Deck cleaning

[flaming]

Over the last winter I had the non-slip paint replaced on my deck and cockpit. Mostly because the "non" part of that description was really no longer applicable.

Since then it's been notable that the deck, especially in the cockpit, is holding the dirt in a way that it wasn't before. The only thing that was shifting it was some pretty aggressive pressure washing. Since we now have a hosepipe ban, and in any case I don't want to pressure wash the deck too much, as that's likely to reduce the lifespan of the non-slip, I'm looking for a solution to be able to actually get the deck at least a bit clean using bucket and deck brush....
I have tried a couple of "boat wash" type detergents available from the chandlers, but they're simply not touching it...

Has anyone come across any sort of cleaning product that actually works?

 

[NBs]

I use Starbrite coarse deck cleaner and a stiff brush. If it's really dirty, it needs to be done twice. The product provides a protective UV coating and doesn't make it slippery. If you bother to wash it a few times a season, the job is quick and easy, and the deck is clear and beautiful.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Bleach. Dump a lot in a bucket, probably a couple of liters, fill the bucket with fresh water. Scrub into the deck, leave for a couple of hours, wash off with a seawater scrub. The bleach gets in amongst the dirt and through whatever action, makes it very easy to remove just by sloshing with water. Usually I do this on my GRP cockpit sole, and will rescrub over the two hours until the bucket is used up. The seawater rise at the end helps to stop mould, post washing. Also works well on my Treadmaster.

 

[Momac]

 

[thinwater]

Rotary brushes in cordless drill are very effective on non-skid. More than back-and-forth scrubbing, because they get it from all directions.

Dark glasses are even better. A boat is a tool, not jewelry.

 

[Sianna]

Rotary brushes in cordless drill are very effective on non-skid. More than back-and-forth scrubbing, because they get it from all directions.

Dark glasses are even better. A boat is a tool, not jewelry.

Agree, but I still prefer a clean tool not a dirty tool.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Rotary brushes in cordless drill are very effective on non-skid …

That reminds me, I saw these used at my marina on a long laid up boat. They appeared to clean a very dirty deck. It took a while as the guy was there all day, on his knees, which wouldn’t have been comfortable. It did work well.

 

[wonkywinch]

Since we now have a hosepipe ban ..

Are you in Hampshire? No hosepipe ban for a vessel with a roof and sides. According to MDL on the Hamble.

Visited Lymington Town Quay last weekend, asked them if there was a hosepipe ban, they said not on their pontoons either.

 

[thinwater]

Agree, but I still prefer a clean tool not a dirty tool.

 

[Pye_End]

Bleach. Dump a lot in a bucket, probably a couple of liters, fill the bucket with fresh water. Scrub into the deck, leave for a couple of hours, wash off with a seawater scrub. The bleach gets in amongst the dirt and through whatever action, makes it very easy to remove just by sloshing with water. Usually I do this on my GRP cockpit sole, and will rescrub over the two hours until the bucket is used up. The seawater rise at the end helps to stop mould, post washing. Also works well on my Treadmaster.

Bleach is highly toxic in a marine environment.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Bleach is highly toxic in a marine environment.

I thought it got watered down to an insignificant level, but it doesn’t. I won’t be using bleach anymore. Thanks for the prompt.

The Impact of Bleach on Our Environment, Our Food Chain and In Turn, Ourselves - Magic Pixies | Eco Cleaning Company

The chemical name for bleach is Sodium Hypochlorite. The hypochlorite ion rapidly degrades, meaning that sodium hypochlorite per se has a limited environmental impact, as this ion has degraded before it can be absorbed by living beings. However, this is not the major concern…
The use of sodium hypochlorite tends to form persistent chlorinated organic compounds which can take many years to disappear, including known carcinogens. If you’re unfamiliar with carcinogens, they are defined as any substance, radionuclide, or radiation that promotes carcinogenesis, the formation of cancer.

 

[Bobc]

Muck-off, Pink Stuff, Wonder Wheels?

 

[Chiara’s slave]

We repaint the deck on our XOD every 2 years, and it spends 14 months out of those 24 covered up in a shed. It never comes clean in that second year.

 

[Cerebus]

I thought it got watered down to an insignificant level, but it doesn’t. I won’t be using bleach anymore. Thanks for the prompt.

