rust looking crap on my upolstery

David Carrera · Aug 31, 2011

So here it is. Wish I had a picture of it. I have this rust colored looking crap all over my white upholstery. Not just a little but a whole lot. It seems to keep growing and if tried every chemical to try to knock it down but nothing works. I've tried shower mold remover, black off, hair spray, awesome, alcohol, Davis marine cleaner, ajax, bleach and more. Does anybody know what I can use to knock this crap down? Sure would appreciate some words of wisdom from somebody appartently smarter then myself. Just call me RUSTY.

oops! · Aug 31, 2011

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

dont know whith out pics. but....you say its rust looking?....have you tried a small section with muriatic acid?...or clr?....try a test spot and see what happens.....if you use the muriatic acid.....use it 50/50 and have fresh water right beside you to flush it immeadately.......if its rust....the acid will move it immeadately.

i have heard of some vynal cleaners that were talked about here......but have not used them.

skideck2 · Aug 31, 2011

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

a quick wipe with some acetone or lacquer thinner followed by a quick rinse.. test a hidden spot first,. might turn your upholstery to goo. If you have textured upholstery, try a bristled brush with that bleach. Foaming auto upholstery cleaner works well. If it is rust,, almost any rust remover will work, or make a solution of mild acid with lemon juice or vinegar.

David Carrera · Aug 31, 2011

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Ok...thanks for the 411. I've tried the CLR but not the muritic acid. I'll give that a try. Other then that I've tot a beautiful boat that looks like crap. I've even priced reupholstering it.

David Carrera · Aug 31, 2011

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

It may very well be mold. Because when I bought it last year it looked perfect and beautiful. After winter is when this occurred. When it sits out the waterever it is just gets bigger , darker and spreads. It was covered with vents. But now my? Is who or how do I find this professional?

Fireman431 · Sep 1, 2011

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

It's mold. If left alone, it would return to the green/brown/black common shade, but when continually cleaned, it turns to a brown/orange shade. The reason it's there is because the factory did not use marine vinyl for the upholstery, they just used a typical cloth backed vinyl. Mold grows on it when it gets wet/humid. You can eventually kill it by drying it out completely, but you'll never get rid of the staining. If you go the reupholstery route, make sure that the shop (or you) use true marine vinyl such as Naugahyde or Enduratex (I'm an upholsterer).

V153 · Sep 1, 2011

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

I agree once that crap plants it's greedy little spores in there it's hard to get out. I second that it's probly not heavy marine vinyl. Worse yet I'd bet the foam is wrapped in plastic. Meaning neither the vinyl nor foam ever gets a chance to 'breathe'. As ridiculous as this might sound if enough moisture is present it might not be mold. It could even be algae.

Please don't use acetone or laquer thinner to clean cushions. It WILL turn them to goo. On the other hand if you choose to do so my shop is located on San Casa Dr in Englewood ...

Keep in mind that one of the weak links in any cushion is the thread. Blasting it with harsh cleaners/chemicals only hastens it's demise. I wish I felt confident about stitching a cushion with a high tech monofilament like Tenara (aka Gore Tex thread). But on a cushion that sees a lot of traffic I've actually seen monofilament act as a 'rope saw' against the vinyl?

Fwiw I've had moderate success sprucing up old cushions with DL hand cleaner. Without pumice. Works best if the DL's been sitting around for awhile and has started to get that gooey oily layer on top ...

Murphy's oil soap can sometimes work wonders too if the problem is not too advanced.

Good luck!

Fireman431 · Sep 1, 2011

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

V153 said:
Worse yet I'd bet the foam is wrapped in plastic. Meaning neither the vinyl nor foam ever gets a chance to 'breathe'.

If you go the reupholatery route, don't let the shop use plastic to cover the foam. There is a product called "Slick-eze", which resembles a very thin plastic sheet. It is breathable enough to allow air through, but resistant to water droplets getting thru. Therefore, if the cushion gets extremely wet, any water getting in will repel off of the foam and drain out the bottom, or stitching. Better yet, get the bottoms of the cushions made in PfiferTex. It's an open weave plastic material (available in colors) that lets water & air pass thru the foam.

Cap’n Ray · Sep 1, 2011

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Just my 2cents, but I had similar problem with white upholstry when I lived in Arizona, turned out it was the sun baking the upholstery. Try covering it and see if it stops growing, a poorly located mirror or window glass could amplify the effect and make the 'sunburn' grow like crazy!! Just a suggestion.

90stingray · Sep 1, 2011

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

I did have some actual rust on my bow seats from previous owner letting an anchor sit on the seats. I used a overtons brand cleaner that worked when nothing else would. Check it out!

http://www.overtons.com/modperl/pro..._Cleaner_22_oz&str=vinyl+cleaner&merchID=4005

scv76 · Sep 2, 2011

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

tried goof-off?

skideck2 · Sep 2, 2011

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

acetone or thinner kills mold. period. there are other products that do,moldex, etc. but acetone or thinner cleans the area before it stains after it dies. Fresh mold=no stain dead or dying "spreading" mold= stain. Test an area of your "upholstery" under a cushion to see if it will turn to goo, mostly because none of us know that you have vinyl at all!! Especially an upholstery shop that has experience in boats and their many cushion cover flavors. Cloth backed, abrasion rating, poly backed, mil, to many possibilitys. On top of that, a quick wipe followed by rinse even if it does turn to goo when poured on and soaked doesn't mean you destroy your "upholstery". Goof off fades or yellows almost any fabric, not instantly, but later down the road in that area, like using camp dry on white vinyl. Good luck with your cushions, try n post a pic, wish i could tell you how, if you can, put up a pic of the backing on ur fabric.

JONI.PATTERSON · May 1, 2017

V153 said:
Re: rust lioking crap on my upolstery

I agree once that crap plants it's greedy little spores in there it's hard to get out. I second that it's probly not heavy marine vinyl. Worse yet I'd bet the foam is wrapped in plastic. Meaning neither the vinyl nor foam ever gets a chance to 'breathe'. As ridiculous as this might sound if enough moisture is present it might not be mold. It could even be algae.

Please don't use acetone or laquer thinner to clean cushions. It WILL turn them to goo. On the other hand if you choose to do so my shop is located on San Casa Dr in Englewood ...

Keep in mind that one of the weak links in any cushion is the thread. Blasting it with harsh cleaners/chemicals only hastens it's demise. I wish I felt confident about stitching a cushion with a high tech monofilament like Tenara (aka Gore Tex thread). But on a cushion that sees a lot of traffic I've actually seen monofilament act as a 'rope saw' against the vinyl?

Fwiw I've had moderate success sprucing up old cushions with DL hand cleaner. Without pumice. Works best if the DL's been sitting around for awhile and has started to get that gooey oily layer on top ...

Murphy's oil soap can sometimes work wonders too if the problem is not too advanced.

Good luck!

Do you know what boat manufacturers don't use marine vinyl by chance? Would it happen to be Godsey?

rust looking crap on my upolstery

Cadet

Supreme Mariner

Cadet

Cadet

Cadet

Rear Admiral

Lieutenant Commander

Rear Admiral

Petty Officer 2nd Class

Lieutenant Junior Grade

Seaman Apprentice

Cadet

Recruit