Vinyl Cleaning
 

So guys what do you reccomend to safely clean your vinyl uhpolstry?? No major staining at all.

My vinyl is a year old and I want to prolong it's life as much as possible. It just has a seasons worth of use on it.

The warmth will be here soon!!!

Im getting anxious!!:evilb:

Thanks

Lacquer Thinner on the vinyl and straight bleach on the threads. After clean wipe it down with a little WD40 or suntan lotion on a rag. :daz:

JUST JOKING!!!!!!

Use spray nine or spray some Bleach White on a damp rung out rag. A little more for bad stains. (Bleach White works better). Then 3M Aerospace 303 vinyl protectant with 40 spf sun block. I keep a bottle on and rag on the boat and re-apply during the day while out.

Magic eraser --- cheap simple -- and really work, armorall after to keep moist -- just once in the spring- or it gets too slippery.

On really tough areas 80 grit sand paper will do the trick... J/K

I use simple green as a normal wipe down cleaner. I like the way it smells:crazy: On tougher spots I use Roll Off, then rinse with water.

The magic eraser scares me. I used it on some tennis shoes and over time after repeated use the color disappeard from the shoes..... I would just use it if there was a stubborn stain.

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lev...50651911665980

leather cleaner and conditioner

I use Attwood or Starbrights (same stuff but sold under Attwood name at Walmart) deck cleaner with a Magic Eraser. Mine is a fishing boat that sees far worse stains than most of your boats. The deck cleaner is some good stuff. It smells like it has ammonia in it. Also great for cleaning the wheels on my car :)

I really like the Leverage Vinyl cleaner used with the magic eraser. I took out some ink stains I had.

303 Aero space protectant has the 40 spf sun block in it (Armor all does not) and is made for marine sun exposer applications. Plus, it is not slippery. If you want to save a few $ now and have faded material in 4-5 years,...? I'm sure youll make the right choice.

simple green and armor all.... never had any issues... interior looks brand new and spotless..after 11yrs...

Steven,
Can we see some pics of your families Eliminator please?? It's only fair. :coolcowboy::party-smiley-004:

I use Woolite oxy cleaner on my interior seems to work well. It seems to do a good job of getting the dust and stuff out of the grain of the vinyl. Plus it smells clean!

I will then use the 303 sunblock spray to prevent fading

+ 1 :drink:

. Then 3M Aerospace 303 vinyl protectant with 40 spf sun block. I keep a bottle on and rag on the boat and re-apply during the day while out.

Use spray nine or spray some Bleach White on a damp rung out rag, if something bad happens.

The 3m aerospace 303 does the job, especially with the spf built in if you want to keep vinyl looking new

Before I try the WD40 :eek:, does anyone have any recommendations for removing rust stains off of vinyl?

Bio Clean - this stuff is really good - and M-Eraser

Wd40 is fine and re moves most everything. It wont break down the the vinyls color or top coat. I am in the leather business and wd40 has been used for years no problems. Its a great cheap answer. It will also offer some protection.
Never use a product like simple green on the vinyl unless you dilute it heavily. Its ok on the vinyl but it will destroy the stitching. Over time it will literally eat it away and one day your seems will rip because of its use. We use m erasers alot its very lite abrasive is great on tough stains.

I buy 303 by the gallon and use it after every time out. Usually only use swipes wipes on the seats. Any recomendations for something I can use on a toothbrush to clean the stitching in the seams on my bolsters? Seems to be the only place I get mildew.

Another note for the 303 users. Autogeek offers a pretty good discount if you buy 4 gallons at a time. Comes out to $50/gal including shipping. Way cheaper than buying 16oz bottles locally.

We use zep and magic eraser, interior of Caveman still looks new after 2 years

On the stitching, I just use some good antibacterial soap and warm water, I also use a small nail brush from the local pharmacy store.

Thanks! Will give it a try. The stitching and the speaker covers drive me nuts. :lolhit:

Try rust aid. (at home depot or Lowes) I get a rag wet with water and ring it out then pour a little rust aid on. Lay it on the spot for a minute or two and it should be gone. Wipe with fresh rag and the recondition the area with 303.

