Green Clean Your Boat
Proper cleaning and care of your boat will reap huge rewards when you decide to sell your boat. The market is tough these days for boats and RVs. You want a showroom shine without spending days cleaning and polishing. Let's take a look at some easy and creative cleaning solutions.
Protect our Mother Earth: Whenever possible, clean your boat out of the water unless you are scrubbing with water only. Cleaners, waxes and polishes are not fish and bird food. They do pollute and that pollution comes right back to us in our food and water. Our CleanEz is highly recommended by boat detailers. It quickly and easily removes the water line marks and dirt and grimes that builds up on decks and boat siding. CleanEz is safe for Mother Earth yet tough on grime. And it removes mold and mildew that builds on vinyl seats.
Some cleaners, like Simple Green contain heavy cleaners that can damage the sealant on your boat. It leaves a sticky residue that builds up and eventually causes the sealant to soften, which then results in oxidation.
Give your product time to work. You will find simply by applying CleanEz then allowing it to sit on the surface for 5 to 10 minutes lessens the amount of cleaner you use and it will dissolve the grime leaving you with far less scrubbing.
First soap the deck or sides of your boat then wait about five minutes before you start to scrub. This gives the cleaner time to dissolve the grime so you apply less elbow grease. Scrub your boat more frequently to eliminate the need for harsher detergents.
When cleaning your boat, you will find our Angle Adapter to be indispensable. Unlike most angle adapters this one has a patented Grip Tite. With ordinary angle adapters after you tighten your brush onto the threads, it rarely is in the correct position for cleaning. You then need to loosen the brush for the correct angle, which leaves it flopping around when you need it to scrub.
The Grip Tite on our Angle Adapter allows you to attach your brush to the correct position then it tightens down on the brush to hold it in the proper position for cleaning.
Tricks of the trade:
- Clean your heads using a scrub brush and baking soda and water.
- Heavy dirt on canvas can be cleaned by mixing one half cup hydrogen peroxide to three tablespoons of organic laundry detergent. Apply wait 30 minutes then brush off. Repeat if needed and wait 60 minutes. You will probably need a stronger peroxide than the 3% you find in the grocery store, call a health food store for 35% peroxide or look for a powdered peroxide in the grocery store. It says "Safe for colored clothes.
- Stay clear of bleach. It is harmful to the environment, will dry canvas and it's not healthy to breathe either.
- Of utmost importance - keep your boat well protected from UV ray damage.
- Most waxes and protectants contain petroleum distillates which soften the adhesive backing on decals, lettering and numbers which causes them to pull away from the sides of your boat. Avery, who manufactures the material, warns not to use distillates or harsh cleaners. Distillates, also called aliphatic hydrocarbon, further causes oxidation of the lettering.
Oxidation is gradual and generally unnoticeable until after the damage has already occurred. If you see white coming off your fiberglass boat or paint coming off on your painted boat, you have oxidation problems and need to immediately change products to stop further damage.
*Caution: Be sure the bottle states that the product contains no petroleum distillates. Products are allowed to contain up to 5% distillates without disclosing this fact.
- Let's get technical for just a minute and talk about the various kinds of protectants for your boat. This applies to trucks, RVs, motorcycles and trailers as well. Most boat "wax" is made with Carnauba wax- that is why it is called wax. Carnauba wax is a solid and kept in a liquid state by using petroleum distillates. Carnauba wax penetrates the gel or clear coat finishes as well as the paint and seals fiberglass. Fiberglass must breathe or it will yellow over time. If you know a boater who has been diligent with waxing his boat and it is still yellow, that is caused by the wax he is using.
- Polymers allow fiberglass to breathe but also protect your boat from UV damage.
- To further complicate matters silicone has been introduced to the market. If the wrong kind of petroleum distillate is used with silicone it will deteriorate the sealant on your boat causing it to oxidize. The problem with silicone is that it cannot be totally removed. Since nothing sticks to silicone paint and sealants don't stick. Your boat will continue to oxidize with no cure.
- Never put a wax on your boat, car, RV or any surface if the company will not tell you what is in the product. It generally is silicone. The company will say things like "I can't tell you what is in our product because it's propritary information." If you don't know what is in a product it does not belong on your boat or any other surface.
Advantage, was specifically formulated for Mary Moppins to be distillate free. IT leaves a show stopping shine on your boat, car, RV, truck or trailer.
Advantage contains no petroleum distillates, carnauba wax or silicon. It protects your boat from UV damage with polymers, which leave a protective coating on your boat without sealing it. Boaters everywhere say there isn't anything on the market like Advantage.
Advantage was also designed to remove mild to medium oxidation. More than one application may be necessary to fully remove all oxidation.
Apply Advantage to your brass, copper, aluminum and stainless steel surfaces to protect them from water damage.
Wipe just a bit of Advantage on your windshields to coat them. Water slides right off and helps to protect them water damage.
The lowdown on paint: Special attention must be taken when working with painted boats that are newer than five years old. Paint companies are now using water or chroma based paints rather than lead based paints due to recently established VOC regulations. Water based paints are not as durable as lead based paints so they oxidize faster. If you are using a wax product of any kind with the wrong type of petroleum distillate it will deteriorate the sealant on your painted boat. It does not take long for the paint to begin oxidizing due to the fact that the paint is softer then previous paints. This is true of motorcycles, cars, RV and trucks as well.
