Cleaning and restoring PVC seats

Magnum

Magnum

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Even though our P67 is nearly new all this lounging around in the sun is making our PVC seating age a little bit too fast for my liking. We have new clothes dye, strange cream stains which may come from suntan creme (actually not creme at all but Ultrasun kind of non-greasy oil stuff), other marks and the stiching seems to have been stained by the red dust that you get in the rain/air over here.

I've employed someone part-time to keep Magnum spic and span so time not an issue, but what exactly do I need to keep PVC seating clean and get the stitching looking white again?

On a side note the internal blue foam seems to absorb huge amounts of water which I don't remember ever happening on our P42 which used white or cream foam.
 
Re: Cleaning and resoring PVC seats

I think you need to be particuarly careful with the sun cream, I have used the so-called oil-free type and ended up with stains on clothing that never come out.

The sahara rain is a bloomin nuisance, it doesn't take much to competely mess up your hours spent cleaning,
 
Magnum , Check Out 'Auto Express' web site ,look for Product Tests section they've tested interior cleaners!!! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Hi

I always use Bold washing powder, a scrubbing brush and some manditory elbow grease. Not only does it work on the pvc but any covers you have will come up well with it.
 
When I got my previous boat (an S37) the dealer fitted all new seat cushions on the top deck. They put a protective coating on the vinyl (sorry can't remember the product after all these years) and it was very easy to keep clean after that.

I remember the guy who fitted the cushions saying it was the big mistake people made on boats. They scrubbed up the vinyl or fitted new but never put a UV protection coat on top afterwards.

I presume it was the equivalent of wax finish on a car but without the slippiness.
 
3m Vinyl Cleaner and Restorer, and for the stubborn stuff try the Citrus cleaner as well, it all works well.
Julian
 
Couldn't agree more and thanks to anyone that has mentioned this stuff before. Have just spent Monday morning effortlessly (virtually) removing grime and stains from our cockpit pvc seats. Great stuff. Spray of any old Upholstery cleaner lightly brushed over surface to spread left a couple of minutes then rubbed with this eraser thing, brought off muck I didn't even know was there!! Really great day seats look better now than they did when brand new. P
 
Bought some KH-7 and it's at least as good as anything else I've tried, but doesn't shift everthing. Have arranged for some of the Flash wonder blocks to be mailed out to me. Will try in a few days.
 
For goodness sake, do people never read threads. No, no chemicals in the magic blocks, they are simply formaldehyde foam, and I gave all the explanations about why it was not dangerous in that form in the last week
 
If you don't want to read every thread, try Google then. Such information is freely available, if common sense reading of the information on the pack doesn't suffice.
 
Essentially, if you keep the white flybridge/cockpit cushions just like that - white cushions, then they won't stay white. They will be a bit grimier each year. The trouble is that the material is so hi-white that it shows the hows the grime - but it is delicate so can't take a harsh/agressive cleaning regime.

Nonetheless, Cleaning wise, things that i have tried with massively varying results include

detergent - bit useless but looks very industrious with loads of suds
alcohol-based cleaner - bit uselss except for some small spots, useless.
bleach - soaks into the foam and wrecks all your clothes as you sit onnem, then later the stitching falls apart and you have to sell the boat - not recommended
acetone- destroys the plastic itself so altho its white it's er flippin sticky or perhaps not plastic any more. def DEF not recommended.
boat remover (ie that caustic "truck wash" that you dilute ) - quite an agressive cleaner, effective, but can't be used very frequently. Use a fine Surehold yellow-bristle polystyrene brush, bash it on and flush it off fast.

More effective than cleaning the cushions is

1 - put em away inside when you aren't there and gettem out when you're back. Yep, the whole lot. Doesn't help with griminess but you could truck washem occassionally.

and

2 - get some permanent covers for the cushions. Then you don't have to clean the pvc at all, hee hee. Yeah, it sounds daft but the foreign bilders have been at this stage for yonks. The white pvc is an excellent base for a cloth cover and the best stuff to use is v fine stretchy towelling, all snuggly rather than a bit eek sticky on skin. Navy blue is good but can fade, so needs putting away when not on board. Beige is a forgiving colour against salt and doesn't show fade though not really as smart and sharp imho so mine are navy. Underneath, the pvc is a bit blusih but it doesn't matter too much if at all.
 
The only things you need are.........

Without a doubt nothing will come close to getting your seats as clean as using Pro Marine Rib Shine and THESE.
Forget everything else, using these two together is the DB's
I defy anyone to come up with anything even close.

(How's that for confidence)? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Re: The only things you need are.........

hm, not bad but i sense that you only have 7/10 for confidence in the product, kev. Moose gave me a five-year guarantee for something i didn't buy from him which is a bit better, but i think most of us wd prefer it a recommendation came with cast-iron backup such as "you can have my boat if this doesn't work".
 
Re: The only things you need are.........

Got to agree with you on this one Kev. Did Callisto's seats with the ribshine stuff and it was fantastic. Just done the new one too and the upholstery looks like new. Best cleaning stuff I have ever used on vinyl seating.

Good to see you when I popped into Chichester.

Cheers
JH
 
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