...cleaning a Sunbrella mooring cover?

[fatlazyless]

Hello .......... I have a dark green, Sunbrella mooring cover for an 18' boat that is dirty with yellow pollen stains .......that would be nice to get cleaned up. So, what works? Can it be washed in a large washing machine at a laundramat, or do I just hose it down and brush it out or something?

[NoBozo]

Hello .......... I have a dark green, Sunbrella mooring cover for an 18' boat that is dirty with yellow pollen stains .......that would be nice to get cleaned up. So, what works? Can it be washed in a large washing machine at a laundramat, or do I just hose it down and brush it out or something?

Go to a laundramat and use their Heavy Duty washing machine to wash the cover. Wash the cover in "Woolite" according to the directions. AIR Dry over a picnic table at home. Get a spritz bottle of "Waterproofing with Teflon" from West Marine and treat the cover. It will look yukky Until it drys. Maybe an hour +/-. :) NB

[BroadHopper]

If you can't afford the laundromat, I would fill an old galvanized iron tub with water, some woolite, and stir the cover by hand until the water turns black. Rinse in water and white vinegar and repeat if the rinse water is black.

If you have a porch railing you can wrap the cover around, borrow your neighbor's pressure washer and wash the heck out of it. Careful you don't apply to much pressure, your sunbrella will rival swiss cheese.

[Belmont Resident]

I washed mine several times in my washing machine. I just used Tide and it came out fine.
Used Camp-dry waterproofing and it worked ok. I’ve been told that the stuff sold at EMS for re-waterproofing ski jackets works great on boat tops and covers. I never did try it though. I guess you add it during the rinse cycle and then air dry.
Boats gone now and the original equipment mooring cover went with it and it was still in good to excellent shape and 11 years old.

[Loony Singer]

FWIW, here's a link to the manufacturer's recommended cleaning and waterproofing method: http://www.sunbrella.com/cleaning/marine-tops-covers.php.

I'm about to tackle my dark green covers, and I'll stick pretty close to these recommendations. The 303 waterproofing is available from places like West Marine, but it's pricey. You can save a few bucks buying it on Amazon.

[Belmont Resident]

FWIW, here's a link to the manufacturer's recommended cleaning and waterproofing method: http://www.sunbrella.com/cleaning/marine-tops-covers.php.

I'm about to tackle my dark green covers, and I'll stick pretty close to these recommendations. The 303 waterproofing is available from places like West Marine, but it's pricey. You can save a few bucks buying it on Amazon.

Sports & Marine carries it as well and they usually have low prices.

[LostInNH]

Hello,
So I have a glastron 185 with american bow and overwindshield snap covers. They are red and starting to get pretty dirty. The recommended cool water and soft brush with gentle detergent isn't really up to the task.
The website says no machine wash, but has anyone had experience with that? Or any other ideas. Covers are only three years old.
Thanks

[BroadHopper]

I have a mooring cover over 15 years old. I would wash them at the laundry mat every spring with powdered detergent and double rinse. No bleach or oxiclean. After the cover dries on the porch railing I would spray on water proofing and I am good to go for the season!

[Highlander]

I wash mine every season in our front loader washing machine with Woolite, the manufacturer says not to use detergents. I also add a small amount of bleach to help clean the mildew that tends to build up on the underside. After hanging over the fence to dry I waterproof it with the spray tent and canvas waterproofing from Wal Mart. This process has worked well for several years and keeps the canvas looking new. I have tried the pressure washer method in the driveway in the past but find the washing machine works best.:coolsm:

[fpartri497]

at the end of each boating season I wash my bimini top In the front loader with liquid tide and then put It in the dryer for a full drying cycle then I spray It with 303 from parifinaila. been doing this for four years with great results

:D

[Just Sold]

After reading the posts here I downloaded Sunbrella's cleaning PDF. We have had the boat for 2 years but we have not cleaned the mooring cover and I do not think the previous owners did. the boat is 22 years old but the cover is not. I used the recommended soap and bleach combo.
First I washed the mooring cover at the local Laundromat in their largest washer (60#). Today I have washed it 3 times on the driveway using my long handle nylon scrub brush on both sides. Lots of scrubbing and got it clean with lots of extra effort. Now I am waiting for the waterproofing to arrived on Tuesday. Then I will apply 2 coats each side and hopefully it will look good. Will let you know.

[Phantom]

Laundromat LARGE Washing Machine
Add Tide
Air Dry
Treat with Scotch Guard Water repellant

We do this annually !!

[Just Sold]

I finished waterproofing our mooring cover yesterday. The cover is for a 23' x 8.5' boat and it took 1 gallon using a pump sprayer. Overall I was satisfied with the cleaning (not every stain came out) and especially the waterproofing. I used Starbrite waterproofing from Overtons w/free shipping. Will not have the cover on for a few weeks as I am using the enclosure canvas right now.

[Chaos]

I use a paint roller on my canvas and cockpit cover. It keeps the overspray down and I think I actually use less. I did all my canvas pcs and a 10 x 10 gazebo top with less than a gallon. I also use the Starbrite product.

[LIforrelaxin]

I have done this several times now... and tried various methods. From my experience this is what works best....

Machine wash with mild detergent.... I would never use any amount of bleach... I find that the mildew washes out with just the mild detergent...

I recommend only using 303 Fabric Treatment to treat the canvas..... I have tried other products like Starbrite Fabric Treatment and been less then thrilled with the results.... I found black staining after a summer of use, when I treated my canvas with the starbrite product. Admittedly all the staining washed out, but I have never experienced this when using the 303 formulation.

I will be taking my mooring cover to the laundry Mat later this summer and buying a gallon of 303 to treat it... It might be 10 dollars more then the starbrite product but my experience shows me that it is worth it....