Vinyl seating cleaner

alt

alt

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In the lead up to launch time, the cockpit seats will need a good clean.

Did anyone ever find a magic vinyl cleaner? We used to use a scrubbing brush with Cif and washing up liquid... took off most of the stuff. Then used a magic eraser sponge for stains that wouldn't lift (I remember JtB not speaking highly of them)

Wondering if anyone found a magic solution for cleaning them up and protecting (possibly a different product)

Many thanks.
 
Many years ago bak in the 70's DECOSOL made an Orange Gel - type product, sold in a glass bottle.
marvellous for cleaning vinyl interiors.. Have not seen it for years though
 
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Just my little 2p worth but when my little one found a biro from no where a couple of years ago and decided to draw on a vinyl seat, ( u wouldn't beleave how long it seemed to take to travel 8 yards to grab her and the pen lol ! )
I nearly had kittens !!
I went mad then tried everything on board, magic sponge, de-greasant, cif u name it nothing touched it.
Then the wife sat next to it trying to passify me saying it's not that bad in which u can imagine the reply from me ! Had a baby wipe in her hand and just give it a wipe.

The biro just wiped off like ice scream !

I couldn't believe it !
I said and there designed for babies skin !!!

So my votes for baby wipes !
 
Racingfrank7 said:
Just my little 2p worth but when my little one found a biro from no where a couple of years ago and decided to draw on a vinyl seat, ( u wouldn't beleave how long it seemed to take to travel 8 yards to grab her and the pen lol ! )
I nearly had kittens !!
I went mad then tried everything on board, magic sponge, de-greasant, cif u name it nothing touched it.
Then the wife sat next to it trying to passify me saying it's not that bad in which u can imagine the reply from me ! Had a baby wipe in her hand and just give it a wipe.

The biro just wiped off like ice scream !

I couldn't believe it !
I said and there designed for babies skin !!!

So my votes for baby wipes !
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Thanks for this. Our vinyl isin't smooth, though (if that makes sense). But i'll try baby wipes and see what happens (that'll take a long time to wipe)

I was hoping to find some sort of a spray to apply, rub in lightly (or even with a nail brush) and wash / rub off.... some sort of magic liquid!
 
I have a spray bottle of upvc cleaner - designed to clean facia, gutters and soffits. It's great - spider poop, coffee, grime etc.
 
+1 for baby wipes. And then of all things, Dettol multipurpose cleaner in the spray bottle. Couldnt believe it myself. An accidental find when onboard stores were low. Spray and sponge will clean accumulated dirt and grime off brilliantly. Not sure about stains though but certainly works better than any of the creams I've used.
 
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Racingfrank7 said:
Just my little 2p worth but when my little one found a biro from no where a couple of years ago and decided to draw on a vinyl seat, ( u wouldn't beleave how long it seemed to take to travel 8 yards to grab her and the pen lol ! )
I nearly had kittens !!
I went mad then tried everything on board, magic sponge, de-greasant, cif u name it nothing touched it.
Then the wife sat next to it trying to passify me saying it's not that bad in which u can imagine the reply from me ! Had a baby wipe in her hand and just give it a wipe.

The biro just wiped off like ice scream !

I couldn't believe it !
I said and there designed for babies skin !!!

So my votes for baby wipes !
Click to expand...

This was the reason I never used any on my daughter, I read the label and opted for a flannel and water.

RF, we talked about IPA earlier, these are usually soaked in the stuff.

So IPA on a microfibre would have a very similar effect.

Poor babies bots!!!
 
I had this issue last year and the only stuff I found to remove the ground in stains was washing powder, a little water and agitate it with a stiff brush.

Anthony.
 
Ian h said:
Many years ago bak in the 70's DECOSOL made an Orange Gel - type product, sold in a glass bottle.
marvellous for cleaning vinyl interiors.. Have not seen it for years though
Click to expand...

Magic stuff but sadly longer available, the thing is though, even if it was I suspect as with most stuff that used to work brilliantly the ingredients that made it work would have been removed due to H & S, possibly with justification, possibly not.
 
I used to use Astonish oven cleaner.. don;t know why it is called oven cleaner becuase it wasnt even caustic on hands! Used to be £1 a tub, so if you dont like it, hardly wallet threatening!
 
Thanks all, great suggestions and not hard on the wallet.

Re. oven cleaner - The stuff I use to clean my oven smells dodgy, don't know if i'd risk it on the cockpit upholstery... might try it on the neighbours boat and see what happens :p
 
Be careful if using abrasives or chemicals on vinyl as you can damage the thin protective layer on top. If you go through that layer the underlying vinyl will start to degrade and will attract dirt again very quickly.

