Cleaning, protecting and restoring boat fabrics – furnishings
As boat interiors and upholstery are fabrics they trap the great variety of liquids kept and used on board more easily – red wine is not a great danger to the hull of the boat after all.
Do not underestimate the importance of fresh air when you can, and overwinter dehumidification. You will need a desiccant machine as the boat will be unheated – cheaper, seemingly more impressive extraction capability machines such as those from DIY sheds will have negligible effect in winter as its simply too cold for them to work.
At the start and end of the season, wash all seat covers, pillows, duvets, and bedding. Removable rugs can be taken out and washed, carpets can be sprinkled with a carpet cleaner (including wall carpeting on older boats), and vacuumed to freshen them.
Steam cleaners are a great way to get a deeper, more disinfecting clean to the area. The hot steam may also help reactivate the old glue in some of the wall carpeting, and keep it from peeling off on boats that are twenty to thirty years old. Steam will also kills off unwanted visitors hiding in inaccessible places such as under refrigerators and grooved flooring.
Spot cleaning of surfaces can be easily achieved in Spring cleaning and throughout the season with our range of interior cleaning products and a few handily stowed microfibre cloths.
If you suffer from a musty aroma, or there is visible mould, blackspot or other bacteria present, clean down with Mould Killer & Protectant, which will kill off all bacteria (MRSA, salmonella, listeria, E-coli, (food poisoning), legionella (bacteria causing legionnaires disease) and aspergillus niger (mould). And prevents regrowth for up to 6 months. Well worth a liberal spray application at the end of the season too.
Maintenance
Follow washing or dry cleaning instructions on label.
Protection
Spray man-made fabrics with BoatSheen Fabric Stain Protector. This protects against all manner of stains, reduces water absorbency and enables dirt to be removed easily. Just spray on and leave to dry. Won’t alter fabric colour but not suitable for suede/Alcantara.