The Impact of Bleach on Our Environment, Our Food Chain and In Turn, Ourselves - Magic Pixies | Eco Cleaning Company

WOW

This post deserves some preservation order.

Prevent cancer.



“
When household bleach is mixed with wastewater, 1-2% of the available chlorine can form organic compounds. These byproducts have not all been identified (as of 1994), but can include dioxins, furams and PCDDs.

Greenpeace calls dioxin one of the most dangerous chemicals known to science, ”

THAT IS FROM 1994 people… I am lost for words at this moment… to have known for so long and to have done so little …. Am I right to have bad feelings to pharmaceutical companies?

Google Search

Use alternatives such as sodium peroxide - available in bulk - use Google Shopping, I use it as a mouth rinse and used to clean household parts until I realised it rusts things( it also breaks down into oxygen and water, so no harm there) very diluted it helps plants grow as well as clean your mouth of bacteria (dentists use it). At 3% concentrate or less- go for less- it cleans wounds.

I never knew bleach was so bad and I am reasonably well educated according to statistics.

I have used vinegar and bicarbonate of soda and citric acid, BUT I have always had bleach in the house for toilets and sinks ( I did not know it was so dangerous); did YOU?

It will be an effort to stop using it but as athletes, other sporting people and others say, nothing (or success does not) comes easily.

I have a lot of thinking and work to do. Bother, but it must be done if the article is correct.

 

[thinwater]

WOW

This post deserves some preservation order.

Prevent cancer.



“
When household bleach is mixed with wastewater, 1-2% of the available chlorine can form organic compounds. These byproducts have not all been identified (as of 1994), but can include dioxins, furams and PCDDs.

Greenpeace calls dioxin one of the most dangerous chemicals known to science, ”

THAT IS FROM 1994 people… I am lost for words at this moment… to have known for so long and to have done so little …. Am I right to have bad feelings to pharmaceutical companies?

Google Search

Use alternatives such as sodium peroxide - available in bulk - use Google Shopping, I use it as a mouth rinse and used to clean household parts until I realised it rusts things( it also breaks down into oxygen and water, so no harm there) very diluted it helps plants grow as well as clean your mouth of bacteria (dentists use it). At 3% concentrate or less- go for less- it cleans wounds.

I never knew bleach was so bad and I am reasonably well educated according to statistics.

I have used vinegar and bicarbonate of soda and citric acid, BUT I have always had bleach in the house for toilets and sinks ( I did not know it was so dangerous); did YOU?

It will be an effort to stop using it but as athletes, other sporting people and others say, nothing (or success does not) comes easily.

I have a lot of thinking and work to do. Bother, but it must be done if the article is correct.

Yes and no.

Drinking water is treated with chlorine; nothing has proven as safe and reliable. People will tout peroxide for this, but if you use enough the water is not safe to drink. So we use chlorine. Google it and you will not find a single government approved protocol for peroxide treatment of municipal drinking water. (If I am wrong please post it--I have looked long and hard and would love to be wrong.)

There are, however, STRICT limits on how much organic material can be in the water before chlorination (about 4 ppm total organic carbon), because of the side reactions you mention. What this means for cleaning a boat (deck or tanks) is that you CLEAN them before you use bleach to remove the last tiny bit. You do not dump in "a couple liters" and scrub it in. More like 10-20 ml per gallon and don't let it run all over the place. Application with a pump-up sprayer is efficient and minimizes use. This will use about 100x less than Run Aground suggested.

https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2020-06/documents/dbpr_plain_english_guide_final_508.pdf

Better yet, don't use chemicals getting it bright white. Pretty clean is clean enough and the environment will thank you. So will your back.

 

[ashtead]

You could of course just visit a marina in Gosport where last time I looked no hosepipe ban but more seriously we have unpainted grp with a texture on cabin top and just use starbrite in bottle as instructed once or twice a year -we also use on the deck Flexiteak and no real adverse impact but it lightens it very slightly (that might be it lifting dirt) . Otherwise products by autoglym work well. I don’t think I would be using pool cleaner type products on deck though although very good at cleaning the patio slabs quickly and killing weeds . I think maybe more scrubbing by hand with a mixture of Sainsbury’s biological washing powder plus dash of Milton or supermarket bottle cleaner might be way forward -we use this mix to clean the teak prior to seemco but it does also clean the dimpled grp well if spread