mildew on vinyl seats

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drpete3

Member
Joined
Jul 5, 2006
RO Number
22165
Messages
176
tell me the best way to clean my seats that are covered in mildew. Tilex? diluted bleach? Any other products or suggestions?
 
I just wipe the seats off then spray them down with lysol after each use. My boat is an 1989 with the origional seats. In fact, you can see the lysol can in the 1st picture. :D

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Looks great! The problem i have is I just bought this neglected boat and need to clean the seats up. Will Lysol work for that?
 
It might with a little scrubbing. I know you can use Tilex on vinyl shower curtins so it should work on seats! I would try it first.
 
Vinegar will kill mold/mildew without damaging the surface. If you use it straight, then be sure to rinse it off so you don't get pickled!
 
When I opened up my Searay this spring I was shocked to find all the white vinyl completely covered with black mildew stains...
Tried 2 or 3 expensive cleaners from the marine store with little sucess and about 2 dozen other cleaners I borrowed off a friend...
Finally I tried Mr.Clean magic eraser and all my vinyl looked brand new in a few seconds!!

Worth a try
Good Luck!
 
I've had good results with the starbrite mildew cleaner, and for tougher stains, the black streak remover works well, but BE CAREFUL with it on vinyl....it can discolor or change the texture of the vinyl. rinse well afterwards and treat with vinyl conditioner or other afterwards
 
I just tried some of the Island Girl Sea Glow today on my white vinyl (still with a little mildew) and all I can say is WOW! I had already cleaned the vinyl on the seatback of one chair, and it looked "clean". I applied the new cleaner and it brightened it up whiter than it's probably ever been. I have to go back tomorrow and take some pics and finish cleaning the cockpit area, then protect with some 303. I didn't buy any of their "silken seal" protectant, but I just might after being so impressed by the cleaner.
 
Island Girl makes some good products, but as bullyt mentioned that 'magic eraser ' sure works great. Make sure you put some 303 protect. on after you are done cleaning.
 
I didn't have that much luck with the magic eraser on my vinyl, but it worked great on a lot of other things. I couldn't get the dirt that had worked its way into the tiny crevices in the vinyl pattern. maybe I just didn't keep at it long enough.
 
I wonder if 303 would work on your mildewed vinyl. I used it on my hypalon whitwater raft and it cleaned off mildew and even metal marks caused by the raft frame, and it literally looks like a brand new raft. In fact, just writing this makes me want to dig out my bottle of 303 and take it with me to my "new" old boat (1979 Cruisers Yachts 288 Villa Vee) and see if I can clean the gelcoat easily without buffing. I'll post again if it performs the miracle it did on my raft! Check out www.303products.com for more information. I see they now have a boat kit available. Good luck on your project.
 
I just cleaned my softtop (stamoid, sp) for the first time in 4 years. I used the magic eraser and Maguires cleaner for canvas tops, the top now looks brand new.

Walter
 
Even if the eraser removes the visible signs of mold or mildew, is that enough? My understanding is that you have to kill the spores or it will come back again when the conditions are right. Maybe you need to wipe the vinyl down with a vinegar solution after cleaning with the eraser......?
 
I used Spary Nine. Worked like a charm. Side benefit that it also got rid of a lot of other stains, too.

I've heard, although I'm not sure from where, that you should not use bleach based cleaners on vinyl.

Also, what happens if you spill it on the carpet?
 
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