Boat Cleaning

Here we'll explain how to properly clean your boat from bow to stern and also show you what the best boat cleaners to use for everything from your fiberglass hull, the marine carpet, how to clean vinyl seats boat furniture and how to clean your boat canvas bimini tops.

Tips on How to Thoroughly Clean Your Boat

When it comes to cleaning your boat completely so it looks like, you have to have to take the right steps and you have to use the right boat cleaners.   First, we'll describe how to properly clean your boat from top to bottom or better stated, from bow to stern.

First empty your boat of all the fishing gear,boat accessories, life preservers or life jackets,  ropes,  anchors, coolers,  etc.

Next, sweep and vacuum the inside.  Pickup any loose trash, leaves, sticks, cups etc. until it's completely empty and get a strong shop vacuum that thoroughly vacuum the inside carpet.   Work to suck up loose dirt and debris.    

We have to get the boat generally clean inside and out  at this point and the best way to do that is to hose it down with clean fresh water.  That means hosing it down, outside and in.  Use a soft bristle brush to gently scrub the carpet, deck, floor area, seats, hull, everything.

Ok - now that's the first step, the preparation work.   Next we can get to the actual boat cleaning process.

Now,  come's the cleaning.  Sounds bad, but it really is the easiest  and best.  It's where you get to let something else do most of the work and that's using the right boat cleaning products.

Cleaning Your Boat Stern Drive and Bilge Areas

After your boat has been generally cleaned up, it’s time to get to the dirty areas.  These are the greasy  areas and need to cleaned up first before doing any detail cleaning.  If you wait until later to clean your boat stern drive area and the bilge area , you can end tracking grease and  oil tracked on your carpet , hull and seats.   You want to use separate rags or brushes to clean these areas    Be careful not to hose down the battery or spray a lot of water over the battery terminals.   This can short out the battery.   If you can’t avoid getting water on the battery, it’s best to disconnect it first.   Spray on a good boat engine degreaser and let it soak for 10 to 15 minutes.   Check the instructions on the can of boat degreaser your using.    Next use a soft bristle brush and rags to clean the greasy areas and hose  the bilge area and stern drive off with fresh water when finished.   Your boat’s stern drive and bilge area should look good as new.

Recommended Marine Engine and Stern Drive Degreasers

Starbrite Sea Safe Cleaner/degreaser Starbrite Sea Safe Cleaner/degreaser . Tough on dirt, grease and grime, yet gentle on the environment, this biodegradable cleaner/degreaser works great for tough cleaning and degreasing virtually anywhere on your boat. Won t remove wax or polish and is safe for fiberglass, chrome, stainless steel, glass, plastic, rubber and painted surfaces. 22oz. spray.

Cleaning Your Boat Hull

After your boat has been thoroughly vacuumed and hosed down,  the next step is clean the hull from the oxidation, algae growth and scum build up.    First wet the hull, if it already dried suince you hosed it off,  and apply a good fiberglass hull cleaning products.  We recommend using a quality hull cleaning product like the one below.  Note:  make sure you use a cleaning product that’s specific for cleaning fiberglass or aluminum hulls.  Household detergents or other cleaners contain bleach which can fade your surface and damage your hull.    Let the cleaner soak for a few minutes as defined on the instructions and then use  a soft bristle brush to gently scrub the hull to remove the scum and algae buildup.  Do one side of the hull at a time and hose off with clean water when you’re through.   If  there still some residue of oxidation, scum or algae,  spray those areas again with the cleaner and use a non-abrasive scrubbing pad like a kitchen scrub pad and re-scrub those areas.  Do not use steel wool or any type of abrasive pad  It will scratch the hull and leave those areas dull.    Rinse the boat hull again with fresh water and now it should be looking like new.