A very good product for vinyl seating is 303 Products Fabric & Vinyl cleaner. This is good stuff and is neither abrasive nor chemically harmful to the vinyl. For any stubborn marks, a light use of a magic sponge soaked in the Fabric & Vinyl cleaner can work wonders.

When you have got the vinyl clean, give it a wipe over with 303 Products Aerospace Protectant. This will protect the vinyl against UV degradation, help prevent it getting dirty again and will make future cleaning much easier.
 
Freeloader said:
Be careful if using abrasives or chemicals on vinyl as you can damage the thin protective layer on top. If you go through that layer the underlying vinyl will start to degrade and will attract dirt again very quickly.

A very good product for vinyl seating is 303 Products Fabric & Vinyl cleaner. This is good stuff and is neither abrasive nor chemically harmful to the vinyl. For any stubborn marks, a light use of a magic sponge soaked in the Fabric & Vinyl cleaner can work wonders.

When you have got the vinyl clean, give it a wipe over with 303 Products Aerospace Protectant. This will protect the vinyl against UV degradation, help prevent it getting dirty again and will make future cleaning much easier.
Click to expand...

I remember these products being mentioned before. I'm going to go out on a limb and try them and see what happens. The other suggestions are great for cleaning, but I worry about the long term effect. I need to take care of my cushions... they're 13 years old now!
 
alt said:
Thanks all, great suggestions and not hard on the wallet.

Re. oven cleaner - The stuff I use to clean my oven smells dodgy, don't know if i'd risk it on the cockpit upholstery... might try it on the neighbours boat and see what happens :p
Click to expand...
This stuff
http://www.astonishcleaners.co.uk/product/oven-cookware-cleaner/
It is slightly grainy, so...
Anyway, as said, didn't even do skin any harm so I never found it did vinyl any harm either ! Used it for years without issues, but I am sure there are numerous products.
 
petem said:
You should try a PM TO 'Marine Reflections' of this parish. He should know what's best.
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Thanks Petem

Trouble is - it's what's best for the situation (your vinyl).
'Best vinyl cleaner' could mean a harmless once a month wipe over that's PH neutral, or something to bring back vinyl from the dead.

I gave a broker buddy of mine a list of the least to the most aggressive cleaners the other day.
He was trying to remove a teak oiled table mark from vinyl. Someone had turned the table upside down and rested it on the seating. Without thinking about it, the table stayed there for a few weeks.

He'd tried a few normal cleaners and wondered what the next options were.
Acetone was the successful product, but with a wisp of contact in a very small dose at a time (toothpick under hanky) but this isn't cleaning it's repairing, I think..

It's like anything that needs simple cleaning / washing or something that needs a form of recovery 'deeper' type cleaning for the ingrained.

Course we would want these cleaners to be as safe as possible for the vinyl, but sometimes that just isn't possible when bringing back from the dead.

Stay away from bleach as it rots the stitches over time.

You have the sliding scale of PH, the sliding scale of aggressiveness of tool (sponge or cloth, melamine etc) and also the option of various spirits.

I would agree with Freeloader 303 make some very good products in the fabric arena. The only thing I've had issues with when using the 303 protectant on vinyl is from the owners a few weeks later who said they had found it very 'slippery in the saddle'.

It is one of if not the best protectants though, so you might want to follow the application of 303 with a rub down from water and a microfibre, this should take the edge off the slippy a bit, might take the edge off the length of protection also, but there's the rub.

So tools, from a normal sponge that won't get into the grain well, but will be fine for regular washing using regular wash type products.

A microfibre (decent one) will go into the grain a bit better, so even using the same product you've gained a little more grunt - if that makes sense?

For even deeper cleaning with same product a melamine sponge will get into the nooks and crannies of the deep grain. But a word of warning that these aren't to be used for regular wash downs as the effectiveness of the sponge will also work on any protection you've applied to the vinyl. In some cases it may even be detrimental to the vinyl itself as a material. Tons of fake crappy melamine out there on fleabay that would wreck vinyl in no time. The sponge should be able to fold in half without snapping. Good luck trying to find them, took me ages.

If you need more aggressive than this then it would be time to get the spirits out.

Starting with IPA (Isopropyl alchohol) and even further harsher would be acetone.

Warning on the acetone - it will eat vinyl, so scare the vinyl with it only.

If wiping over a small patch on white vinyl, you will be left with a very white patch that makes the rest look ridiculously filthy. Again this is repairing and not cleaning, although it is, not, is, sort of... arrgg!
 
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