but the reduction in smell did not accompany any reduction in its plant killing powers. hehe.

Just start some seedlings like I mentioned, as you sound like the type who really needs to know, or this is gonna eat your brain alive once you really start things up in there. I mean that in a good way :0]

Good luck, and if the tent turns out bad, myself and others are liking the Secret Jardin Dark Room tents, and I hear the Homebox tents are on point too.

 

[Guest]

i'm talking about to clean it to minimize the PVC off gassing...

There is no cleaner which will do ANYTHING about the outgassing problem in affected huts. Go read that other forum post that someone put up about how to return affected huts and how to get the problem fixed.

You can't do it yourself...as you will see after you read the explanation from Hydrohut.

pedro

PS

My Hydrohut was not affected. It has never smelled at all...ever. I clean it periodically with H2O2(3% Hydrogen Peroxide) 1cup and 3 cups of water. I don't use bleach because it stinks and is not necessary if you clean your hut every few months. I'd use bleach only if I had suffered a major pest infestation or disease of some sort.

 

[vindiesel]

mr bojangles, i read that info on the green cure spray and did alittle research myself on the effects of potassium bicarbonate on chlorine. it does decrease chlorine levels. if the chlorine is the problem in the PVC, who knows...i may give it a try and rub down inside of tent w/ it...can't hurt, and sounds good on paper. also there are no negative reports on HTG brand tents, and i spoke to guy at HTG today, and he said he heard of hydro hut problems, but assurred me he hasn't had 1 complaint w/ the HTG tents. who knows...

 

[BlindDate]

Like Pedro said the chemical leaches out of the material (outgassing) and simple surface cleaning will do nothing to stop it.

There is one thing that you can do, and that is to perform accelerated aging and force excessive outgassing in advance. Heat the material to 130-150 F for several days. After that it should be safe to grow in.

 

[vindiesel]

i plan on doing that. i will run my light w/ just intake holes open w/ no exhaust fans on, for a week or so.

 

[BlindDate]

I would just put a space heater inside the tent rather than run my bulbs for week for nothing.

 

[vindiesel]

good thinking...why do u think heat will bring out the chlorine gas of PVC anyway...? i'm no chemist. i don't even know if there is chlorine in the PVC like hydrohuts, but want to take all precautions...i'm a very thourough mofo...

 

[Guest]

I would just put a space heater inside the tent rather than run my bulbs for week for nothing.

Why risk an obvious "fire hazard"( the space heater) coupled with chlorine gas being released in your home....assuming that theory even works. Chlorine gas is something you don't want to be breathing...or I certainly don't. Maybe because I am more familiar with chlorine gas and its hazards than most people on the forums.

ALL PVC contains chlorine "Poly Vinyl Chloride"

These "home remedies" are not only not going to work...they may end up hurting you or your family.

 

[vindiesel]

well then what do u suggest i do...? and don't say get a new tent, because i'm not, especially since there's not even 1 complaint w/ the HTG tents. i wouldn't be such an ass as to throw a heater in my tent and leave, and i would open basement window about 12' from tent, to exhaust any potential fumes...i would probably only have to heat up tent for an hour or 2 before wiping down.

 

[vindiesel]

bump

 

[Strawberrycough]

there is this product called biogreen.

 

[vindiesel]

what is in it? looked at it, didn't find any ingredients. i just ordered the green cure(poassium bicarbonate), which supposedely neautralizes chlorine gas.

 

[BlindDate]

Why risk an obvious "fire hazard"( the space heater) coupled with chlorine gas being released in your home....assuming that theory even works. Chlorine gas is something you don't want to be breathing...or I certainly don't. Maybe because I am more familiar with chlorine gas and its hazards than most people on the forums.

Heating will "boil" out the gases the same as heating water does, except these chemicals usually have a lower boiling point. That is why it works. As an example, if you set out a tray of water, it will eventually evaporate, but if you heat it up, it will evaporate faster. If you bring it to its boiling temperature it will evaporate real fast. I don't know what the boiling point is for the chemicals that we are trying to eliminate, but heat will always speed the process. There is also a downside to this. As the chemical solvents are released from the polymer, the plastic will become brittle and crack. That is why the dashboards on cars crack if exposed to the sun over a long time. That is why this method is called accelerated aging. For our application hoever, over a short period of time, I would not worry about it.

Fire hazard: Well, if you set the heater so that it does not get above 130 or so in the tent there is not going to be a fire.

Deadly gases: Your either going to get them slowly over time, or all at once in a controlled situation with the window open. I would take the controlled method.

"i just ordered the green cure(poassium bicarbonate), which supposedely neautralizes chlorine gas."
This is a joke,,,right?

 

[Guest]

Heating will "boil" out the gases the same as heating water does, except these chemicals usually have a lower boiling point. That is why it works. As an example, if you set out a tray of water, it will eventually evaporate, but if you heat it up, it will evaporate faster. If you bring it to its boiling temperature it will evaporate real fast. I don't know what the boiling point is for the chemicals that we are trying to eliminate, but heat will always speed the process. There is also a downside to this. As the chemical solvents are released from the polymer, the plastic will become brittle and crack. That is why the dashboards on cars crack if exposed to the sun over a long time. That is why this method is called accelerated aging. For our application hoever, over a short period of time, I would not worry about it.

Fire hazard: Well, if you set the heater so that it does not get above 130 or so in the tent there is not going to be a fire.

Deadly gases: Your either going to get them slowly over time, or all at once in a controlled situation with the window open. I would take the controlled method.

"i just ordered the green cure(poassium bicarbonate), which supposedely neautralizes chlorine gas."
This is a joke,,,right?

You obvious don't know anything about the chemistry involved in making PVC. And above all you know nothing about fire safety.

All of you who think these "home remedies" will solve the outgassing problem need to do some research on the issue.

pedro

 

[vindiesel]

i've been researching, and other than getting a new tent, this seems like best option...
...who even knows if HTG tents cause yellowing though...
and no blind date, not a joke. i didn't have a clue about that until i heard another member talking about it, and then researched...search some chemistry forums. potassium bicarbonate has an effect on chlorine....