Regular boat maintenance is essential to maintaining your pride and joy’s appearance and performance, and learning how to properly clean boat seats is an integral part of that maintenance schedule. In fact, maintaining the condition of those seats may be the most crucial thing you can do. Anti-microbial, anti-fungal, and anti-stain barriers are applied to contemporary marine vinyl, effectively deterring the growth of mildew and mold and preventing dirt from adhering. However, if impurities are allowed to enter the vinyl, mold, and mildew may start to grow there. Additionally, if you clean your seats improperly, you risk chemically destroying or scrubbing away those beneficial treatments. The easiest approach to stop mildew from making a home on your boat seats is to keep them clean and maintained on a regular basis. Try following these straightforward suggestions for cleaning boat seats:
- Regularly wash vinyl seats: Make sure to wash your vinyl seats with dish soap and water after a long day on the lake. To thoroughly clean and scrub each seat and get rid of sweat, grime, and debris, use a towel.
- Remember to always wipe off your boat seats after washing them until they are “totally” dry. Don’t Let Your Vinyl Seats Air Dry. It’s important to keep in mind that moisture left on a surface makes the ideal environment for mildew to grow.
- Use a protective sealant: There are a number of top-rated brands available that can assist you in preventing the growth of mildew or mold on the surface of your cushion. Remember to thoroughly read all instructions and conduct your study to determine which product is appropriate for your fabric.
- Don’t Skip Cleaning: If your instructions state that you should apply a sealant on a monthly basis, keep in mind that you should never miss a single appointment. Maintain a strict cleaning schedule. It’s much simpler to stop mildew from growing than it is to get rid of it permanently.
The Best Ways to Rinse and Clean the Vinyl Seats on Your Boat
Cleaning out dirt and impurities before mold or mildew can take hold is the key to maintaining boat seats in excellent condition. Once it occurs, that foul substance spreads through the vinyl and the cushions, making removal nearly impossible. It can be challenging and difficult to figure out how to clean vinyl boat seats of mildew since, even if you are successful in getting it off the surface, it will simply reappear from the inside. So make sure to wash as frequently as feasible on a regular basis. Unless your boat is maintained indoors in a controlled setting, once each week ought to be thought of as the absolute minimum. Then, once every few weeks ought to be sufficient. Additionally, even though the seats appear to be spotless, make sure to rinse them out after each and every use. Even while things like suntan lotion, insect spray, or sweat may not be visible, they still need to be sluiced away.
- Always use fresh water, a soft cloth, or a wash mitt, and keep in mind that mild soap is the finest cleaning agent for boat seats.
- When the seats need deep cleaning, wet them down, soap them up, and wait a few minutes to let any dirt or grime loosen up rather than scrubbing vigorously at stains or dirt.
- Then gently wipe them down once more.
- Repeat the procedure numerous times until the vinyl is thoroughly clean.
How to Get Mold Out of Vinyl Boat Seats?
Though it can be difficult, it is not impossible to remove mildew from vinyl chairs. Try these easy dos and don’ts to assist you to get rid of this dangerous, unattractive fungus from your boat seats:
- Avoid using bleach to treat mildew on your boat seats. Bleach is a potent chemical that should not be used to treat mildew. Does it eliminate the mold? Yes, but doing so could also harm your seat cushions, necessitating their replacement sooner.
- Do invest in a Quality Mildew Remover: Do your study to discover the greatest mold or mildew remover, just as you would for the best protective sealant for the upholstery on your yacht. Ensure that your product is (1) specially created for boat use and not for household use, (2) safe to apply to vinyl, and (3) free of dangerous chemicals.
- Don’t Expect Miracles from Your Mildew Remover: Your vinyl seat cushions need routine maintenance because it is tough to get mildew and mold out of them. Be sure to practice cleaning and drying your seats frequently after using the mildew remover and treating your seats to prevent further mildew exposure.
- Do Store Your Boat in a Dry, Vented Place: When it’s time to head indoors for the winter, be sure to store your boat in a dry, ventilated area where it won’t be exposed to inclement weather after thoroughly cleaning (and drying) its interior and exterior surfaces (snow, hail, rain, etc.). If you let your boat defend it in these kinds of circumstances, you can have a big moldy surprise the following fishing season!
Let’s go the extra mile to ensure that boat seats maintain their vibrancy and live long, happy lives now that you know how to maintain and clean them. Put a marine vinyl treatment on it. The Starbrite marine vinyl treatment and the 303 Aerospace protectant are the best treatments we have found to prolong the life of marine vinyl. Please refrain from applying a silicone-based automobile treatment. Degrading the vinyl can potentially harm your seat. Simply mist it on, and then use a towel to wipe it into the seats. As the treatment penetrates the marine vinyl’s pores, let it dry for 30 minutes. We hope this list was useful to you. Keep in mind that maintaining and cleaning your boat’s vinyl inside properly will extend its lifespan. Your boat should ideally be cleaned once every few weeks and kept covered while not in use. When your boat seats are covered, the sun and bird droppings cannot damage them.