Welcome aboard a journey towards environmentally friendly boat care! In today's post, we set our sights on plastic boats and how we can clean them without burdening the environment with harsh chemicals.
Last edited May 8, 2024
Cleaning tip
This is how you clean your plastic boat without harsh chemicals! All wood benefits greatly from being scrubbed with a fatty soap, we have written about this many times, but what about plastic boats? Today's blog is about cleaning the boat environmentally friendly.
Boats are a chapter in themselves. You have a lot to deal with, and not everything is truly environmentally friendly. Over time, both paints and cleaning agents have been developed that have not been good for the environment at all. Today, thankfully, there is more emphasis on labeling and control, so you can be quite sure that what is available to buy in stores is checked in some way. BUT for that reason, you should ALWAYS read labels carefully and make good environmental choices yourself.
Here are some tips on how to clean your boat environmentally friendly.
The principle that like dissolves like is a good rule of thumb when it comes to cleaning.
* Alkalis dissolve dirt from the animal and plant kingdom, for example, algae. By using a soap that is basic (alkaline), you easily dissolve all such dirt. Much of what discolors the boat is algae, and you will notice that you get rid of most of it with soap. The soap is very gentle on the environment, readily biodegradable, but you should still be careful where you wash your boat because you can actually wash away more than just algae, for example, oils, and that is not good for the environment.
We use Västerbottenssåpa, which is a superfatted soap, as well as three different brushes, cloth and eco-fiber sponge.
Since the soap is fatty, it will also dissolve greasy dirt. All greasy oils from engines, engine rooms, etc., should be handled carefully and cautiously; they are not kind to the environment, so never release the washing water directly into the lake/sea.
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We also used this huge dish brush, originally intended for old-fashioned milk jugs but perfect for boats and actually also hot tubs.
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We have warm water in the bucket and then "go at it" with a scrub brush, a coarse one where it is heavily soiled. A soft brush where it is less soiled and the eco-fiber cloth on, for example, the seats.
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We use an eco-fiber cloth where the plastic has a structure that makes algae and dirt adhere to the irregularities.
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To show the difference, we scrubbed half the boat and left the other half unscrubbed. After we photographed the result, we of course scrubbed the other half as well 😉
After we finished scrubbing, the boat looked like this!
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There you go... the boat is white again!
Yellow stripes
*Acids dissolve oxides, and a pH lower than seven dissolves oxidation. When you get a yellowed stripe on a white plastic boat (e.g., gelcoat), it is often oxidation that is the problem. Many boat owners then use oxalic acid to remove the yellow stripe/discoloration, but it can be replaced by, for example, lemon or other fruit with high acidity – this is much milder than oxalic acid. Even a soft drink with high acidity can be used, such as Coca-Cola, but then you have to wash off the sugar that will form a sticky surface.
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Questions and answers
- Why is it important to use alkaline soap when cleaning plastic boats?
The use of alkaline soap is beneficial because it effectively dissolves dirt from animals and plants, such as algae, which is common on plastic boats.
- How can you effectively clean greasy dirt from the boat without harming the environment?
Greasy dirt from engines and engine rooms can be effectively cleaned with fatty soap, but it is important to handle these oils carefully and not release the washing water directly into the lake or sea.
- What type of brushes and cloths do we recommend for cleaning different parts of the plastic boat?
For cleaning heavily soiled areas, coarse brushes are used, while soft brushes are used for less soiled areas. Eco-fiber cloths with a structure are ideal for removing algae and dirt from uneven surfaces.