Cleaning a canvas mooring cover? Washing machine?

W

watson524

Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2008
RO Number
29669
Messages
322
Hi everyone,

Our mooring cover (which is the only cover we have and on all the time) looks really good on the outside (it's the dark blue) but on the inside top facing, it's very dark with dirt and probably some mildew. Since we're finally seeing spring in the NE I put it on the deck today and started hosing it down.... no affect. Put it over the railing and started scrubbing the inside with dish soap and a soft brush... minimal impact. Spray a patch with simple green and then also another patch with spray nine and brushed it in and hosed... after is dried, I saw that made a bit of impact but I could be here for weeks.... Since I know the wwater protectant is long gone, I ordered up some 303 Fabric Guard so I know I'll have to do that step anyway. Is there harm in taking it to a laundry place and putting it in their huge washer and then a light tumble dry? Being as I have to respray any protectant anyway. I think it got like this because water doesn't run off like it should.

thanks in advance!
 
A dock buddy did his in a commercial laundry. He thinks they used hot water and then dried it in a dryer. It came clean but is now about 6 inches smaller for all dimensions.
 
Ok thanks all. Looks like we're going to take it up and run it through the jumbo machine on cold and then air dry and cross our fingers. Looks great from the outside, it's when we role it up and take it off to go out that it looks crappy :)
 
Instead of using a dryer I would put it back on the boat while it is still wet. That way you won't have to worry about it shrinking.
 
quote:
Originally posted by mandm1200

Instead of using a dryer I would put it back on the boat while it is still wet. That way you won't have to worry about it shrinking.

Click to expand...
+1
 
yep, definitely not going to put it in the dryer. since the boat is in the barn right now (hoping to get it to the driveway this week), i'm hesitant to have it on wet there because of dust and stuff. normally we store it with a GIANT plastic sheet over it and when all is dry, it's not a problem but with it being damp.... think we're going to lay it out on the deck for a bit until the rain starts this evening and then maybe put it on the boat since it seems to dry pretty darn fast just based on the 2'x3' section I had sopping wet earlier today... was totally dry when we came back from lunch. 303 is supposed to be in tomorrow and i plan to have it on the boat for spraying that on and just be careful to protect the sides of the boat. Should I spray the inside of the cover too? I figure two passes on the outside.
 
quote:
Originally posted by sugilbert

quote:
Originally posted by mandm1200

Instead of using a dryer I would put it back on the boat while it is still wet. That way you won't have to worry about it shrinking.

Click to expand...
+1

Click to expand...


And another +1

Use the strongest soap you can find. I used Dreft on mine. Woolite works well too. Use the hottest water you can get.

It doesn't even have to go through the spin cycle. Back on the boat and air dry.

Many coats of 303.
 
If it were me, I would wait until the boat is out of the barn. Pick a day when its not suppose to rain and hopefully sunny. Wash the cover the night before or in the morning and put it on the boat. Later that day or the next day spray it with the 303.
 
I would dry it, on the boat, inside out in the sunshine. That will help to prevent any mildew/mold from redeveloping. I'd then spray 303 on the inside of the canvas, let thoroughly dry, then reverse the canvas on the boat and apply several coats of 303, allowing to dry in between. Of course, apply the 303 away from wind or on a windless day.
 
well the washing machine didn't do a heck of a lot so now we're back out on the deck spraying a section at a time with spray nine which seems to be doing a decent job (i know i'm not going to get it back to original clean). So later we'll go back to the laundromat to do just a few rinse cycles to make sure all the spray nine is out and then it's going on the boat in the barn to dry since unfortunately, we have no sunny days lined up this week but at least it'll be fairly warm so hopefully it'll be able to dry while in the barn (the spin cycle in the washer actually had it pretty darn dry) and THEN when the boat comes down hopefully later this week if it's not raining, we'll do the inside flip, then outside as suggested.

how long does it take to dry between coats? i figure with some sun out, it likely doesn't take too long.
 
Not long unless the air is humid. Warm dry air is best for drying.
 
Ok good. Being in a barn with a metal roof tends to make warm and it's not enough into the season to be humid
 
Watson I am surprised it didn't get clean in the machine. I do this every year. I use a capful of Dark Woolite and it comes out looking like new. Then I use waterproofing spraying it on with a garden sprayer. Everyone thinks I have new canvas and it is actually 14 years old. I have taken it in to get restitched in a few places and they can hardly believe the age. It is sunbrella. When I dry it I just put it over the couch in my living room and turn on the ceiling fan and it drys very quickly.
 
I think the difference lies in your statement of "I do this every year" :-) This cover is at least 15 years old (the boat is an 87) and it's never been cleaned. the outside is very clean... sure because all the water seeps through and has stained the inside. People can't believe ours is so old either from the inside but unfortunately, I have to see the inside of it so....

We did a soft brush scrub with spray nine and a hose on the deck and then went back to the laundromat for multiple trips through with no soap to get all the spray nine out and we're back in business. It looks really good again and is on the boat in the barn drying. The 303 will be in tomorrow so hopefully this later this week I'll start that stage.

It's been a lot of years of my parents just being concerned if the boat ran and keeping it in good overall shape but last year's big project was my wet sanding, buffing, compound and polishing event (which has held up rather nicely and will just need a light buff and then polish this year) and this year is the cover event. Now that I know I need to keep up with the protectant every so often, it should go into "maintenance mode" vs "major overhaul" mode.
 
I had the same problem with mine a couple of years ago and went back to the canvass guy who made it for advice. He told me to use Tilex on it. I was real hesitant to use Tilex on my dark blue canvass, but he assured me he uses it on customers canvass all the time. He told me to spread out the canvass, wet it down, working in small areas with a soft brush, spray tilex on and brush away. Rinse the canvass well when you're done.
I have to say that it worked well, and I had no problems with discoloration at all.
I usually do it once a season now, and still have no problems with it.
 
I knew a guy who had a dirty mooring cover which decided to clean by dragging it in the water as he idled down the slough. After about five minutes, the line to the cover broke and it instantly sank! He was not able to retreive it and had to replace it with a new one.....

Some great ideas are rather expensive as well as embarassing!
 
Wow!! Ok that wasn't something I expected to hear as the "punch line" to that story.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top