Recommended Hull Cleaner for  Fiberglass and Aluminum

Starbrite Ez On Off Hull Cleaner, Gallon Starbrite Ez On Off Hull Cleaner, Gallon . Strong, acid-based formula shortens prep time at haulout. Use it on fiberglass hulls to quickly remove marine deposits, scum, and rust. Rated Excellent by Practical Sailor in their November, 2007 report

Cleaning Your Boat Seats

Most boat seats are made from vinyl,  but some on the more expensive or luxury boats are made from leather.   You need to use the right cleaning product  depending on your boat seats material.   Boat seats usually have a grain pattern to them and some are deeper grain than others.  Usually a damp rag or sponge is all you need to clean your boat seats.  Get a quality boat seat cleaning product like the one recommended below and lightly spray your boat seats with the cleaner.    Do one seat at time and use a rag or soft sponge to gently scrub your seats.  The cleaner should dissolve stains and remove dirt and grime and leave your boat seats looking great.   As mentioned above,  if your  boat seats have a deeper grain  and especially if they’re white they may hold the dirt deeper in and you may have to use a soft bristle brush to clean them completely.  Spray your seats again, one boat seat at a  time and gently scrub them with the brush.  Hose off lightly with fresh water and your boat seats should look like new.

Recommended Boat Seat Cleaner

Captain John S Boat Vinyl Cleaner Captain John S Boat Vinyl Cleaner . Deep cleans and removes body and suntan oil residue from vinyl and leather upholstery Especially effective on exhaust stains that occur on vinyl engine covers or "sundecks" common on day cruisers and "go-fast" boats. Meets EPA National Clean Marina guidelines. 32oz. bottle

Cleaning Boat Carpet

Getting close to being down now, but not yet.   Lightly hose down your boat carpet.  Your boat should be on a trailer or blocks  and angled so that it can drain off and out the boat drain plug.  Make sure your boat drain plug is removed.  Get a high quality marine carpet cleaner like the type recommended below and spray the soiled areas of the carpet.   Let soak for 10 or 15 minutes as defined on the boat carpet cleaner instructions.   Use a soft bristle brush to gently scrub the soiled or dirty areas of your marine carpet.  If your boat carpet is dirty everywhere,  then you should scrub all of it.  After scrubbing rinse down thoroughly with fresh water and allow to dry.   Note, if you marine carpet is especially dirty, you may need to repeat this twice.    Another option is to use a wet shop vacuum if your boat carpet is really dirty.

Recommended Boat Carpet Cleaners

West Marine Citrus Boat Cleaner Soap, Gallon West Marine Citrus Boat Cleaner Soap, Gallon . Citrus adds enhanced cleaning power!Similar to our general-purpose Boat Soap but with the added cleaning power of citrus. It also has a lower pH which makes it easier on wax and polish. It s high in alkalinity and low in surfactants, so it s safer for the environment than high-sudsing, high-detergent formulas. Safe and effective on all boat surfaces. All-purpose boat soap with the added cleaning power of citrus Easier on wax and polish; safe for the environment Safe and effective on all boat surfaces Quarts or gallons

Cleaning Boat Hand Rails,  Hardware, Teak Wood and Windshield

Now the last boat parts to clean which would be your rails,  ladder, edge molding, teak wood and windshield.   Each of these items is made from different materials and as such you’ll need to use different cleaners for each.   Your  hand rails and hardware are usually made out of stainless steel.  Use a high quality stainless steel cleaner and polish to restore them to their original luster.   Teak wood if you have it usually dries out over the season and just needs to be oiled.   Sometimes,  if left un kept for a few seasons it can start to grey.  If that’s the case,  you can use a little bleach and water and scrub them gently.   This will eliminate the grey and lighten them.   Then you just need to rub in a little teak oil to get the back to looking new.    Use a good glass cleaner to clean it up.  If you’re windshield is plastic and has scratches,  you can use a plastic polish to remove the scratches

Check out these great boat accessory cleaning products.

Shurhold Products Yacht Brite Serious Marine Cleaner, 32oz. Shurhold Products Yacht Brite Serious Marine Cleaner, 32oz. . Serious marine cleaner Professional-grade, multi-purpose cleaner for fiberglass, vinyl, bilges, teak, carpet and black streaks. Features easy spray-and-wipe application.