Cleaner for white seats

1

10sport185

New Member
Jul 8, 2013
67
SC
Boat Info
2010 185 sport
Engines
4.3 TKS
My seats are getting dirtier and dirtier and nothing I use seems to get them clean. There are some dirt stains and what looks like mold starting on the sun pad. I haven't tried any bleach products as I'm nervous they won't be good for the material or stitching. What do you use?
 
Star Brite Mildew Remover works very well for mildew/mold on seat cushions, and is safe for the stitching ( gotta be careful there ).

After opening my boat back up for this season, I had some on the starboard side sunpad cushion sides, guess some moisture got in there over the winter, after some researching ordered the above, we used it before going out for the first time Saturday and it worked very well.
 
Indeed use what dburn had mentioned, and maybe a little elbow grease for good measure.

DO NOT use Soft Scrub. I just helped my neighbor put in his pontoon and his buddy started using Soft Scrub with bleach. Not only will the bleach tear apart your stitching, the abrasives in the Soft Scrub will rough up the vinyl. Then future mold/mildew will be next to impossible to remove.
 
Star Bright Mildew Remover is excellent stuff!
 
I use Spray Nine, then a once-every-2 week coat of 303 Aerospace protectant. Shiny white goodness, no stains.
 
For after you get the stain out (concur with Star Brite Mildew Stain Remover) recommend you use a mildew preventer/blocker. Both 3M and Star Brite have versions and I have had excellent results with both.
 
There's many cleaners that can do the job, the real "magic" is in how you do the cleaning. Most importantly, though, you need to keep on top of the cleaning and not let the dirt get pushed into the graining too far. Once it's clean, it's easy to keep it that way with just a little maintenance/quick clean on a regular basis. The cleaner the vinyl is, the less mildew/mold you'll get. Mold and mildew love dirty surfaces. Now, in regards to actually cleaning it, if you're simply spraying a spot, then wiping/rubbing with a towel, and then trying to use that same towel on other spots.... all you're really doing is moving the dirt around. Once of the tricks is to keep the working surface wet and use a stiff-bristled brush to loosen the dirt from the grain. Then, either use a hose to rinse the area or use a CLEAN portion of a rag to remove the dirt. Once you wipe an area, switch to clean portion of the rag. One short wipe is all you get. Any more than that and just taking the dirt that the rag picked up and putting it back down somewhere else. That means lot's of rags. For that reason, I like the hose. Once you get it clean, use a good protectant. Come back a day later and apply another round of protectant. Keep up with your cleaning on a regular basis and you should never have to do a "deep clean" again. Ask anyone on this forum that has clean vinyl and I'd bet you a beer that their "trick" is maintenance.
 
Maintenance is definitely the key. I give mine a little hose down and a good wipe after every trip. Its a good habit and only takes 2.5 minutes.


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Thanks! I picked up both Star Brite cleaner and protectant. Going to try it out later in the week. Hope it works..
 
Anyone compare the Starbrite to the Meguiars #39 (i think that is the #)? I ask because a friend swears by it and I need to purchase vinyl cleaner for my newly covered (2014) white vinyl seats. I already have the 303 protectant, so just need a good cleaner that does not ruin the vinyl and thread.
 
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Tried the starbrite today, it didn't really help at all for the mildew. The rest of the seats came out great but I think I need something with bleach in it.
 
10sport185 said:
Tried the starbrite today, it didn't really help at all for the mildew. The rest of the seats came out great but I think I need something with bleach in it.
Click to expand...

Did you get Starbrite Mildew and Stain remover?
Worked very good for us, now I did not have a lot of mildew but certainly some on the sides of the cushions - sprayed it on, let it set for a bit, and wiped off.
 
No, they didn't have that, they had the shampoo and the cleaner/polish. I got both and it did nothing. I don't have a lot of mildew either, just on top of the sun pads where the cover lays on it.
 
10sport185 said:
No, they didn't have that, they had the shampoo and the cleaner/polish. I got both and it did nothing. I don't have a lot of mildew either, just on top of the sun pads where the cover lays on it.
Click to expand...

Mix a bucket with 50-50 bleach and water. Soak a rag or towel in it and then lay it on the cushion making sure you avoid the stitching. Let it sit there in the sun for 10-15 minutes. Take it off and if needed use a bristle brush for a soft scrub. Rinse with plenty of water then coat with 303. Works perfect and not a lot of elbow grease needed.
 
I go to the Dollar Store and buy Totally Awesome!...Greenish solution....spray on seats...brush them and wipe off with a towel! These seats were FILTHY!....And look at them now!
 

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Tuff Stuff (available at everyone's favorite store to hate, Walmart). Spray can in yellow.

Been using it to clean, then protect with 303 for years. My father-in-law is an auto mechanic, and his seats on his 210SD get thrashed. Can use Tuff Stuff to get all of that out, then protect from there. Lasts about a season.

Hope this helps!
 
dburne said:
Did you get Starbrite Mildew and Stain remover?
Worked very good for us, now I did not have a lot of mildew but certainly some on the sides of the cushions - sprayed it on, let it set for a bit, and wiped off.
Click to expand...

Agree with this. The Starbrite worked well for me also. Spray the area and let is sit for bit... worked very well for me.
 
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