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Cleaning & Repairing Boat Upholstery

cleaning and repairing boat upholstery

While you know all about repairing your boat—handling the fiberglass, protecting the wood, and more—upholstery can be tricky. How do you best clean it, protect it from sun damage, and ultimately repair it when need be? There’s on one answer for cleaning boat upholstery. But typically, the solutions involve the proper cleaning and treatment of vinyl. Here are some of our favorite tips, tricks, and repairing methods for keeping your boat upholstery looking its best.

Cleaning and Protecting Vinyl to Keep Upholstery Healthy

Many people clean their vinyl with a general purpose cleaner, wipe it off, and believe that their work is done. And to some extent, it is. General purpose cleaner will indeed clear debris and dust from your vinyl. But consider the long-term ramifications of this method. If you fail to use vinyl protectant, all of your vinyl upholstery will remain susceptible to sun and weather damage. Over time, this damage adds up to faded and unattractive upholstery. You might not see it appear overnight, but eventually, the law of averages wins out. When you clean vinyl, it’s vital to both clean and protect… using the right products.

Use VinyLIFE Cleaner & Protectant. The spray-on, wipe-off formula makes vinyl just as easy to clean, but it also includes the following benefits:

  • UV protection to prevent long-term sun damage
  • Restore and brighten the color of your vinyl upholstery
  • Remove dirt, grime, and other stains

With VinyLIFE applied to your upholstery, you’ll do just as much cleaning in the same amount of time while protecting your upholstery. That means a longer-lasting boat interior that should require minimal upkeep over time.

Repairing Boat Upholstery That’s Been Damaged

Although VinyLIFE is a fine protectant for your boat upholstery, there will be some damage it simply can’t prevent. Here are some of the most common problems that need to be addressed:

  • Ripping or tearing in exterior vinyl. A small hole in your vinyl will expose the cushioning or other materials underneath. Typically, you can buy a vinyl repair kit that includes putting a patch underneath the tear and applying a liquefied adhesive to the exterior for coverage. The larger and more complicated the tear, however, the less likely these kits are to work.
  • Sun damage or discoloration. If you only recently switched to VinyLIFE, you might already notice the damage the sun’s done to your upholstery in all of your years of general purpose cleaning. VinyLIFE will restore much of the color of your upholstery, so don’t try any drastic methods until you’ve tried VinyLIFE first.

If you have other vinyl upholstery issues in your boat, they can often require more dedicated repair work, such as patching up or even replacing some pieces. If your upholstery is beyond your powers to repair, take it to an expert and look for a quote. If not, give VinyLIFE a try and see just how well boat upholstery can be restored to its original luster after a few weeks of dedicated use.

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