cleaning boat carpet

[Genofish]

What is the best way to clean the carpet in a boat?

[Walleye Guy]

Power washer and hot water. Pre-treat the spots with Spot Shot. Avoid soap if possible.

[FishLocker]

Kind of a loaded question. Depends on how long the carpet has been in the boat and if the fiber is plastic (astroturf-ish) or polypropylene.

Do not use anything that has solvents or degreasers of any kind. Solvents including citrus based and degreasers including ammonia compounds will either delaminate the carpet or break down the glue holding it to the boat.

These type carpets do not hold much moisture, so what ever you put on them drops straight to the glue bond. Extreme heat or pressure will do the same job of delaminating. If you have areas that have started to let loose in the least bit, a pressure washer will blow it clean away.

I do this on the trailer with the front jacked up as high as it will go and use no soap so it can go on the lawn.

Remove your drain plug, then vac with a beater brush attachment before you start as 90% or more of your dirt is dry dirt. Most boat carpets do not have dye-sites to stain, so spray the entire carpet with the hose and let it soak for a few minutes (these carpets hold very little water so spray it down front to back and repeat).

Start at the bow and work to the back with the water running and a scrub brush letting the water (set spray on cone or flat, but just house pressure)

carry the dirt to the floor and out the back drain. Then start the floor carpeting at the front and repeat. Because of the nature of the fabric, you should be able to flush the dirt into the bottom of the boat and out the drain.

Unfortunately poly and Astroturf are both hydrophobic (non water absorbent) and wonderfully oil absorbent. So if you have coffee that still leaves a spot, it is the oil from the coffee bean that is causing the problems.

to speed drying, you can use your leaf blower from front to back and top to floor, working it all to the back drains.

feel free to email me at [pleasebecomeasponsor]@yahoo.com with FishLocker in the subject line and we can exchange phones if you want more detail on getting out your spots. My carpet cleaning company was Quick Dry Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning...I am now retired from those labors.

[mabr]

fishlocker, What are your thoughts on vinegar and water to bring pile back up? Ive seen people say it works great to make it look new again. Thoughts?

[FishLocker]

Vinegar is an acid side natural cleaner that is good for cutting oil and grease. Boat carpet (in most cases) is polypropylene (olefin) and attracts oily soils including fish slime, dog oil, exhaust oil etc. So cleaning with vinegar and water will help get rid of the oil that acts as “glue” with the dirt in your carpet. It has no anti-matting properties.

Olefin carpet is known for good wear properties but is also prone to crush and matting. And due to its high resilience to sunlight, mildew, and moisture; it is an excellent choice for boats, docks and outdoor applications. It is also highly stain resistant, so I never recommend buying scotch guard or Teflon for boat carpet…waste of money.

Because it absorbs only 1/10 of 1% of its weight in water, what ever you pour onto it drops right through it to the glue bond. So spray your cleaner lightly, work it quickly with a brush and flush with plenty of water so your dirt and oil flow out the back of the boat. You can always apply more cleaner if the first application did not clean it the way you would like. I would also suggest following up with your shop vac while it is still wet. You will be able to remove more sand after cleaning the oil away (and separating some of the matting).

Not much you can do to avoid "crushed pile". Matting on the other hand is largely due to sand cutting the fibers and it all weaves together under foot trafic. It is like putting sand paper on your carpet, stepping on it and twisting...just because it is not glued to paper does not mean it doesnt do the same damage. Vac with a beater brush, often, to help with matting problems.

I'll get off my "soap" box.

the FishLocker