cleaning boat cushions/upholstery- best method?

[PaulR]

we have all our boat upholstery in spare bedroom for winter and unsure as to best method to clean it - local DIY stores hire out an upholstery cleaning machine - any one used one or other methods to clean the upholstery?

did it work well ?

thanks all

 

[Marine Reflections]

Hi Paul
If it does not unzip & unable to put in a cool wash then perhaps Auto glym interior shampoo using a foam sponge for a quick pre-soak,hire one of the extraction machines as you thought along with some more upholstery shampoo.
Even mix up your own using warm water and a washing detergent tab.

Most do unzip mind you and putting on a cool wash will bring them out like new.
Perhaps try your local dry cleaners for a steam clean?

 

[AIDY]

I got our's dry cleaned last year.... it was about £25 for 10KG worth

 

[Poignard]

Our cushions are foam with removable covers. We take them off and wash them gently in the washing machine. A friend of ours who does soft furnishing recommended putting the covers back on the foam fillers whilst still wet to prevent them shrinking. This tip works, (at least it does on our covers).

 

[Deleted member 36384]

My wife steam cleaned the upholstery on our boat when we bought her. It removed a lot of normal dirt. There was some soot stain where the stove used to sit (diesel / carbon gunk) and that was significantly reduced but not removed completely. She then sponged them with warm water and detergent of some sort and that removed the stains completely.

The covers could not be removed from our cushions. I have noticed that the buttons on the cushions are showing signs of rust underneath. The steam cleaner might have been too penetrating. We are replacing the lot anyway as they are not our style.

 

[Sinc]

Just washed all our covers from our 'new' (1988) boat which probably hadn't been cleaned for many years.
Ran them through a wool wash in the WM and they've come out clean and unshrunk but still with some of the worst stains visible.
I'm thinking of having them dry cleaned but not sure that this will have a major effect.