Degreasing gelcoat before painting, which product?

[FairweatherDave]

Apologies for this seemingly basic question but my heads going round and round with it.
I want to degrease my gelcoat (which was painted) prior to painting again. I like the idea of a "powdered household scouring cleanser" (see below) but in most supermarkets I think Vim is no longer available. So what product should I use as I want to avoid premium priced marine products if I can?

I knicked this advice from the Awlgrip website. ......

"SURFACE CLEANING
A clean, dry surface is essential to the success of any coatings application. Remember– Clean before sanding. Sanding often melts grease, wax
and oils into the surface making it impossible to obtain a clean surface.
Detergent Scrubbing
Many applicators scrub the surface they are going to paint with powdered household scouring cleanser and a Scotch-Brite Pad before any other prep work is performed. This is an excellent practice as careful observation of the rinse water will tell you when you have a clean surface. Breaks, holes or beading of the rinse water indicates areas which need additional attention."

 

[pvb]

"Cream cleaner", a mildly abrasive liquid, will do the same job. I use Tesco own brand, about 80p a bottle - http://www.tesco.com/groceries/product/details/?id=255281212

 

[PCUK]

Thinners used for the paint is the normal degreasing solution. wipe on and then wipe off with a clean cloth.

 

[FairweatherDave]

That's what I was thinking. Thank you. However for restoring gelcoat (sorry for drifting from the thread title) on the sides of the coachroof I have read about detergent, bleach for mildew, acetone and citric degreasers. I guess the cream cleaner is closest to a citric degreaser and detergent is another word for soapy grease cutting product. (I am thinking I will keep the acetone only for work prior/during fibreglass repairs around stanchion bases.)

 

[FairweatherDave]

Thinners used for the paint is the normal degreasing solution. wipe on and then wipe off with a clean cloth.

Thanks, that also makes sense.

 

[FairweatherDave]

And today I used some Owatrol marine strip on limited parts of the deck and did plenty of flushing with fresh water. Owatrol suggest that if the gelcoat was slightly porous, or the handrail wood retained some of the stripper chemical, then this cleaning product, https://www.owatroldirect.co.uk/product/deck-cleaner/ would neutralise the stripper chemical. I am wondering if any ordinary domestic cleaning products would neutralise the stripper. I think the deck cleaner contains cationic surfactants (similar to patio magic???) but my chemistry is a bit rusty.
(The reason I was using the Owatrol stripper was to remove awkward patches of Interdeck non slip. This was a mistake as Interdeck is a polyurethane paint which Owatrol is not effective on, as I discovered in the small print too late. However it did actually make some impact on the Interdeck despite not being supposed to.)

 

[lw395]

Cream cleaner is good.
I also still have more than one pack of Vim. I got it from an industrial source when I needed to scrub/abrade a textured grp surface before painting.
W&D paper wet with a bit of fairy liquid also works.
Any thinner or IPA (isopropanol, not bitter ale) is good for a last wipe as it dries quickly.

 

[bigwow]

Panel wipe does it for me.