Check Out Our Boat Cleaning Tips for Your Seats & Carpet!

Do you have mold or mildew on your new or used boat’s seats and carpet? We can help! Take a look at our boat cleaning tips below and get to scrubbing to make your boat look like new!

Boat Cleaning Tips

Mold & Mildew: What Is It?

First off, don’t panic. Mold and mildew are simply fungal spores that develop and grow from prolonged moisture. If you catch it quickly, you can remove all signs of it. If it’s been there for awhile, you may be able to remove active spores and have minimal stains that linger.

Treating and Cleaning Seats

We recommend gathering the following supplies to treat mold and mildew. These are all relatively inexpensive, and give you some options when you’re dealing with a stubborn stain. You’ll want to gather the following:

  • Mold & mildew remover spray (ask our parts & service department for a recommendation!)
  • Marine vinyl protectant spray (again, ask us for a recommendation!)
  • Soft nylon scrub brush
  • Microfiber cloths
  • Magic Erasers
  • Vinegar
Boat Cleaning Tips

We recommend not using bleach. Why? Bleach can cause wear and tear to your boat’s vinyl seating that breaks it down. Skip the bleach and ask us for a recommendation on which heavy-duty mold and mildew or marine vinyl protectant sprays to use.

Get to Scrubbin’!

Spray the mold and mildew remover liberally to provide full coverage and saturation. Don’t forget cracks and seams that are hard to reach! Mold and mildew love these spots and will jump on the first chance to repopulate.

Boat Cleaning Tips

Let the spray sit for the recommended time – usually about 5 minutes. Then, scrubby-scrub with that soft nylon-bristled brush! For extra stubborn spots, tackle it with a damped Magic Eraser.

Next, dilute vinegar with water in a 1:1 solution. Dip your microfiber cloth in it, wring it out, and wipe the surface of your seats. It’ll help wipe away the debris from scrubbing as well as neutralize any remaining spores.

Finally, follow the package directions to treat your vinyl seats with marine spray. This will help protect against new mold and mildew forming!

Flooring and Carpet

Cleaning your boat’s carpet can be a bit more tricky. Ideally, you want to spot treat surface stains and spills with a mild detergent as soon as they occur.

Boat Cleaning Tips

If there’s a spill that you miss, and discover a stain later, you’re not out of luck. Here are our boat carpet cleaning recommendations:

  • First, start with a sweet and vacuum of the carpet.
  • Next, treat the carpet with a boat-specific carpet cleaner spray (ask us for a recommendation!)
  • After pretreatment, scrub the carpet as directed by the package instructions.
  • Rinse thoroughly and use a wet/dry vac to pull up the excess water.
  • Let dry for several hours before walking on it.

We’d love to help you get your boat back to pristine condition whether it’s with a few easy-to-use products or more intensive boat service! If you need more heavy duty detailing, we’re a phone call away. Contact us today!

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