Boat cleaning and care - Here's how to clean a variety of surfaces found on a modern boat.

SOFTWOOD TYPES

PINE AND PITCH PINE will rot. This is a wood with low density and long fibres which is why it is used on masts and spars in boats, and many different types of furniture around the house. It is also a lot cheaper to buy and use than hardwood. Pitch pine is or used to be a popular material for boat decks and hulls but also needed constant treatment with pitch or pine oils to waterproof it. Pine needs sealing and is difficult to clean if it isn't. It will dry fairly easily though, if it is not soaked too much. Many architectural features may have a mixture of one or more of these types of woods in them.
However you should remember that, in reality, youare cleaning the soiling off the seal itself, not the wood. Waxes and oils are applied to the raw woods. So any damage to the wood should not be due to the cleaning process, but will be the damage to the seal.
Cleaning will remove waxes and oils from the wood. So check first with the water drop test in a hidden place.
Waxed woods should never be wetted to excess. Nor should you ever apply vinyl floor seal to them. The idea of epoxy impregnator is to prevent water ingress and damage to the wood fibres allowing rots to establish themselves, however, the oils and resins should be removed from the wood with acetone before impregnation. You will need two or three coats of impregnator.

PLYWOOD is a mixture of woods or a single type of wood. It is always sealed and is cleaned as usual. It rots very easily when the seal is broken.

MOLD ON WOOD is usual in out door furniture and decking of all types. It washes off with an ordinary detergent and then the surfaces are rinsed and dried. Wash off bird lime exactly the same way.

Sail cleaning

Sails are usually nylon, Dacron or polyester fibres coated or interwoven with Kevlar or similar. They can be washed but should not be washed at temperatures over 25c. The coating will dissolve! Makes sense to store sails dry, then you won't get mold. Sails do need rinsing in fresh water if you sail in salt water - the dried salt crystals act as an abrasive on the coating and over a period of time the sail loses it's effectiveness.
So rinse in clean water after use. Dry thoroughly before any long term storage. Spots on sails will be rust, molds, blood and these are all removed with very mild oxalic acid solution. For real effect, leave the solution for a half hour or more and then rinse off. Do not steam clean or use high pressure water jets on sails.
For sail cleaning remember to keep your cleaning temperature to below 25c. Any detergent you use should be effective in cold water. Many of them are. Excessive use of solvents on stains will damage the sail fabric. For oil stains use cold dishwashing liquid in solution, or d-limonene, in preference to commercial dry cleaning solvents.

Sail storage

Before packing away those sails, make sure they are dry and salt free. Any salt particles left on the sail cloth will absorb and hold moisture, shortening the life of the sails. Sails should never be folded, this creates creases which over time splits the laminate, instead sails should be rolled. Storage of sails over a long period of time will require airing occasionally to prevent mold growth due to condensation.

Rope and sheet care, and cleaning

Often neglected, but ropes or sheets are crucial to the operation and safety of a boat. The last thing you need is a main sheet failing due to excessive wear which could have been spotted with regular inspection.
Get into the habit of regularly inspecting your ropes for signs of wear. Ropes can be cleaned with a mild detergent if necessary; generally a good soaking in clean fresh water to removal salt and sand particles is all that is needed. Salt and sand particles in rope, if allowed to dry, will act as an abrasive and reduce the life of the rope.

Canvas cleaning and tarpaulin cleaning

Some boats still have canvas sails, boat and trucks have canvas canopies and so are caravan and RVs awnings. Curtains on trucks are usually plastic or plastic coated and should be washed with the same detergent as the truck body. Canvas can be scrubbed with the detergent mix and can be dry steamed afterwhere it appears like new!

Cleaning bilges is best done by the 'Rock and roll' method involving a good degreasant being allowed to work whilst the boat is in motion.

Cleaning boat toilets

If your toilet has a holding tank, then do not clean with a bleach cleaner. Use a non - pathogenic bacterial cleaner. To remove smells add some d-limonene. If your boat toilet does not have a holding tank, clean with d- limonene or a hard surface detergent. Caustic detergents and d-limonene will soften rubber seals, if they are left in overlong contact so you will need to rinse off as soon as after cleaning. For boat showers and toilets with water scale build - up, clean with an acid detergent.

Glass and Perspex windows

Glass and Perspex windows can be protected from pitting, scratches and water staining by coating with a clear silicon dressing. Once glass and Perspex is heavily scratched it can not be repaired.
Note: to clean other materials on your boat refer back to the relevant section on this site, but please also note, that the definitive guide to boat detailing is out soon! Watch this space for details.