Vinyl cleaner

I have used Simple Green in it's concetrated form for most of my all purpose cleaning.* But when I get a little mold and/ mildew on my vinyl seat cushions, it doesn't quite seem to get the job done.

What do y'all use to clean the vinyl on your boats?

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser! They're actually melamine sponges and they work great on any textured surface. Be careful on shiny surfaces though, as they're somewhat abrasive.

If it's smooth vinyl, we find Lemon Pledge works wonders. The old standby vinegar and water should do well, too.

Best thing I've ever used is Simple Green and Barkeeper's friend. Just spray the SG on, then sprinkle with BF and scrub. The oxalic acid in the BF will do a wonderful job of cleaning up discoloration. Whatever you do, don't use bleach! It'll destroy the vinyl over time.

My momma always taught me not to mix househole cleaners...

Definitely makes sense since it seems that it needs an abrasive tp scub the stuff the SG is not getting at.

(Psssst!! Ignore those chemical suggestions -- MAGIC ERASER!)

(Psssst) AdamT: You have a sedan hard top! Great boat but not much vinyl to keep up! (Shhhh) I do too!

SeaHorse II wrote:

(Psssst) AdamT: You have a sedan hard top! Great boat but not much vinyl to keep up! (Shhhh) I do too!

Click to expand...

True!* But my last boat was something different!






-- Edited by AdamT at 23:07, 2008-04-24

My entire neighborhood is using Island Girl products. Cleaned just about everything on a boat. Just a thought but a little pricey.

Last summer I detailed a friends boat and discovered "Spray Nine". I can't tell you how impressed I was in its cleaning abilities with a small scrub brush.
To me the biggest improvement was on the seats. I completely rebuilt the two aft seats because they were water logged and one had burns from a battery issue.
Before



The all looked pretty much like this.



....and after rebuilding and cleaning.

VikingBay said:

Last summer I detailed a friends boat and discovered "Spray Nine". I can't tell you how impressed I was in its cleaning abilities with a small scrub brush.

Click to expand...

I'm assuming you're using the marine version but I'm not sure what the difference is. I have had great results with marine spray nine also. I had some mold or mildew stains on white plastic roto molded seats and nothing would touch it.

I used marine spray nine a couple times and it made a difference, but in frustration, I soaked the area and left. A few days later I returned and the seats were white as new. I use it on the cushions and it works there as well. I also use it in the galley and head compartment because it cleans so well and disinfects as well.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is also one of my preferred cleaning tools for vinyl upholstry. I just use whichever works best on a particular problem.

Mary Kates Mildew Remover.....it's magic. Seriously.

There is no difference in the marine version over the plain except as we all know the price-tag for marine stuff is more.

I don't recommend the Magic Eraser for vinyl. It is made if micro abrasives and essentially sands the dirt away. It's great for many things, but don't use it on your vinyl.

Also, I'm not sure what's in Mary Kate's mildew remover, but be wary of using anything with bleach as it will eat away at your threads.

VikingBay said:

There is no difference in the marine version over the plain except as we all know the price-tag for marine stuff is more..

Click to expand...

I was pretty sure someone would post that. I woud like to see documentation.

I use the same thing as we used at a Sea Ray delership when we delivered new boats with stained white vinyl...everything from pen ink stains to mildew...

Plain old clorine bleach on a rag, cover the stain let it sit. Use as diluted as frst to get rid of the stain...keep working your way up in strength till the stain goes away (sometimes after rinsing you have to wait a few days letting the sun do its work).

When I opened up my deck chairs after sitting out in the weather on the fly bridge for a couple months (even under a cover)...one had a deep purple stain from mildew in a streak where the seat and back had been pressed together. No cleaner would work (including Marine Spray 9) but a treatment with bleach and a few days in the sun and the chair looked new again...and I don't mean just better because they were brand new and it was back to showroom bright white after the bleach.

Granted yuo have to be careful with clorine bleach..... but it's about the best at removing stubborn stains when all the "cleaning products" fall short of totally removing the stain.

rwidman said:

I was pretty sure someone would post that. I woud like to see documentation.

Click to expand...

I called them.

VikingBay said:

I called them.

Click to expand...

MSDS sheet - active ingredients
Home Version

[FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold][FONT=Arial,Bold]Product Name: Spray Nine[/FONT]

Product Name: Marine Spray Nine® 1 gal
Product Type: Multi-Purpose Germicidal Cleaner
Item Number: 26901S
2. COMPOSITION/INFORMATION ON INGREDIENTS
Component Weight% ACGIH; TLV-TWA OSHA PEL
ETHOXYLATED C9-C11
ALCOHOLS
68439-46-3
1-5 NA NA
DIPROPYLENE GLYCOL
MONONBUTYL ETHER
29911-28-2
1-5 NA NA​

Looks like the same active ingredients to me...maybe there's something else...but it's not in the entire MSDS

http://www.cleanfreak.com/MSDS/spray-nine-disinfectant.pdf​

Greetings,
Marine=more $$?

RT Firefly said:

Greetings,
Marine=more $$?

Click to expand...

Home depot 4-1 gallon containers $47.98
Defeder 1 gallon $17.99

While they may have a little different formulation (which I doubt reding a lot of their literature) the 50% markup for marine sounds about normal.

Yep, it's the same stuff. The Customer service person on the phone said they just market it different, which again, as we know...means more $$$ for the "marine", but it's the same stuff.

VikingBay said:

Yep, it's the same stuff. The Customer service person on the phone said they just market it different, which again, as we know...means more $$$ for the "marine", but it's the same stuff.

Click to expand...

My guess would have been that even before any research...some of us just get it....

The other one I discovered is TR industries Seapower. I have used Seapower since the early 80's. it's great stuff. TR also has a product called Gel Gloss, found in Home Depot in the tub/shower area. They have RV gel gloss too. All three are the indentical product, simply packaged and marketed differently. Gel Gloss is about $7 for 16oz. Gel Gloss RV is $16/16oz and Seapower is $18-22/16oz depending on where you look.

I use Gel Gloss now