Dawn dishwashing soap

[GW VOYAGER]

I have been using dawn dishwashing detergent to wash my grady. Is dawn ok to use and if not what is the best product to use?

 

[ahill]

My dealer recommends Ivory DW soap. Really gets grease dirt, & fish slime.

 

[Blackbird]

Most general dishwashing soaps do a good job of cleaning but they are made for cutting hard grease and food. They are pretty harsh and will cut through any wax or polish quickly. You might want to consider cleaners specifically formulated for fiberglass. There are several on the market.

 

[ElyseM]

i do use dawn to dump in the bilge and for particular areas (fish box etc.). it is biodegradable and excellent at grease cutting. if i just hose down the boat, i use WM heavy duty boat soap in a soap nozzle; let it sit then rinse off. knocks the salt away very well, especially in all the nooks and crannys. to do the full wash, i use starbrite seasafe wash & wax. top shelf stuff and really cuts the grime. but, $20 a quart.

ron

 

[Fishermanbb]

UUUUhhhhh.....No......Dawn dishwashing soap will strip the wax off.....It's a known car detailing trick. In fact, we do it to the boat every year before waxing to start with a fresh surface. Any good boat soap will work well and you can use spray away or something like it for the hard stuff. You can use Dawn on tghe non-waxed deck surfaces if you like but I would strongly suggest not using it on waxed surfaces at it WILL remove the wax.......

 

[bfrank]

I just used it tonight to clean the grit and grime of my boat. BUT will be waxing so the impact on the wax (if there was any) was expected.

 

[Tucker]

Zip car wash works fairly.

 

[GulfSea]

UUUUhhhhh.....No......Dawn dishwashing soap will strip the wax off.....It's a known car detailing trick. In fact, we do it to the boat every year before waxing to start with a fresh surface. Any good boat soap will work well and you can use spray away or something like it for the hard stuff. You can use Dawn on tghe non-waxed deck surfaces if you like but I would strongly suggest not using it on waxed surfaces at it WILL remove the wax.......

X2

 

[ahill]

Ivory does not strip wax.

 

[Bryan3536]

Works incredibly well but strips your wax in a big way.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

UUUUhhhhh.....No......Dawn dishwashing soap will strip the wax off.....It's a known car detailing trick. In fact, we do it to the boat every year before waxing to start with a fresh surface. Any good boat soap will work well and you can use spray away or something like it for the hard stuff. You can use Dawn on tghe non-waxed deck surfaces if you like but I would strongly suggest not using it on waxed surfaces at it WILL remove the wax.......

X3

 

[Fishtales]

I understand it not only strips wax but can cause minor scratches in auto paint paint. It probably does the same to some degree on gelcoat. As stated, good to use for the wash prior to waxing but not after that if you want your wax to remain on the boat....

 

[drbatts]

I use starbright non skid deck cleaner. It does a good job for routine cleaning because It doesn't strip the wax. I have also used a variety of different car wash products that will not strip wax, and produce a good shine.

 

[Fishshoreman]

Meguires gel wash. DO NOT use Dawn. Like others ave said it will stripe the wax...quickly.

 

[GW VOYAGER]

Thanks for all the info! Will look at the non skid Statbright and Meguires gel wash.