Boat Cover Cleaning?
 

How do u guys clean ur boat covers? I have a "new to me" 27ft mid cabin boat and the covers were in the ski locker when I bought it, but b/c of the rain recently and the boat being outside at the dealership for a day, the bottom of the ski locker was damp, and so was a portion of the cover.

Im not to concerned with the outside of the cover, since the rain is now cleaning that ;). But to prevent any smells from the inside of the cover is what im more concerned about.

Thanks

A couple of times a year I hang mine over the fence and scrub it with a brush and soapy water. Dries quick like that and I usually hit it a couple of times. Gets all the grime off of it. If you have heavy mildew or something you might need a stronger cleaner. A dehumidifier in the boat is a good idea also.

I agree with jmeng! I keep damp rid in my cabin works excellent...Just refill the container 2 or 3 times a month depending on where you live.

Does anyone have a suggestion for a good cleaner. Also would you recommend using a pressure washer??

If you pressure wash it don't hold the nozzle to close to the material, as it could damage it. I use dish soap and warm water to clean mine and once it is dry, I spray it with water repellent.

Ive thought about taking mine to a commercial cleaner and having them run it through the washing machine on delicate...
Has anyone tried that?

Mild soap and water. Hang and let dry thouroughly. Don't use anything too strong. You'll clean off the waterproofing. Im a big skier. I try to to wash my ski clothes very often. The aftermarket waterproofing never is as good as the "factory".

Pick up some Spray 9 at Home Depot, best cleaner that I have found.

x2. :drink:

Throw it in a swimming pool overnight. I have a full black cover on my Fountain CC and thats how I clean it. Works amazing and no work other than vacuming the pool. The chlorine in the pool isnt enough to hurt the cover but will kill/remove any mold/mildew. You might need some brick to weigh it down.
Next best is to soak it in a garbage can or big rubbermaid bin with the same chlorine content as a pool. Agittae now and then. rinse well.

I'm just trying to picture how you stumbled across this solution the first time:drink:

I did last year. My cover had a lot of mildew,dirt,pollen and pine sap on it. Called my normal cleaners and the gave me the number to one with a machine big enough to handle it. Cover cleaned up good but not perfect. We retreated it with scotch guard and its repelled water nicely for over a year. 60.00 for the dry cleaner and around 20.00 for the scotch guard.

Buy a $10 blue plastic kiddie pool and wash it in there.

303 makes a fabric cleaner that is approved by Sunbrella and will not strip the weatherproofing.

I tried scrubbing for a while but it seemed endless. Broke out the pressure washer and i say im 68% their. How much chlorine to water in a kiddie pool do you think i should use. Is their a certain type of chlorine i should use also. Thanks for the help

That is a great idea!!! :drink:

That's what I was going to say. I lay mine out in the driveway and pressure wash it with one of those electric home power washer.

All I could tell you is don't use that water repellant spray for canvas that they sell in West Marine. Had a brand new cockpit cover made in February, picked up a bottle of that stuff and sprayed the cover down. The next day went to check on the boat and the cover had blotches and runs all over it, the cover is ruined, having a new one made and keeping the old one for a spare.

If you have any silver or carbon fiber vinyl that the cover will be in contact with dont use 303 either. It causes those colors to fade when the wet cover comes in contact with them.

This is going to sound crazy, but all the advice i get from my area is use Thompsons Water Seal for decks to waterproof the cover. I have yet to try it but the guys ive talked to says it works great.

I havent ever tried it either. But it would be alot cheaper. A gal of 303 for fabric is $100. a gal of tws is 10. Just bought a gal of each the last month. For different jobs tho. :grinser010:

You want the chlorine whatever it is for a standard swimming pool. Should be able to find that on the web. I wouldnt do it right after you shock the pool. I learned this from my canvass guy. A kiddie pool is a great idea.
You will have to work the air bubbles out which makes doing it in a garbage can kind of difficult. Try and "feed" the cover into the water to avoid trapping air.
Last time I re-waterproofed my cover I used Starbrights product in a garden pump style sprayer. I was very happy with the results and its much less expensive than 303.