Pontoon Boat & Deck Boat Forum

So I currently use the tarp method of covering the furniture in my boat. However rain gets in and pesky spider and mud so I am constantly wiping down the furniture.
What do you guys use to wash your furniture? can you use vinegar and water or do you have to buy special cleaner?
I put on in the beginning of the season the sealant to protect the vinyl but it doesn't seem to be working cause I have a spot where its sun faded.

303 cleaner, it has UV protection too

I have a spray bottle with water and a little dish soap to clean the vinyl, then
as Herb says the 303 protectant is applied. Rub it in till the vinyl shines. old jim

I use Simple Green. Been using it for years & I'm happy with the results. Spiders for some reason love pontoon boats. They never seem to go away.

I got the Meguirs protectant and it doesn't seem to be working.

I noticed too that along the playpen in the back, that the small amt of carpet that shows through is green....ii know that's probably because that side is usually shaded by the dock. But im a bit more worried when I saw a plant growing out of it.

My dealer says use Simple Green degreaser.

I like Zep Orange Degreaser better than any cleaning product, and you get it at Home Depot or Lowes. It takes paint off your hands better than any hand cleaner.

Many swear by Awesome, available for $1 per spray bottle @ Dollar General. It's the only product I've ever found that gets black streaks off a RV.

Apply 303 vinyl protectant on the seats after they're clean.

katieclooney wrote:I got the Meguirs protectant and it doesn't seem to be working.

I noticed too that along the playpen in the back, that the small amt of carpet that shows through is green....ii know that's probably because that side is usually shaded by the dock. But im a bit more worried when I saw a plant growing out of it.

That's a pontoon boat for ya...the wet carpet gets mildewed and moss will start to grow. I've used a wire brush to rake it out of the carpet while its in the slip. My best experience is powerwashing the s**t out of it.
A lot of the newer boats have either all vinyl or vinyl on the stern /transom area to avoid that.

evinrude2stroke wrote:

katieclooney wrote:I got the Meguirs protectant and it doesn't seem to be working.

I noticed too that along the playpen in the back, that the small amt of carpet that shows through is green....ii know that's probably because that side is usually shaded by the dock. But im a bit more worried when I saw a plant growing out of it.

That's a pontoon boat for ya...the wet carpet gets mildewed and moss will start to grow. I've used a wire brush to rake it out of the carpet while its in the slip. My best experience is powerwashing the s**t out of it.
A lot of the newer boats have either all vinyl or vinyl on the stern /transom area to avoid that.

Jo-max found in the paint department of most stores, some places wal-mart has it, mix it to directions and that will kill the mold,if you worried about the bleach, you can just use the jo-max alone, it kills the mold then the bleach make it dispear, without the bleach you have to hand wipe the mold away later.

But I used this on my old carpet many times and it never bleached out the carpet

katieclooney wrote:I got the Meguirs protectant and it doesn't seem to be working.

I noticed too that along the playpen in the back, that the small amt of carpet that shows through is green....ii know that's probably because that side is usually shaded by the dock. But im a bit more worried when I saw a plant growing out of it.

Snickers that just depends on what sort of plant it is....

When I do my fall clean up I use a 50 / 50 mix of water and a product called purple power in a spray bottle then use a pressure washer to clean the carpet Their may be some thing in the purple power that stops the moss from growing I just dont get it and my boat stays on a slip 10 mouths out of the year.

I'm one of the LA Totally Awesome fans. We use it on everything. You can clean windows to de-grease engine blocks with it. Very cheap, a buck for 16 oz bottle and 3 for a 40. http://www.lastotallyawesome.com/html/P ... easer.html Every Dollar general has it, that I know of. After cleaning, then 303 goes on.

I use and always have simple green for cleaning. Just started using the 303 cleaner it is great. Protects the seats with a uv protector and gives them a nice shine when done. Anything with bleach in it I would be careful using. Bleach will fade colors and it will also weaken the fabric. Jo max cleans but it works over time. You don't see the results when done. What ever you use as a cleaner make sure you also use a protector afterwards. Any cleaner will remove the natural oils out of the the vinyl and cause it to dry out. So it is important to put a protector on to keep the material soft or it will crack.

We're going to try Wet & Forget on our outdoor furniture. Our cushions are looking like mold is forming. On their website it says it can be used on boat carpets, seats, canvas. We use 303 now on everything but the carpet, we're slipped and no mold. We're watching this thread too to see recs for carpet. Will let you know how Wet & Forget works on boat carpet along with porch chairs.

http://www.wetandforget.com/surfaces_al ... orget.html

I've used Wet and Forget on the carpets and it worked quite well to kill the algae/green crap. It's stayed clean all winter and so far this year. Havent tried it on the seats yet. And no idea what to do about spider spots

HandymanHerb wrote: Jo-max found in the paint department of most stores, some places wal-mart has it, mix it to directions and that will kill the mold,if you worried about the bleach, you can just use the jo-max alone, it kills the mold then the bleach make it dispear, without the bleach you have to hand wipe the mold away later.

But I used this on my old carpet many times and it never bleached out the carpet

Which Jo-Max did you use? I have found 2 different kinds.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/ZINSSE ... 07134400:s

and

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Zinsser-1-Qt ... /100398379

I use the one from home depot, I just buy it by the gallon as I do many houses a year, costs 18 bucks