How to care for boat upholstery

How do you keep your boat upholstery always looking so good?  It really is not difficult or very time consuming.  It involves a little cleanup after each use and an occasional deeper cleaning back at home.  Using the right cleaning approach at the right time will keep your boat interior looking like it did from the factory for many years.

Keep your interior like new

After Each Use

You have had a great day out on the water with friends and family and you are at the dock waiting for the trailer to load up.  This is when we use the help that is sitting there with nothing to do.  While I am gone getting the trailer, my wife starts the interior cleanup.  Many hands make light work.  At this time of the trip there are often several damp towels in the boat.  Great time for those on the boat to start wiping down the upholstery of the boat.  Have some of the crew grab a damp towel and just start wiping.  Wipe down upholstery, dash, windows, lift seat cushions and wipe fiberglass and vinyl under the cushions.  This will only take a few minutes while the trailer is being retrieved, but is a great way of keeping you boat upholstery relatively clean.  Also, that allows your crew to be free to help wipe down the exterior back in the parking lot.

Back at Home

Once we get the boat back home and in the garage, we finish the cleaning for each use.  This simply involves getting wet items such as towels and life vests out of storage areas in the boat.  Get towels out and hang up the life vests so they can dry.  Do not leave the wet items in warm, stagnant air unless you want to conduct a mold and mildew experiment.  Mold and mildew are much easier to prevent than to clean.

After making sure you have all the wet stuff out from under seats and storage areas, ventilate.  Open up your deck lids, seat cushions, hatches, and storage lockers so that air can circulate and dry out the dampness that may be in those storage areas.  Also a great time to take one of those towels that needs to be washed and wipe down the areas under the cushions and deck lids.  Remember, the object is to get your boat upholstery dry after each use and clean so it is ready for the next use.

Airing out the boat interior

What About the Carpet

Marine carpet in boats can take a lot of abuse from the water and sun.  In between trips I usually just use a stick vacuum to keep the carpet relatively clean.  This only takes a few minutes.  Once or twice a year I will remove my snap in carpet and clean under the carpet in the boat.  Marine carpet is usually pretty durable and made for the abuse it takes.  However, if you need to remove stains or use a steam cleaner on the carpet make sure you follow the recommendations on the cleaner.  Also, I would highly recommend a protectant after using chemical cleaners.  I use a 3M Scotchguard carpet protector after steam cleaning or any stain removal from my carpet.  303 Fabric Guard also makes a nice protector.  Make sure you follow the directions on the fabric protector of your choice.

Deeper Cleaning

Caring for your boat upholstery so your vinyl looks like the bottom image, not the top.

Mildly Dirty

Inevitably you will need to do more than just wipe down your upholstery with a damp towel to keep it clean.  Sunscreen oils, drinks, food and dirty feet all contribute to the buildup of dirt and grime on boat upholstery.  So a few times each season I go through the boat to clean it up.  The object is to use the least abrasive cleaner as possible to get the upholstery clean.  Therefore, I start the cleaning process with some mild dish soap and water.  I use a towel and the soapy water mixture to clean all of the upholstery.  The ratio of soap should be about a 1/4 cup soap to 1 gallon of water.  Give all the upholstery a good wipe down with this mixture.

Moderately Dirty

If you get to some areas with more difficult dirt to remove, do not scrub really hard.  You may damage your upholstery.  Try the next level of cleaner, such as 303 Vinyl and Carpet Cleaner or another similar product.  Follow the directions and hopefully this will get rid of that remaining dirt.  I will caution, when using any chemical cleaner I immediately rinse with a damp towel or the soapy water mixture after cleaning.  Do not leave chemicals to eat at your vinyl after you have cleaned.  Rinse it off and get to the final steps below.

Extreme Dirty

If you have some mildew or really tough grime that is not being removed by more gentle methods then here is the next level.  I have had great success with the rare times I have had mildew of tough grime using Marine Spray Nine Cleaner.  Follow the directions on the bottle from the manufacturer.  I really do love this stuff for the tough stains.  However, do not let it just sit on your vinyl.  After you have cleaned the area, wipe it down with a damp cloth or soapy water and cloth.

PROTECT, PROTECT, PROTECT

Clean boat upholstery

The real secret to keeping your boat upholstery clean is not letting it get too dirty in the first place.  A great marine vinyl upholstery protector will help you a great deal.  There are many different vinyl protectors out there, so if you have one you like then use it.  I really have liked the 303 Marine/Recreational Aerospace Vinyl Protectant for my boat.  It does not make your vinyl really shiny or leave a greasy feel to it.  It dries with a matte finish and just makes it look and feel clean.  This provides a good UV protector and helps resist dirt and staining.

If you have a product that provides UV protection and increases the life of your vinyl that you like, use it.  Once again, follow the manufacturers directions on the product you are using.  The main thing is that you use a good UV protectant after you have completed the cleaning process.  Your boat upholstery will thank you as will all those you welcome on board.

Now go enjoy that clean boat!