You've come back to your boat after winter and the boat cover is green or black rather than it's traditional blue or grey. Whether you've left the boat under a tree or winter has just done its worst to your boat cover we have some tips to getting that cover back into top condition.
Boat Cover Cleaning Instructions
What you're going to need
A brush such as a dustpan brush
Water (warm and cold)
Bleach
White vinegar
Delicate washing up liquid
Bucket
Somewhere to soak your boat cover
Optional: Pressure washer (but be careful)
Optional: Washing up gloves
Get started
Remove the boat cover
Give your cover a good brush off before you start ensuring you get as much of the dirt and other items off
Either pressure wash the cover off gently from a distance or soak it in cold water initially
Take your cover out of soaking and get the excess water off
Get your bucket and make up a cleaning cocktail with 4 litres of warm water, 250ml of white vinegar, 250ml of bleach and then add 50ml of your washing up liquid
Test a small area which can't be seen first to ensure this won't lead to discolouration
With your brush start to work the cleaning fluid into your boat cover ensuring you cover all areas
Leave the cover for 15-20 minutes for the cleaning solution to take effect
Rinse the boat cover off with plenty of fresh water, you could also blast it off with your pressure washer gently
Review your cover to see if it needs another go
Repeat steps again if it's still dirty
Ideally hanging it up, leave the boat cover to air dry
Put the cover back on the boat and it should look as good as new
As stated above it's important to note that we recommend trying this first on a hidden area of the cover to ensure it doesn't lead to discolouration of your boat cover. Please also be careful with a pressure washer, don't put it too close to the cover.
New Cover
If your cover really has had it after you've made the attempt to put some life back into it then do get in touch, we provide PVC and breathableboat coversfor most types of dinghy.
Questions about our boat covers?
If you've got questions about our dinghy covers or boat covers then please do get in touch with the team.
2 Responses
Graham Lamond
April 17, 2020
Be very careful about using a pressure washer, even on a low setting. I’ve used it on a PVC and canvas cover and each time it destroyed the filler in the fabric or removed the top plastic on the PVC, exposing the cloth support underneath. This was despite being as gentle as I could. It’s just too much power. Better to take the gentler (but slower) route and do it by hand. For a canvas cover, re-proof it with Fabsil. I’ve just done an old, but very sound Flying Fifteen cover which was letting water through. After treating with Fabsil, the water sits nicely on the top now. It’s easiest to do this on the boat, but if you do, I recommend protecting the boat with a plastic sheet first so the Fabsil doesn’t mark the boat, especially if it’s a varnished deck. Hope this helps!
Lesley Hunt
September 23, 2019
I think you should add a pair of washing up gloves (without holes) to the “What you need” list.
Graham Lamond
April 17, 2020
Be very careful about using a pressure washer, even on a low setting. I’ve used it on a PVC and canvas cover and each time it destroyed the filler in the fabric or removed the top plastic on the PVC, exposing the cloth support underneath. This was despite being as gentle as I could. It’s just too much power. Better to take the gentler (but slower) route and do it by hand. For a canvas cover, re-proof it with Fabsil. I’ve just done an old, but very sound Flying Fifteen cover which was letting water through. After treating with Fabsil, the water sits nicely on the top now. It’s easiest to do this on the boat, but if you do, I recommend protecting the boat with a plastic sheet first so the Fabsil doesn’t mark the boat, especially if it’s a varnished deck. Hope this helps!