Sunbrella Fabric Cleaning Charts

Cleaning Your Marine Upholstery

One of the best ways to keep Sunbrella upholstery looking good is to brush off dirt before it becomes embedded in the fabrics and wipe up spills or clean soon after they occur.

The quicker you clean spills and remove residue the easier they can be to remove.

Try This First…

Blot (don’t rub) liquid spills with a clean, dry cloth. For oil-based spills, apply an absorbent such as cornflour, then remove with a straight edge.

Spray on mild cleaning solutions of soap (such as Palmolive) and water.

Rinse the fabric thoroughly to remove all soap residue.

Air dry.

If after your first clean some residue remains, follow the chart below:

Cleaning Your Exterior Marine Fabric

One of the best ways to keep Sunbrella marine exterior fabrics looking good and to delay the need for deep or vigorous cleaning is to hose fabrics off on a monthly basis with clear, cool water.

In most environments, a thorough cleaning will be needed every 2 to 3 years.

Try This First…

Use a sponge or soft brush to apply mild soap and warm water to the fabric.

Rinse thoroughly.

Air dry.

If after your first clean some residue remains, follow the chart below:

The cleaning solutions listed above are not recommended os SGS graphics jobs where pressure sensitive films are used. Fopr specific recommendations regarding SGS graphics cleaning, please refer to Sunbrella.com/sgs.

For more detailed cleaning instructions, visit sunbrella.com/clean.

Alternatively, you can download the sunbrella care app, available on iPhone and Android.

For warranty information, visit sunbrella.com/warranty.

Boat covers – Protection from leaf stains on your boat’s gel coat.

Boat Covers really help during this wet weather.

Gold Coast Boaties are enduring wet weather and storms this spring.

Boat cover, gold coast, protection in wet weather

Rain, leaves, and debris hammering your boat? No boat cover?

Rain, well that’s not so bad, however, the leaves that fall can stain the fibreglass and that’s what we will address as best we can today.

The stains can vary from leaf to leaf depending on the particular tree. It is the oils in the tree leaf that can carry the stain deep into the gel coat.

Firstly, sunlight can usually do the trick on its own and obviously is the non-labour, no cost treatment option. The sun can bleach stains out completely within a week or two. Give this a go first.

If this doesn’t work the next best option we have found is a mix of 50/50 bleach and water, spray on (in the shade if possible), leave for 5 minutes and return. The chlorine bleach will attack and neutralize the tannins.

The result can be like a new boat with little effort however you may have to re-wax as bleach does strip the wax.

Other options we have heard of:

  • Cut a potato in half and rub on the area, the protein and starch acid can sometimes emulsify ‘natural stains’. If it doesn’t work, well no harm to your boat.
  • 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 cup ammonia mixed in 3.5 Litres warm water mixed in a spray bottle.

As always prevention is the best medicine so a good boat cover will eliminate the effort required altogether.

All over cover - Captain Navy
All Over Cover - Pacific Blue
All Over Cover - 3 Piece
Stamoid All Over Cover White
Clipped down cover

Click to view more of our Custom Boat Covers.

Gold Coast marine upholstery provide courtesy on-site quotes. However, as always, during spring and leading into summer, the wait times are growing.
If you need work before the Christmas break you need to get in quickly.
You can make contact with us HERE.

 

Properly Prepping your boat for storage

Boat Storage

Prepping your boat for winter storage

 

It’s still way too nice out there to put the boat away, that’s if you ever do as some of us really enjoy the cooler weather.

If you do let your boat hibernate in the winter here’s some great tips to keep it in good condition. You don’t want to pull out a smelly mouldy boat when summer hits again.

Mould and mildew are the enemy, the spores are everywhere and a cool, dark, poorly ventilated area are just what they want. If you have areas that are soiled they’re going to love it even more. For this reason, it’s very important to thoroughly clean and disinfect all areas before storing. It helps to use the humidity absorbing products for stored boats (get these at your local chandlery or online).

 

Here are some pointers to keep your boat tip top while in storage.

 

  • Wash and wax your boat.
  • Wash and disinfect carpets, floors and all surfaces.
  • Remove cushions and other items that are mildew prone and store in a dry well-ventilated area.
  • Make sure during your last trip out you note any necessary  repairs and maintenance, sort out your repairs now if possible, when the gorgeous weather returns you want to pull your boat out and go. You don’t want to be fussing while everyone else is enjoying the water.
  • Any cracks in the hull can worsen during storage too so fix them asap.
  •  It’s a good idea to remove electronics, including your battery and store in a warm and dry place. Clean your battery terminals and give them a grease. You can also give your battery a good charge and check fluid levels.
  •  To avoid engine trouble you can top up your fuel tank and add a fuel stabiliser, make sure to run the engine for a good 15 mins to make sure the additives reach the fuel already in the fuel lines and engine.
  • Check your engine oil and replace filters, you can also flush the coolant system with water and if necessary add antifreeze.
  •  Another good idea is to run non-toxic antifreeze through the intake lines, y-valve, macerator and discharge hose, Drain your fresh water tanks and water heater, and then you should add a non-toxic antifreeze to your water tank and pump it through the plumbing, including ice makers, A/C pumps, sump pumps, fish wells, bilge pumps, and that shower on the transom.

 Wow, alot of work but oh so worth it, come summer you’ll be ahead of the rest and you know you’ve done your absolute best to keep your boat in top condition.