Bob's Garage
Chief Petty Officer
- Joined
- Apr 10, 2008
- Messages
- 590
being requested as to what is the best cleaner for hull stains, rust and blood. I have tried most of the products sited as being the "best" and have generally found that they have a couple things in common;
I am not advocating the use of household chemicals, even if they work just as well and are cheaper.
I have gone 1 step further - make your own!
The ingredient common to most of the cleaners that work on rust and hull stains from dirty water is "oxalic acid" or wood bleach. I have even seen where others have suggested using wood bleach found in various home supply stores.
I have, on the other hand, found an outlet on line for oxalic acid. I ordered a 2lb container for $12.00 plus shipping.
Upon receipt I mixed a batch as per their directions and it was a little complicated - mix desired amount with hot water!!
Since I own a lot of empty spray bottles I used one of them. It was a 25oz spray bottle of now empty "Spray Nine".
I mixed 2 teaspoons to the 25oz bottle of hot water and went outside to try it on my rust stained boat from a weeping cleat. After spraying I waited but I am too impatient and it didn't work right before my eyes.
So, I added 2 more teaspoons ...... to make a long story short I ended up with 6 teaspoons before I finally made myself walk away. Came back 20 minutes later and the rust was gone. Even the really heavy deposit that I hadn't realized was so bad.
So then I tried it on the tanic stains from Crystal River (or was it the St. John's River - I forget) and it almost immediately took it off.
Course, be aware that it also took off the wax, but so does everything else.
I did not want to share this information if the mixture lost its ability to clean after being stored for a time. So I waited for some time to pass - 4 months to be exact.
I just received my boat from the repair facility, and for some reason there were rust stains from metal shavings in the motor well.
So, out came the homemade mix and I applied a couple squirts.
After 20 minutes I checked back and the stains were totally gone. There was still the metal particulates and residue from the dried cleaner. But they cleaned up with a damp rag. WOW!!
So here is the supplier, chemicalstore.com.
So cautions however;
Oh yes, you could probably get by with just 2 or 3 teaspoons and end up with less residue to wipe off.
I have no affiliation with them, I am just cheap.
- Price
- effectiveness
- price
- ingredients
I am not advocating the use of household chemicals, even if they work just as well and are cheaper.
I have gone 1 step further - make your own!
The ingredient common to most of the cleaners that work on rust and hull stains from dirty water is "oxalic acid" or wood bleach. I have even seen where others have suggested using wood bleach found in various home supply stores.
I have, on the other hand, found an outlet on line for oxalic acid. I ordered a 2lb container for $12.00 plus shipping.
Upon receipt I mixed a batch as per their directions and it was a little complicated - mix desired amount with hot water!!
Since I own a lot of empty spray bottles I used one of them. It was a 25oz spray bottle of now empty "Spray Nine".
I mixed 2 teaspoons to the 25oz bottle of hot water and went outside to try it on my rust stained boat from a weeping cleat. After spraying I waited but I am too impatient and it didn't work right before my eyes.
So, I added 2 more teaspoons ...... to make a long story short I ended up with 6 teaspoons before I finally made myself walk away. Came back 20 minutes later and the rust was gone. Even the really heavy deposit that I hadn't realized was so bad.
So then I tried it on the tanic stains from Crystal River (or was it the St. John's River - I forget) and it almost immediately took it off.
Course, be aware that it also took off the wax, but so does everything else.
I did not want to share this information if the mixture lost its ability to clean after being stored for a time. So I waited for some time to pass - 4 months to be exact.
I just received my boat from the repair facility, and for some reason there were rust stains from metal shavings in the motor well.
So, out came the homemade mix and I applied a couple squirts.
After 20 minutes I checked back and the stains were totally gone. There was still the metal particulates and residue from the dried cleaner. But they cleaned up with a damp rag. WOW!!
So here is the supplier, chemicalstore.com.
So cautions however;
- This is an acid - trat it with respect
- Keep the containers sealed in a dry location
- Keep them out of the reach of children: it looks like sugar but tastes like salt and will keep your mouth dry for a while.
- Follow the directions with the containers
- Mark your container so you know what's in it.
Oh yes, you could probably get by with just 2 or 3 teaspoons and end up with less residue to wipe off.
I have no affiliation with them, I am just cheap.
