Printable View
Just curious if anyone has had good sucess with a mildew remover out there. Uncovered the LSV after winter storage to find some nasty new mildew spots. I picked up a StarBrite and a 3M solution from Overtons but all it did was turn it from black to a dark gray. The guy at Outdoor World told me to use 1 cup bleach/1 gal water but I've heard that bleach is not good for marine vinyl.
I have used bleach, don't get it on the threads/stitching. Once you get it out, there are a few products from 3M to help keep it away.
I had some black spots on my cushions this year, especially on the sides and where they come together. I used a spray bottle of Simple Green Cleaner and some paper towel and it cleaned all of the vinyl up great.
Of course, my luck, someone will tell me what damage I've done to my seats;)
Try 303 protectant. It's a little expensive, but I've had really good luck with their products, and they're recommended by Skier's Choice.
Try to steer clear of anything with bleach in it. Bleach can destroy the threads holding the vinyl together. Learned this as a young teen when an older buddy of mine had me help him clean his interior with Tilex. Worked great, but he had to replace all of his interior the next summer. Could have been coincidence, but I doubt it.
Anyway, I found some mildew cleaner at a pool store one year that worked great and was labelled as being safe for any and all types of vinyls. It was designed for outdoor chair cushions, but worked great on the boat. Sorry, but I don't recall the name and the bottle burned in my storage shed fire this past November. (well, curse word, another item I forgot to mention on the insurance claim) You may try looking at a pool store for similar products though.
I had the same problem. What a mess. I don't think i'm going to shrink wrap anymore.
Anyway. I used sunlight and water for most of it. Then i used Spray 9 marine one the tougher spots. After that I used salt water. Worked pretty good. I had a couple spots I couldn't get rid of. After a day in the sun they are almost gone.
good luck.
Another vote for 303. I had some mildew stains as well and the 303 wiped them write off.
WD-40 is a good cleaner and is a great perserver for the vynil.
"Awesome" works for me. It is citrus based, so I use Fantastic, a mild soap afterward.
Available at Dollar Stores real cheap.