Cleaning Vinyl

britisher

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Feb 23, 2012
Messages
369
Cleaned up my vinyl this week. Had some wonderful mildew stains and marks on the some new seats. They have slip on covers and I think that gave a breeding ground for the stains. Anyway I washed them with dishwasher soap and water, which didn't really have any effect, so I decided to research what specialist cleaner to get or try. I wanted to avoid Bleach if possible.
I found some Attwood spray Mildew & Stain Remover at the local Wallymart for abut $6.00. Some online stores have other brands which seem to be double or triple that price. I read the label and the main active ingredient was Sodium hypochlorite. I then strolled to the general household cleaner isle and found Wallymarts 'Great Value' Mildew & Stain remover with the same main active ingredient @ 2.9% by volume. The price was $2.30.
Tried it yesterday, using an old toothbrush to get in the crevices and and it worked a treat. It brought off 99% of all the stains. I have 1 mark on the very top of each seat, which refuses to budge, so may have to get a little more aggressive by way of cleaner.
But I just wanted to share with you that you don't need to spend a fortune on cleaners and TBH forget about the brand names. Just look at the active ingredients and you will save.
Also I found this article online which I found most useful:
Getting Rid of Mold and Mildew Onboard - Practical Sailor Article
 

chipon

Recruit
Joined
Dec 5, 2013
Messages
1
Re: Cleaning Vinyl

I just bought a pontoon boat that had the cover over it for 2 years and underneath was a nightmare of mold/mildew spots everywhere. After using regular cleaners to no luck, I used a product sold by Lowes called "Concrobium" mold mildew remover and preventer. I used a soft brush and got most of the crud off. But I still had a lot of stubborn spots. I resorted to bleach mixed with a mist of concrobium with a tooth brush taking care to avoid the threads. I used a wet towel to block of runs of bleach. The results were incredible. The seats look brand new! I finished it off with a UV protectorant and they look amazing. Hope everyone's project turns out as good mine!
 
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