Cleaning Boat Seats - Mold on 1986 Larson Seats - Stained

[kevinstan]

I have a 1986 Larson I recently obtained. Good boat, just had some engine work done and got it lake ready. The seats inside have seen better days. I have tried scrubbing them with different cleaners but no luck. The black spots are now just stained on there. Is there any good way to remove this? Or at least make it a little better than what it is? Wondering what others use or have had any success with cleaning their moldy boat seats with. Thanks in advance!

 

[JoLin]

Once mold starts, it usually comes back and removal will probably be an ongoing chore for you. Make sure the boat is well ventilated. My recommendation would be a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. The bleach will get the black spots better than anything else. If it still isn't acceptable you'll want to consider new upholstery.

My .02

 

[Natesms]

You'll probably hear a lot of negative about magic erasers. They are hard on the vinyl and will take off the outer layer and should probably be avoid if you can.

That being said, I used them on my boat and they work great! My seats looked fantastic after I was done. Hit them with some quality vinyl protectant when you are done.

My boat had some bad spots on the seats and it was either sand off the outer layer with a magic eraser or replace them. This was 4 years ago and no issues other than clean seats. I just keep treating them and they seem to be fine.

 

[MI_Pirate]

I use marine Spray 9 and a brush first. Then I put a few tablespoons of bleach in a gallon of water, soak a white terry cloth towel in it, wring it out, lay it on the stain in the sun for a half hour. Clears up most organic stains pretty well. I have white seats, and this works great.

 

[Texasmark]

Household bleach (chlorine) kills mold. I'd dilute what's in the container you buy to about 4:1 getting you down to around a few percent by volume. Put it in a spray bottle and spray it on. Let it sit till the mold changes color and quasi disappears. With mild soap and soft brush wash what's left off, rinse and dry. I will come back, but not for awhile. On the side of a house, doing the same prior to painting, and with a good semi-gloss paint it can take 5 years for it to come back but usually that's from the current conditions, not the bleed through if you did the initial prep correctly.

 

[iggyw1]

I always had real good success using Murphy's oil soap to get rid of mold on my seats. I put the soap in hot water and wash the seats with it, and it removes the mold instantly.

 

[thumpar]

Try 303 multipurpose cleaner. I love the products they have.

 

[tonyjh63]

My boat had some really moldy, mildewy seats when I got it. I tried cleaning it myself, but couldn't make much headway. I found this guy on the other side of town, and he was able to clean the seats right up! He told me he uses a product called Marine 31. You might try that stuff...

 

[Jerry200LX]

It's hard to believe no one has mentioned Starbrite Mildew Stain Remover. I've used this stuff and it does the job. I would definitely follow up with a coat of 303 Protectant.

Also, I checked on the website here and iboats.com has it on sale at a great price right now.

 

[scoutabout]

It's hard to believe no one has mentioned Starbrite Mildew Stain Remover. I've used this stuff and it does the job. I would definitely follow up with a coat of 303 Protectant.

Also, I checked on the website here and iboats.com has it on sale at a great price right now.

This. My sister's BF just turned our soiled and disgusting rub strip on the Scout from....well, soiled and disgusting...back to brilliant white. Same with the plastic seat backs. Amazing results I find hard to believe if I hadn't seen it myself.

 

[Baylinerchuck]

Great ideas all. My wife told me to try magic eraser on my seats and I said "you can't use that on boats"! Lol. Guess I'm gonna eat a little crow and try the magic eraser.

 

[oldboat1]

Tried Tilex or some SoftScrub? Rinse with sponge and water, then dry in the sun.

 

[JaCrispy]

The mold/stains are probably in the backing cloth of the vinyl. If you can remove the covers and clean the back side of the vinyl with bleach.