There’s an old saying that a boat is only as good as its
owner. Maybe that’s because even the best boats can look bad in a hurry if a
good owner isn’t maintaining them with a proper cleaning routine. That’s why
we’ve put together these tips for making boat cleaning as easy as possible.
Purchase Only
Environmentally-Friendly Cleaning Products
No matter how careful you are to properly clean your boat,
the only kind of guilt-free cleaning comes from using products that are
friendly to the environment. The
American Boating
Association recommends
going with an environmentally-friendly choice for
your primary boat soap as well. Here are some of our best
environmentally-friendly and biodegradable boat cleaning products:
These products do a fabulous job of cleaning your boat, so
you won’t have to sacrifice labor or cleaning quality just to ensure your
cleaning process is easy on the environment.
When Possible, Do
2-in-1
Most people would rather spend their time boating and not
cleaning. So when you
do clean, make
sure you get as much out of it as possible. Look for the 2-in-1 solutions like
Life Restorer Wax,
which not only deep cleans but also leaves a protecting coat of wax. You’ll get
double the results for the same amount of effort.
Don’t Forget the
Metal
We offer
Aluminum Cleaner
because it’s one of the best ways to keep your boat’s metal spot-free.
Unfortunately, many boat owners ignore their metal entirely, opting instead to
polish their fiberglass or restore their wood. And while those are important
steps as well, nothing will highlight a clean boat quite like spotless metal.
Attack Odor At its
Source
A clean boat doesn’t just look clean—it should also smell
clean. Find the source of your boat’s odor so you can fix the underlying
problem and not simply “spray over” the issue. In many cases, mere soap and water won’t be
enough to eliminate the underlying problems. Using a proper
Live Well
and Bait Well cleaner
is a great way to attack odor at its source.
Don’t Just Clean.
Protect
Use a product like
VinyLIFE
to perform the 2-in-1 duty of cleaning and protecting at the same time. Since
it comes in an easy spray-on applicator, you’ll have no problem keeping your
vinyl clear of debris and well protected from the sun—which is something that
an ordinary cleaner can’t offer.
Regularly Degrease
Check the labels of your favorite cleaners to see if they
can also work as degreasers. Our Bilge Cleaner, linked in the first tip,
emulsifies oil and scum in addition to cleaning. If you let grease build up in
your boat, the problem is only going to get more difficult to tackle. It’s
better to handle grease in early buildup so that cleaning is swift every single
time.
Build a Routine
Cleaning your boat is easy once you have a regular routine
in place. We recommend buying the
cleaning
products
you don’t have and starting a bi-weekly routine during boating
season—even more often, depending on use. Your reward will be a boat that looks
better and lasts longer.
