Removing mildew from captain's chairs?

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gw204

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Anyone have some tips and/or tricks for removing mildew from the captain's chairs? My boat sat idle a lot this season because my wife and I moved and had a baby. As such, the captain's chairs got a little nasty in some places.

This afternoon, I tried cleaning them with some Soft Scrub w/ bleach and a stiff brisle brush. That worked, but it required a ridiculous amount of scrubbing. I then tried some muratic acid (2 cups per gal water) and that didn't do it either. Next I tried a small area of full strength acid and it did nothing. My last attempt was gonna be a strong blast from my power washer, but it was out of gas and I didn't have time to run to get more... :(

So, is there any easy way to clean these up, or do I just need to suck it up and scrub them to death?
 
I got a bad stain on my helm seat last year and couldnt get it out to save my life. I called pomponette and they recommended denatured alcohol. I tried it but it didnt do much to the stain right away but believe it or not the stain was gone the next day.

BTW..Congrats on the birth of your baby.
 
Brian, I wouldn't be scrubbing too hard, as you may be wearing away the surface of the vinyl some, making it more prone to mildew or dirt adhering to it.

There is a mildew remover sold in West or BW that has no bleach in it, so is safe for vinyl and fabrics. I'll have to go in the she to get the name from the bottle. That may work for you, or try Oxyclean.
 
Wow... I would think one of those solutions you used would have worked. "Tilex Mold & Mildew remover" works good for me. This stuff works almost immediately but I doubt it will beat straight bleach or a muratic acid solution. Worth a try though. I've seen a strain of "mildew?" up here in the northest that is "pink" in color... and nothing seems to touch it. I hope that isn't what you are dealing with.
 
Clorox Cleanup for the seats hard vinyl, it even got the embedded stains out nothing else would. I didn't try it on the cushions though.

Let the Cleanup sit a while, perhaps longer than the directions.
 
I use mr clean magic eraser on most anything except gel coat and paint. It does wonders on seats. jh
 
I never thought I would have to ask this question. I figured the acid would have taken those stains right off. :shock:

Anyway, thanks for the suggestions. I'll let you know how it goes.
 
Try Spray Nine. It's the best vinyl cleaner I've ever used. The regular version works fine and is less expensive than the "Marine" version. I'm a volunteer FF/EMT and we have used the stuff around the firehouse and to clean up the back of ambulances for years. This stuff is bacteriacidal and viruscidal and cleans vinyl like you wouldn't believe!
 
BLEACH!!!! It will kill the mildew and it won;t come back, as well as clean anything else on the chair. You need to wash down the chair or anything else you clean with water after or the bleach will deteriorate the plastic over time. I know many tournament fishermen who use it to clean boats, I'm not saying it is the best for your boat, but if used correctly it cleans just about anything. More then likely if this does not take it out, it has sat too long and won't come out.
 
Eric,
I get it from a local building supply store, but I think Lowes and Home Depot may carry it as well. The marine version is available from most of the big marine supply stores ie Boaters World, West Marine etc. Give it a try. I think you'll love it!
 
Brian- This is how I clean mildew off of my leaning posts. Wash them down with a good dishwashing detergent, I use Dawn. Put some acetone on a clean rag and wipe down the seat. The mildew and any other stains will come right off. You can also use mineral spirits. Rewash with the detergent, wipe them dry, and spray with your favorite protectant. I use 303.
 
If your talking about mildew that's actually on the seat cushions, (vinyl).... believe it or not, I used fiberglass compound/polish. It did the trick, after everything else failed. Follow it up with some armor-all treatment, don't go nutz, or your arse will be sliding off, lol. I think it would also work just as well, if not better, on the seat shell too.
 
BobP said:
Clorox Cleanup for the seats hard vinyl, it even got the embedded stains out nothing else would. I didn't try it on the cushions though.

Let the Cleanup sit a while, perhaps longer than the directions.
Click to expand...

You rock Bob!!! Clorox Cleanup did it. I gave the seats a thorough spray down and let them sit for few minutes. When I came back the black stains had turned light brown. I lightly sprayed them again and gave it a few more minutes. Whala...almost no stains left. I then hit them again with a thorough scrub using a moderately stiff bristle brush and the Soft Scrub w/ bleach and then rinsed. I followed that up with a general cleaning w/ boat soap and now they look good as new. :D
 
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