Kevin Van Dam Forums

Ok so I have neglected my boat for the last few years and it’s really not that bad but the carpet is dirty.  What do you guys use and do to clean your carpet?

I cleaned carpet for about 6 years with my uncle who owns a business, so I will give you the easy way to clean.

I am assuming you dont have any bad stains or things like that, which require a little different type of work.

1. Take it to the car wash and use the soap setting on light pressure, sometimes using full power on some dirtier areas.  After washing with the soap setting…switch to rinse and go back over everything. Do the best you can to get out all the dirt as well as the soap.  You dont want to leave the soap behind, as it will attract dirt again to that spot.

2. Vacuum the carpet with either the one at the car wash…great suction by the way.  Or use a shop vac at home.  I would use an ice scraper to pull out any excess water into the drains in the boat..again..vacuum. 

3. Let it dry completely.  Dont get silly and play around in the boat while the carpet is clean, but damp.  You can set it in the sun, or put fans on it to speed up the dry time.  If you really want, buy some cans of Scotch Gard and spray the carpet down.  This will help repel some staining for a little while.  There is a lot of traffic in a boat, so that will wear faster than usual.

Again…make sure anything you do to the carpet dries first, before you go playing in it.

Thanks I was a little worried about using a pressure washer but I’ll give it a try when it warms up.

Pressure washer and shop vac. Careful with the vac, it may pull your carpet up.

Do not use any soap to soap up the carpet , you’ll have a hard time rinsing all the soap out and what is left will attract dirt faster.

Soaps will do more long term damage to boat carpet than almost anything else…....because most soaps are a waxy solid or liquid made from sodium hydroxide mixed with fats, and most detergent soaps are petroleum based…......they will leave a surfactant residue sticking to the nylon /olefin carpet fibers….these surfactants will attract dirt faster to the fibers, almost like a sticky surface. Grinding the dirt into carpet is what wears out the fibers , leaving bare spots.

Be verycareful using any type of pressure washer, even the ones at the car wash have enough force to lift up some worn carpet off the deck

Hose the carpet down real good then scrub it with a stiff bristle brush to loosen up the dirt.
Saturate the carpet real good, take the nozzle off your hose and let the water flow on it.

Make a mixture of 1 pint of plain white vinegar to 7 pints of water.  Use a garden sprayer or spray bottle to saturate the carpet.

Scrub it with the brush again, the vinegar will loosen up the rest of the dirt and residue in the carpet.  Turn the hose on and rinse real good while scrubbing.

Use a shop Vac to suck up the water or let air dry. Fluff the carpet up with a brush and it will look like it’s new again.

If you have some real bad stains or worn spots, Resolve carpet cleaner is great for cleaning up spot stains or real dirty areas. You can get it at any grocery store.

jimfc3 - 08 February 2010 04:23 AM

Thanks I was a little worried about using a pressure washer but I’ll give it a try when it warms up.

Nice Crappies jimfc3. I usually use carpet cleaner I buy from http://www.advanceautoparts.com . The cleaner that comes with the spiked scruber at the head. It has worked well for me for years. I have a question too. What do you used on an aluminum boat that has a bit of tarnesh on the metal It’s kindof rouf. and the bottom of the boat is still fine, just the rail is a little tarnished and rouf?

I steam clean by carpet every year at the beginning of the year then I just vac. it about once a month.  I use a little Mr. Green steam cleaner and a shop vac.

I have a question too. What do you used on an aluminum boat that has a bit of tarnesh on the metal It’s kindof rouf. and the bottom of the boat is still fine, just the rail is a little tarnished and rouf?

I havn’t cleaned mine at all it has changed colors(tarneshed)and I kinda like the darker finish but what you can use is any aluminum cleaner and then buff it out if you like that mirrored look.

James - 08 February 2010 08:41 PM

jimfc3 - 08 February 2010 04:23 AM

I have a question too. What do you used on an aluminum boat that has a bit of tarnesh on the metal It’s kindof rouf. and the bottom of the boat is still fine, just the rail is a little tarnished and rouf?

I clean mine with some fine steel wool and soapy water. Take it easy, if you go too fast or hard it will scratch. If you go nice and easy, it will take off all the gunk without scratching. NEVER do this on a glass boat or your motor.

If you want to clean the aluminum boat get sharkhide.  Great stuff for aluminum.  They make several products..cleaners, polish, protectant.

http://www.sharkhide.com

I am embarrassed to say this but I have a pretty good way of doing it.

The best method I have for cleaning my carpet (and it really works good) is I take the cover off my boat, and find a driving rainstorm.  Then I pull my boat at around 60 mph thru that storm for only a few minutes.  Voila….clean as if it came off the showroom floor.  It seems to work every time.  Now there are no stains etc on my carpet, and that would be a different story…but if it’s just dirty or sandy….this does the trick.