How to clean/wash foam cushions?

[cmedsailor]

I think they are called like these and I am referring to the ones inside the boat (cabin beds, saloon etc). Since I bought the boat secondhand 3 years ago they seem to have a smell and I now it's the foam not the covers I have already washed twice. Any ideas how to clean them? Could I wash them (with soap and a hose probably) and let them dry under the Meditteranean sun? But will they ever get dry (I think they absorb water)?
Thanks

 

[Dipper]

I wash mine in the bath by trampling on them with my feet and rinse them several times the same way. I then wrap them in dry towels and trample on them again to start drying them. (I like trampling!).

To check when mine were dried, I weighed them every day until they stopped losing weight. I think it took about a week. It's surprising how they can seem totally dry on the outside but the core still retains moisture.

On my previous boat the smell never went away. I think the foam was breaking down chemically which caused the smell.

 

[capetown]

Smelly foam mattress

We saturated our forecabin foam mattress with Dettol Mould & Mildew Remover over a few days, it was winter time so they didn't dry out, it discoloured some but didn't affect them.

Then we pressure washed them, this you have to judge how close you can go with the nozzel.

Dried them on edge on spacers to let the air flow and so they weren't sitting in a puddle.

Had to wring them out now and then and turn them over.

I seem to remember that they took weeks to dry in the spare bedroom, with a plastic sheet on the floor.

Was it worth it? As I'm retired and saved £350, so in my case YES.

One year on still no smell.

 

[TQA]

Fabrese helps.

 

[Gordonmc]

I had a full length saloon cushion blow overboard when I had them on deck for airing.
After squeezing as much briny out of the thing I took it home and soaked in fresh water, squeezing out again a couple of times then used a wide nozzle on a wet 'n dry vacuum cleaner.
I was suprised at how much water the vacuum got out. A few days in a spare room dried the foam completely.
I have also freshened foam by using a carpet cleaner which puts detergent onto the foam without saturating it. Only to first centimeter or so gets wet.
For smelly foam I use spray-on stuff for cat pee from the pet shop which contains an enzyme. It works on deisel stink as well.