Boat Vinyl Seat Cleaning Advice

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warrior151

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Need a little advice for a boat...I have white/red/gray seats and they are in severe need of cleaning. Looking for susgestions on what I should use on them...I have tried some simple green, diluted bleach and even tried soft scrub...Used Collinite on the hull and it looks fantastic...but the interior well...looks like the Potomac River I float it on.

Thoughts?
Feed back please

Thanks in advance.
 
Spray Nine works wonders on stuff like that and can be found locally.
 
Some may throw rocks, but I'll tell you what I've used on vinyl golf cart seats. They get a build up of leg oils. I use Lexol Vinylx, and those green dish cleaning pads you get at the market. No scratches to date, but I don't get too aggressive.
 
Just to throw this out there for everyone's consideration...


When I wrote this how-to article I spoke first hand with the President of 303 Products, Roger Dyer and he gave me quite the education on vinyl.

How To Restore and Protect a Vinyl Top using 303 Products


Here's an excerpt for the above article,


Mike Phillips said:
Protect the Protective Top Coat
Plasticizers are volatile, that simply means they can and will evaporate or become a vapor at normal temperatures and atmospheric pressures. The plasticizers are added to the vinyl material and then a protective top coat is applied to the vinyl to better to lock or seal in the plasticizers. So the ideal goal in maintaining vinyl is to protect the original top coat on new vinyl and this will protect the vinyl material under it.

As the top coat is degraded or worn off, the plasticizer oils will out-gas and this will leave the vinyl hard, rigid and brittle and this is when you will see vinyl crack or fracture.

To protect the top coat you want to stick with cleaning agents that take this top coat into account, this is where we come full circle to the beginning of this article where you are recommended to use the 303 Fabric/Vinyl Convertible Top Cleaner to clean vinyl surfaces as it is specifically formulated to clean will causing no harm to the top coat.

Things to avoid getting onto vinyl are substances and solutions that can harm or degrade the top coat, this would include oils or oily products, fats, harsh detergents, and things like suntan oils on your skin in the case of things like seats, both car seats and boat seats, as well as any place skin would touch.
Click to expand...


So the point is, if the vinyl you're working on is important to you, as in you want it to last a long time, then don't use cleaning chemicals on it that will deteriorate or harm the top coat on the vinyl.


For the above article, the vinyl top on the 1970 Cutlass was important to the owner, thus it was important to me. See this article to understand why,

The Mindset of a Professional Detailer


Knowing what I know now about the top coat applied to vinyl I probably wouldn't have used an APC at a strong dilution like I did on these seats if I could do the job over again because those seats, (at the time), were important to me.


1975 Vinyl Seats - Extreme Makeover


ExtremeVinylMakeover005.jpg



Years of dirt, sweat, body oils and probably even some hair creme. Icky!
ExtremeVinylMakeover010.jpg





:)
 
Thank you all for the inputs!! The seats look fantastic...again now that I am learning to detail (still an FNG) I will try some tests. I will take a few photos of the before and after...

detailing...is an art!!

Don
 
warrior151 said:
Thank you all for the inputs!! The seats look fantastic...again now that I am learning to detail (still an FNG) I will try some tests. I will take a few photos of the before and after...

detailing...is an art!!

Don
Click to expand...


:Picture:
 
I am following this closely because I have a boat that has been in storage since the late 90's (1985 Bayliner bowrider used for MAYBE 15 hours since 1992) and the vinyl is extremely dirty. I'm going to look at the boat again this weekend and I will take some pics and hopefully get some advice! :props:
 
Sorry all...didnt get the chance to do photos yet...work!! UGH!!
Caravelle (the boat manufacturer) manual calls for using Citrus. I work in the communication field and we use something called Orange Juice to clean the gell off the cables. Long story short...I picked up a "magic eraser" and two cleaners (no names yet) Let ya'll know how it works...and promise photos...
 
warrior151 said:
Sorry all...didnt get the chance to do photos yet...work!! UGH!!
Caravelle (the boat manufacturer) manual calls for using Citrus. I work in the communication field and we use something called Orange Juice to clean the gell off the cables. Long story short...I picked up a "magic eraser" and two cleaners (no names yet) Let ya'll know how it works...and promise photos...
Click to expand...


Don't forget the 50/50's :Picture: and be gentle with that Magic Eraser. Just let it glide across the "WET" surface ;)
 
Ok tried Flash Gordon's Awesome ($1.00)+Magic Eraser ($6.50)=Win....what do you think? They are the same side of the boat just taken at a different angle...Hopefully I still have a sundeck in the morning...Awesome is..well.. Awesome!!
 
warrior151 said:
Ok tried Flash Gordon's Awesome ($1.00)+Magic Eraser ($6.50)=Win....what do you think? They are the same side of the boat just taken at a different angle...Hopefully I still have a sundeck in the morning...Awesome is..well.. Awesome!!
Click to expand...


Glad I was able to help you. The seats look great!
 
I have owned boats with vinyl upholstery for over 30 years. I know what works, and what harms the material.

First off, do NOT use chlorine on upholstery of any type. I also would not use it on gelcoat unless it is for a small spot of mildew.

Fantastic works very well to clean worn in dirt from vinyl and is recommended by some boat manufacturers for cleaning their seats. They also do NOT recommend using Formula 409.

Mr. Clean is another great cleaner for vinyl upholstery. Dilute it with 5-6 parts water in a spray bottle. A little bit in water cleans very effectively.

First attempt should be done with a towel and warm water, nothing in it. If you can get away with cleaning with just warm water, this is preferable for the preservation of the upholstery.

As far as protectants such as the 303 line, Armor All, Lexol, etc., use them sparingly and wipe off any and all excess. Do not leave a film on the upholstery, just apply what will soak in. I think 303 makes this product called something like "Space Age Protectant" ( I have it, but don't have it in front of me) that seems to work pretty well, but honestly, I use these very infrequently. 3M makes a good product for marine use, as do a few other companies. I would try to find marine specific products. They may contain chemicals to discourage mildew and UV damage.

Turtle Wax has made an upholstery spray foam that I have used on a number of vinyl upholstered items over the past 30 years, and it cleans and preserves very well. It does not damage the vinyl at all and creates a great appearance.

Again, less is better. A little Fantastic or Mr. Clean with a good water rinse and wipe dry with a cotton towel is best if you can get away with it.
 
Thanks The Heater and Flash Gordon...I have always heard little is better...Have not tried Mr Clean but will give it a whirl. The problem I am having is black mold on the seats. The boat sat for 4 years with minimum cleaning...I am going to pick up motor parts this weekend and will check for some sort of marine seat protectant...
Appreciate the tips!!
 
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