Nothing beats clean boat seats, but mold and mildew can ruin that look. To deal with this, you must know how to remove mold and mildew from vinyl boat seats.
Your boat is a significant investment in which you place a high value. However, vinyl seating is one of the most vulnerable, especially on open deck boats where water may cause mold and mildew to grow, producing unsightly black and orange stains.
Molds and mildew are things that you don’t want to see in your boat seats, but these can quickly grow because your boat is mostly on water. Mildew and mold will increase if you don’t wipe down the seats after a day of fishing or entertaining on the water, which you would often forget to do.
Most boat manufacturers choose vinyl for their seats because it can withstand the moist conditions of regular exposure to water and the other stresses of being on the water. Even so, mildew can still grow on vinyl.
Steps In Removing Mold And Mildew In Vinyl Boat Seats
Boats allow us to enjoy the waters in various ways, but because of this, exposure to moisture will always happen, which is something mold and mildew can take as an opportunity to grow on.
Cleaning and maintenance are necessary regularly to maintain our vessels looking attractive and in good functioning order. Although sometimes, a missed date of maintenance and cleaning would result in a colony of molds and mildew infesting your vinyl boat seat.
Here’s how you remove mold and mildew from your boat seats:
Step #1. Prepare your needed cleaning materials
To remove mildew and molds of your vinyl seats, you must have all the necessary types of equipment to do so, such as a brush, a cloth, a spray bottle, and most important thing, your cleaning solutions.
It would be advisable to apply the appropriate cleaning solution to your vinyl seat to avoid damaging it. Especially when you are thinking of using a bleaching agent to clean your seats, it will take the oils that allow the seat to withstand water and moisture.
Here’s an article on what is the best cleaner to use in a pressure washer.
When choosing a mold and mildew stain remover, consider that many of these treatments use bleach as one of the ingredients. If you’re considering pressure washing, read here on how to use Sun Joe pressure washer.
Step #2. Apply your cleaning solution
Start by spraying your mold remover solution onto your chairs once you’ve gathered all the necessary cleaning supplies. Since mold and mildew likes forming in such areas, you should also spray into any gaps and seams in your boat seat to provide the most coverage possible.
Allow the cleaner to sit for a little after that. You must soak it for around five minutes or so in most cases, but if you have very tenacious and hard-to-remove stains, you can soak it for longer.
To get the most outstanding results, you can also follow the recommendations of your mold remover. This gives the mold cleaning solution time to break down the mold and mildew to make cleaning easier.
Step #3. Scrub the mold and mildew off
It’s time to start scrubbing after you’ve waited for the mold remover to work its magic. It is recommended that you use a softer brush to avoid scratching your vinyl seats and incurring unnecessary harm.
With that in mind, it’s for the best that you avoid using too much power when scrubbing, as this can cause damage.
Thankfully, if you’ve purchased a capable mold and mildew cleaner, you won’t have to put in more effort and time to get the job done. On the other hand, it aids in the removal of mold from your vinyl, although expect some debris to remain.
Remember the nooks and crannies and concentrate on scrubbing the crucial areas.
After you’ve cleaned away the major issue areas, you’ll want to clean up any remaining mold material. You can use practically any cloth if you choose, but we recommend microfiber because it is gentler and less likely to cause tear up in your vinyl.
With this type of fabric, wiping in a circular motion is also most effective. Repeat the process as necessary as you deem or until there are no traces of mildew and molds left for the eyes to see.
Step #4. Apply vinyl protectant to your seat
Although you’ve already done enough to remove mold and mildew from your vinyl seats, it’s never a bad idea to undertake some preventative maintenance. Vinyl protectants have a dual purpose: they improve the appearance of your seats while also protecting them from UV harm.
Mold and mildew proliferation would hardly occur in the future if you use these products.
Conclusion
Clean vinyl boat seats are delightful to the eyes, and stains from mold and mildew are an eyesore. Thankfully with the right tools and knowledge on how to remove mold and mildew from vinyl boat seats, you can keep your boat seats free of mold and mildew stains.
Keeping your seats clean will pay you whenever it comes to your mind that it’s time to sell your boat, as mold and mildew can reduce the value of your vessel. Whether you sell it or not, keeping it clean and free of mold will always be a good thing to do.