Clean Shore Power Cords?

LOL, some of you guys have gotta play nice. Relax. If you're like me, when you REALLY get pi$$ed off at the boat because its a bit dirty, pour a gallon of acetone in the bilge, and light a match [:-mischievous] ...

Then again it might be a good idea to move your boat to an isolated spot before trying that...

As for the shore power cords, ah Hell - buy a new one from BoatFix for about $80-90 bucks and mix up a few Margaritas in the time it takes to wipe the damn things down with (( --insert cleaner of your choice here-- ))...
 
Why not just leave them dirty and drink margarita's???
 
quote:
this from Marinco's website:

How do you clean Shorepower cords?
Soap and water. If your basic soap and water doesn't do the job, there are cord cleaners such as the Star Brite brand available through most marine retailers. Acetone works best for those really stubborn scuff marks.

http://www.marinco.com/faq/97

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Perhaps it is just me but my reading comprehension has always tested quite high and the above statement does NOT say to use acetone to clean a shore power cord.

It says to use acetone on the "stubborn scuff marks".

I used acetone on fenders once and it was a big mistake as they were as clean as the day I bought em but a month later they all started splitting at the ribs. Seems to me that acetone should be reserved as a last case cleaner.
 
I'm going to stick to my method above for the following reasons. 1) It works. 2) Nail polish is partially composed of plasticisers. Boat fenders and power cords are partially composed of plasticisers. Acetone is used to remove nail polish by breaking down the chemical composition of the polish and logically, the plasticiser within the polish.

My $0.02.
 
Use the least aggressive, safest product that will accomplish the task. I washed them w/ Dawn and water ( wet rag, not dunk them! ), then used Mineral Spirits on the spots that didn't clean up properly. I would tend to avoid Acetone, using it only on spots. Frankly, not trusting the safety of using Acetone on vinyl, I very rarely used it, assuming that if it was that stuck on, then it would stay there and not be a problem. ;) YMMV.
 
quote:
Use the least aggressive, safest product that will accomplish the task.
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BINGO!!!

I might add to that, "in a reasonable amount of time". After all, one could probably clean shower power cords with water and a Q-Tip...

Otherwise, the advice above can and should be applied to all tasks aboard the boat.

A few examples:

Several of my neighbors use SoftScrub to get their transoms clean. Perfectly clean! Too bad they're so scratched up that they won't even reflect light.

RO's who recommend pouring bleach down the shower drains, rendering the rubber check valves useless. (then they're convinced that the sumps SHOULD cycle every 3 minutes)

Paper towels and windex on eisin.

Formaldehyde in holding tanks, bromine in sea strainers...

No thanks!
 
Ok,
Here is my .02 cents. Prior to reading this thread a member of our marina and I were discussing this topic,and this was what I found out. The person I spoke to called Marinco and spoke to a tech, the tech stated when a power chord is returned for repair, they (Marinco) would use acetone on the cable to clean it. They use a rag with acetone and clean lightly then use water to neutralize the acetone. They then would use a protectent such as 303.
We experimented using this method and it seems to work. I would not use it all the time, however the cable never looked this clean.
 
quote:
Originally posted by HOGAN

Why not just leave them dirty and drink margarita's???

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YUP,
As anal as I am, I could give a crap what my cords look like. If I did not have a locker that is dedicated to the cords, then I get why you need to keep them clean. I certainly would not want dirty cords in my clean boat :)
 
"The person I spoke to called Marinco and spoke to a tech, the tech stated when a power chord is returned for repair, they (Marinco) would use acetone on the cable to clean it. They use a rag with acetone and clean lightly then use water to neutralize the acetone. They then would use a protectent such as 303.
We experimented using this method and it seems to work. I would not use it all the time, however the cable never looked this clean."

I rest my case.

And you can start all the threads you want in NBR attacking me....I really just don't care.

PS...I stopped in Oswego Harbor todat and looked at a 180ft. Boat I'd like to buy....So I guess that makes me right.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Radioactive

Use the least aggressive, safest product that will accomplish the task. .........
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Well, that's good advice for any cleaning problem from cords to upholstry, to gelcoat.

When I was working in the field, the vinyl handles on my hand tools would get dirty. I found that lanolin based hand cleaner not only was effective for cleaning them, but it left them feeling like new again. I haven't tried this on my power cord yet, but I'll bet it would work and not damage the cord.
 
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