Hello Mark27,

Go to http://www.sodium-chlorite-supplier.com
and pick up a 16 ounce bottle of 5% sodium chlorite solution.

You will also need to visit a hardware store and pick up a liter of muriatic acid, which is also known as hydrochloric acid.

You will also need a syringe for accurate measurements, and measuring cups.

You will also need a bottle to store the activator in. The HCl you get at the hardware store is around 32%. You will have to dilute it down to 6%, and then have a container to store it in.

To use put 5 ml of the 5% sodium chlorite in a bowl and add 5 ml of the 6% HCl. Then add about 250 ml of water. Place the bowl in your tent and let the chlorine dixoide do its work.

These are powerful chemicals, so take precautions when handling them. Avoid heavy concentrations of chlorine dioxide fumes. A slight "bleach like" odor will be present. We often put the furniture and the tent in a room that can be closed off from the rest of the house and do the process in that room. After the 24 hours, open the room and air it out. The odor should be gone in 5 - 10 minutes. If not, open a window and use a fan to air out the room. Take care when disposing the left over chemicals. If you spill them, they can bleach. Pour them down the drain and flush with water.

Most of the time a single treatment is all that is needed. However, before tearing down the tent you may want to go over things with a "fine tooth comb" to make sure all of the mold odor has been removed. In heavy contamination cases a second application may be needed.

If you know the volume of water in your washing machine, you can also remove mold and mildew from clothing by adding the appropriate amount of chlorine dioxide solution to your wash. Once again you don't want to use too much because it can bleach.

Books and other household items can be put into a plastic tub with a small amount of the chlorine dioxide solution and this will kill off the mold and mildew on and in those items.

Once again keep in mind that chlorine dioxide in higher concentrations is a respiratory irritant. Take care. If you have ever bleached a load of laundry, and then walked into the laundry room, that is about as strong an odor that you want to be around. A slight odor for the period of time we are talking about for this use should not be a problem. If you find yourself, or others, beginning to cough, the concentration is too high and it is time to open things up and air them out.

I bring up the safety issues because I think that an informed person is better prepared. In the end this process is actually safer than cleaning your bathroom using the chemicals available for that.

Tom