Read the questions below from our readers for answers to mold, Leather and Vinyl care and keeping those toilet bowls clean and the tanks fresh.
Answers to your questions:
- I just cannot seem to kill the mold growing on my canvas. What can I do?
First scrub and clean the canvas using our White Scrubbie pad and swivel pad holder and CleanEz.Clean Ez will destroy the mold and mildew on both canvas and vinyl seats.
Peroxide will help kill mold and mildew on canvas. Mix one half cup of 20% peroxide per gallon of water. Swap on, wait 30 minutes then scrub once again. Rinse with white vinegar and water then again with plain water. If possible allow the canvas to dry in the sun all day. Heat also kills mold. Always test peroxide in a small area before applying to the overall surface.
You will find many uses for our Swivel Scrubbie. It handles cleaning decks quickly and removes salt water spots from windshields.
- Mary, what is your secret to keeping propellers from growing mold and mildew?
After cleaning the propellers with CleanEz coat them with Teflon to keep the mold and grime off the blades. Make sure the Teflon you use does not contain petroleum distillates, which is sometimes called Alephatic Hydrocarbon or Hydrocarbon on packages.
- Like all people who clean their fish on their boats getting the blood off the counter and deck seems like an impossible job. Any tips?
Yes, use one half cup of 35% food grade hydrogen peroxide and half a capful of CleanEz to remove fish blood from surfaces. Bleach will contaminate the water whereas peroxide will not do this.
- Mary my cabinets in my boat have turned a bit grey from all the salt water. Is there anything that will restore them without having to sand and refinish them?
You will find our Wood Cleaner and Conditioner to be just what you need. Depending on the condition of the cabinets, our wood treatment will restore your cabinets not to new condition but close. Then treat your cabinets three to four times a year to keep them in top condition.
- My vinyl seats seem to be getting dry and I'm having a hard time cleaning them. What can I do?
If your vinyl seats are newer and not beginning to dry our Leather Cleaner and Conditioner will deep clean and restore their soft pliable texture. It will also remove blood and ink.
If they are older and dirt has worked deep into the grain then clean them first with CleanEz. It will remove mold mildew and heavy dirt
Allow the seats to dry about an hour then immediately apply our Leather Cleaner and Conditioner This will remove any lingering cleaner and deep condition your vinyl. Then treat your seats at least three times a year to protect them from the suns damaging affects.
- Mary we can't use regular toilet bowl cleaners on our boat and the drains tend to clog. HELP!
Don't panic, Take our TerraPlus and dilute 1 tablespoon per 32oz spray bottle of water. This makes an excellent cleaner for showers and toilets. It will not damage the gaskets in your holding tanks. Spray the inside of your toilet then sprinkle some baking soda on your toilet bowl brush and scrub away.
Once the bowl is clean, spray some Advantage around the edges of the bowl to coat the sides, which makes them slick. I'll leave it to your imagination as to how easy it becomes to clean your toilets when nothing sticks to the bowl!
Nothing beats the work of enzymes to keep drains clear both in your boat and at home. Happy Camper contains some of the strongest enzyme products on the market today. Pour a half a scoop down your drains at night and just let them "eat" away at all that buildup. Works at home as well.
Next switch soap. Use a liquid or glycerin soap to shower and wash your hands. The talc in bar soap builds up on the sides of drains eventually clogging and congesting them so they don't drain properly. Switching soap solves that problem.
- You have good solutions to so many problems perhaps you know of one for the gas for my boat. Right now I'm buying an additive to treat the gas, another bottle for a stabilizer and a third to absorb the water. Then I buy another treatment for my car and a fifth for my RV because one is diesel and the other is gas powered. Yet my engine's performance has not improved and my fuel savings are barely noticeable. Can you recommend a solution?
Little wonder you are looking for a practical answer. Keeping all those additives straight would require a log book and a hefty bank balance. I have used a product made by Filtakleen called ILFC Ten35 for five years now and have nothing but high praises for the product.
Filtakleen has increased my gas mileage by 14%. I've gone from 15 mpg in city to over 18 saving at least 140 gallons of gas a year. My engine runs smoother and my emissions have drastically been reduced.
Filtakleen works for both gas and diesel fuels. You no longer need to buy separate treatments for each engine. It has been designed to remove water from gas and acts as a stabilizer when your boat, plane, RV, lawn mower, tractor etc is in storage again eliminating the need to buy separate products.
The best part? One 16 ounce bottle treats 1250 gallons of gas or diesel!
Mary Moppins is dedicated to offering the highest quality products for the best possible price. We constantly strive to help our Mother Earth. After using Filtakleen for five years with consistently high results, I felt it was time to extend this incredible product to my customers at a greatly reduced price.
Be sure to sign up for my free bimonthly email newsletter for more of tips then grab your copy of "Whistle While You Work." It's fast and easy to read yet packed with as much information as you need to clean just about anything. When you do you will receive my free speed cleaning article by email. It is full of helpful hints a schedule and quick tips to reduce your clutter and give you back your time.
Please see the Floor Care Guide for cleaning any hard surface flooring.
Now take a tour of my Stain Removal Guide - it's free to print out then stop by the Archived Newsletter section for even more hints.
This article may be reprinted only with proper credit
given to Mary Findley, owner of Mary Moppins, Co.
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