Cleaning Marine Carpet...

TheChad

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 29, 2005
Messages
314
Hey All,

What do you all use to clean your boat's carpet?

The dealer I bought my boat from told me NOT to use carpet cleaners, and said instead use Simple Green, and a scrubbing brush.

It seems to work pretty good, I'm just wondering if its ok to use Simple Green, or if I should be using something else?

Thanks,

-TheChad
 

ziggy

Admiral
Joined
Jun 30, 2004
Messages
7,473
Re: Cleaning Marine Carpet...

when i inheirited my boat the carpet was toast. had a 1/16" of hard slim ontoit. used me some dawn dish washin liquid. straight out of the bottle ontoit. a bristle scrub brush and a hose. the whole carpet turned green. hosed'er out after a hard scrub. left me with a brown carpet that i had originaly. never did anything after that as it looked good......a note. dawn removes boat wax..... a rewax is in order after the dawn treatment.....perhaps yers aint that bad. the dawn removes grease too, in the bildge too as it's runnin out.......
 

TheChad

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
May 29, 2005
Messages
314
Re: Cleaning Marine Carpet...

My carpet is just dirt/mud. The Simple green works good at getting it out. I've even removed blood with Simple green.

It was the first time I had ever heard of using Simple green to clean carpet, which is why I thought I'd ask here to see what others say..

-TheChad
 

ricksrster

Commander
Joined
Jun 19, 2005
Messages
2,022
Re: Cleaning Marine Carpet...

When I bought my new carpet, the sales guy told me that marine carpet was idoor/outdoor carpet with a rubber backing on it. I don't understand why carpet cleaner would be bad. if simple Green or Dawn works that goodI might give them a try. I'm in the process now of cleaning and preparing my boat for a ling winter's nap.
 

Silvertip

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Sep 22, 2003
Messages
28,758
Re: Cleaning Marine Carpet...

Over time, carpet gets "walked down" such that the nap is packed down. Before cleaning, I use a very stiff brush and work the nap back up by brushing from all directions. This stands up the nap and pops sand and dirt loose. I then vacuum it. With the bow high, pull the drain plug. Virtually any detergent will work. I use a liquid dish washing detergent from a local farm store. I wet the carpet, spread on the detergent and brush it in very thoroughly, again from all directions. I then hose out the boat. Park it in the sun to dry. Brush the nap again and the carpet will look great. I also use the same detergent to clean the carpeted floor mats in my vehicles.
 

rickdb1boat

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Jan 23, 2002
Messages
11,195
Re: Cleaning Marine Carpet...

Car wash wand works well for all but the worst stains...
 

wvit1001

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jul 10, 2006
Messages
157
Re: Cleaning Marine Carpet...

I just use car wash detergent. Get in with the hose, get all the carpet wet, scrubb the detergent in with a brush, suck as much as I can out with the shop vacuum. Repeat.
 

Old No 7

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Jun 8, 2004
Messages
104
Re: Cleaning Marine Carpet...

My beige rug gets slimy in the corners, and bloody every now and then. I have an old electric power washer that only generates about 900psi. I keep the wand about 2 feet from the carpet, and just clean it with that

When i'm done, the carpet looks great, and by keeping the wand 2 feet from the carpet, the power washer has not damaged it at all.
 
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