Bilge cleaning tips

[csm]

It's been a long time since my bilge has been cleaned, and it smells terrible. I'm going to try to clean it tomorrow using household stuff, and wanted to see if anyone had tips, or better ways to do it.

Here's what I plan to do:
- shopvac everything out through the v-drive compartment.
- turn off auto-bilge.
- pour some natural dishwashing degreaser into the bilge and fill with water... (we have some good degreasing stuff that doesn't have phosphates, and is supposed to be "environmentally friendly")
- use a long handled scrub brush and scrub what I can reach.
- after a couple of hours of soaking, go back and scrub again, and then shopvac the water out.

Will that do any good? I'm trying to avoid buying bilge cleaner. Is the v-drive compartment the only good way to get to the areas and scrub?

[mmandley]

Im about to do the same thing tomorrow night. Last year was no issue never stunk. This year i can smell it. I have a very sensitive nose and i cant stand the funk from my V drive area LOL.

[TahitiVC]

What I have done in the past is put a lot of liquid soap in the bilge and then go out and run the boat all day long letting it slosh around then drain it after srcubbing while it is sitting at the dock and then pull the plug and let it drain once it is on the trailer. Try using something with either orange or lemon in it.

[newty]

Have someone else do it! Thats my tip, and thats all I got.

Seriously I'll dump a little dawn dish washing soap in the hull, and forget about it. The boat, water, and the bildge pump will do the rest.

I do it about twice a summer. On really rough water days the bildge blows bubbles.

[DOCDRS]

I heard the circus is back in town and Bubbles the clown was looking for your bilge pump... but i'm glad because i've always wanted to know what to use

[mmandley]

Have someone else do it! Thats my tip, and thats all I got.

Seriously I'll dump a little dawn dish washing soap in the hull, and forget about it. The boat, water, and the bildge pump will do the rest.

I do it about twice a summer. On really rough water days the bildge blows bubbles.

DUDE!!! I so am going to have to load the Bilge up with soapy water. I want to get pics of Bubbles coming out the side of the boat. That would be priceless LOL

[newty]

DUDE!!! I so am going to have to load the Bilge up with soapy water. I want to get pics of Bubbles coming out the side of the boat. That would be priceless LOL

Yes... Yes it would!

[mimoomba]

I used Simple Green on mine a couple of years ago. I bought a gallon jug and dumped it in, added water, drove around a little with it on the trailer. Then drained it and rinsed it out.
Simple Green is biodegradeable and non toxic.