It will also take the rust/browning of the bottom of the hull. I put it in a pump sprayer and coat the whole bottom, let it sit for 5 mins and rinse off. It will leave a coating like dryed wax that you will have to scrub off by washing. ( Note: Cover trailer with plastic first. It wont hurt aluminum but will leave drip spots that look bad) I also hit any rusted bolts or metal areas on trailer.

Guys over at XT Innovations who did my interior said they use straight rubbing alcohol to clean vinyl.

I use diluted simple green and a magic eraser bar for heavily soiled vinyl, otherwise I use 3M Vinyl Cleaner and Restorer #09029. I also use 303 Aerospace to "sunblock" the vinyl and keep it looking good for many years to come!

Okay here is a crazy one a slight stain of red pop antifreeze? Or it could be a slight stain of tanning lotion I don't know? What would take that out? Where can this 303 be purchased? Thanks guy's!

Not sure where you live, but any good marine or rv place should have the 303.

Red is very tricky, I had watermelon stains all over my white vinyl a couple years back, and I tried EVERYTHING, nothing would take it out, finally I just left it out in the sun hoping that the UV rays would breakdown the red pigment, and there it was... The sun cleaned the red right up for me. Could give it a shot....

Thanks I live in St. Clair Shores, MI I don't know what the stain is I just bought the boat in the fall but the little stain bothers me, I have tried Soft Scrub and Bio Kleen and a brush.

I would go ahead and buy a gallon. Much cheaper that way. Then go to home depot and pick up a spray bottle.

303 by the gallon

If you live in MI, then any west marine will have the 303 and a good selection of all detailing products.

Best (cheapest) place I have found to buy 303 is at boatfix dot com. I usually buy it in the quart bottles. They have great prices on most waxes, too.

Try Bleach White. Spray it on a wet rag and rub. It took every stain out of my seats. The deniem blue jean stains as well. You can get it at any auto parts store.

:lolhit::party-smiley-004:

WOW what a plethora of products!!!

Ive used simple green before, however, i have noticed some of the color from my vinyl coming off on the rag!!!! :eek:

So this is why I asked this question.

I have used other meguires products before on cars and trucks, I noticed today at west marine that they have a "marine/RV" vinyl and rubber cleaner and protectant. Deep cleans, restores, and protects from UV damage.

I value all of your reccomendations and advice. Nothing speaks like experience!!:coolcowboy:

So, do I try the stuff from meguires?? Or go with what the offshore boyz are telling me about the 303????

hummmmmm???

I'm still confused!!

I have used "Diluted" simple green on all sorts of vinyl, of all colors, and have NEVER had any color come off??

From a protectant standpoint, there is simply nothing better than 303 Aerospace protectant. Just make sure you use enough to let it soak into the stitching. Some of the cleaners mentioned here (Lacquer Thinner for instance) scare the hell out of me and will destroy your vinyl by removing all the plasticizers. Others will "clean" the vinyl, but rot out the stitching over time. So, using a high grade product like 303 will at least minimize any damage to the stitching and protect your vinyl.

Maybe what I did was use an undiluted batch when that happened?? Did the simple green work well diluted?

So would a vinyl cleaner be good to "clean" then protect with 303? or should I just stick to 303?

OK, I've tried just about every cleaner in existence. The best vinyl cleaner I have used is Spray Nine. Dilution is not required. For a little more cleaning power, use Spray Nine with the Magic Eraser. The Eraser is slightly abrasive, so watch out when using on colored vinyl. You can use them together for extra cleaning power. You can also use the Eraser without Spray Nine. As other have stated, follow up with 303.

You can use agents with bleach, but use sparingly, as the bleach will dry out the vinyl and stitching.

Whatever you use, I would use use 303 as the finishing application.

This is what Cigarette recommended from the factory

http://stores.ztuffstuff.com/StoreFront.bok

303 is just a protectant. There are no cleaning agents in it at all.