Best Vinyl Cleaner

[Greenwing]

I have a Ranger with tan colored seats that have what appears to be mildew on them. What is the best cleaner anyone has used?

 

[kbetts]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

I bought a used boat this past December with white interior and had some pretty major mildew stains. I bought 5 different marine mildew removers, tried bleach water, amonia, softscrub and carpet cleaner and none of these worked. The only thing that worked for me was Mr. Clean erasers and Tilex mildew remover. Spray the Tilex and let it sit on the stain for a couple of minuites and follow up with the eraser. Be sure to rinse the vinyl well and follow up with a spray mildew block. Finish it up with a good protectant, I use the 303. Good luck.

 

[Greenwing]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

Thanks I wil try that, there is many products available I didnt want spend a small fortune on a bunch of stuff that didnt work Thanks again.

 

[kbetts]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

Greenwing, your right, I did spend a small fortune on all of those cleaners that didn't work. The tilex was something I tried by accident, but the erasers was a product I tried because I heard about it on the forum. Something else that I do to fight mildew is, I put two 5 gallon buckets full of charcoal in the boat. The charcoal will absorb small amounts of moisture inside the boat if the cover doesn't breath well. This will keep the inside of your boat dryer. I do the charcoal when I store the boat inside over the winter also. Those white seats were a pain to clean, don't want to have to do that again. Let us know how you made out.

 

[rickdb1boat]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

If ya can't get the Tilex, Scrub Free Stain and Mildew remover works great. Both are about the same thing. Make sure you rinse well after cleaning, as they both contain bleach...

BTW- I like that charcoal idea......

 

[stevieray]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

You mean charcoal - like the barbecue grill stuff?

 

[kbetts]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

Yes stevieray, the bbq type. I just buy the cheap Wal-Mart stuff. I place each bucket toward each end of the boat. If you have an enlosed engine hatch(sterndrive) might want to put one in there also if you have room.

 

[Surffx]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

Another vote for the magic erasers...they work great.

 

[Gone]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

You mean charcoal - like the barbecue grill stuff?

BIG RED FLAG.

Be very careful with charcoal (seriously). Damp charcoal is prone to spontaneous combustion if poorly ventilated.
Learned this in my firefighter days. I personally experienced 2 garage fires due to this phenomenon although there are several threads on the internet that say that this is bunk. Didn't look like bunk when they were burning, though.
Instead, try a product called "Damp Rid". It's even cheaper than charcoal without the worry.

CD

 

[tiller7104]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

I have been using a product that is called Vinyl Victory....it is marine safe and it is designed for mold satins and weathered and dull boat interiors..I get it on Ebay and I like it very much.....although I am going to try all of your suggestions LOL

 

[salty87]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

hit your seats up with 303 protectant after the cleansers to keep the vinyl soft. i use mr clean erasers and then just let the sun bleach out the rest. some of those cleansers can be really tough on vinyl.

 

[vegas_storms]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

Magic Eraser then 303, can't see anyhting working better!

 

[POINTER94]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

Delete. I found it.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

as you can tell, that's like asking: who's wife is better? depends on if my wife is listening, or her husband.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

Be careful with the Magic Erasers. The way they work is that they are abrasive so use as a last resort. You are removing a little of the top layer of vinyl when you use them. Try to use a cleaner first.

 

[Zackman]

Re: Best Vinyl Cleaner

Mildew or mold comes in two basic forms. One is the surface mildew which can usually be cleaned with most standard mildew products. The second type is embedded into the fabric and is very difficult to remove. A good cleaning followed by good ventilation and if possible sunlight can help, but once mold is embedded, it's very difficult to get rid of. Take your time and do a little bit of cleaning at one time, but repeat every week or so.. Don't use any protectant until the mildew is gone.

My boat uses Nautolex Vinyl and here is a link to its mildew removal recommendations...

http://www.omnova.com/products/marineOEMUpholstery/documents/NautolexCleanInstruct.pdf

Good luck