Sunbrella in the washing machine?
- Thread starter arks1
- Start date
Steve is correct. Air dry (no heat).
From Sunbrella:
If a boat cover is suitable in size for a washing machine, these steps should be followed:
Use mild soap and/or detergent.
For heavier stains add 1 cup of bleach to wash.
Wash and rinse in cold water.
Air dry. Never apply heat to Sunbrella.
Retreatment for water and stain resistance will be necessary after machine washing.
http://www.sunbrella.com/na/en/iframe/marine/cc.htm
From Sunbrella:
If a boat cover is suitable in size for a washing machine, these steps should be followed:
Use mild soap and/or detergent.
For heavier stains add 1 cup of bleach to wash.
Wash and rinse in cold water.
Air dry. Never apply heat to Sunbrella.
Retreatment for water and stain resistance will be necessary after machine washing.
http://www.sunbrella.com/na/en/iframe/marine/cc.htm
- Joined
- Sep 19, 2003
- RO Number
- 12234
- Messages
- 34
When you apply the 303 Fabric protectant, should it be applied to both sides of a dodger? or only the top side that is exposed to the elements?
Thanks
Dan
Thanks
Dan
Generally, just the topside that will see the water. If it gets hit with water on the bottom, what good is a water repellent going to do?
If using the 303 product, be sure it is "Fabric Guard", and not Aerospace Protectant.
If using the 303 product, be sure it is "Fabric Guard", and not Aerospace Protectant.
I take my aft curtain to the laudromat every year after pollen season. We use liquid Tide with bleach. The commercial machine's spin cycle extracts most of the water and it comes out damp. I take it home and install, and it is dry within 20 minutes due to the sun. I spray it every 2-3 years.
I have a friend who wanted to clean his mooring cover. Now this is way too big for any machine. So he tied it to the stern cleats and planned to tow it underwater at idle speed, then spread it out on the dock to air dry it. After the cover was soaked it became so heavy that the lines broke and the cover sank! He ended up having to get a new cover made.......
I spray the inside, too, to help keep dirty fingerprints and such off of the dodger. I even double spray the material around the zippers. Be sure to protect the eisenglas when you do this! It really helps to keep it clean and also makes it easier to clean off anything that does stick there!
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2000
- RO Number
- 1702
- Messages
- 1,621
Plexus cleaner works great on Eisenglass and leaves a Rain-X type coating
Never put the vinyl windows in any machine!!!! And never put any part of your enclosure system in the drier!!!! I put my screens in the drier one time and the shrunk by 2 inches. Had to have new screen panels made. Very expensive mistake!!!
I used to have a 37' Sea Ray express cockpit cover that got washed in a commercial machine. It was too big and would not come out clean. I eventually spread it out on the drive way once a year and poured liquid Tide and full strength bleach right out of the bottle on it and scrubbed it with a stiff push broom. This worked much better. Did my hatch covers at the same time. You have to make sure that you really rinse things well or the bleach will rot the threads at the seams. This also gets the soles of your boat shoes really clean.
You are probably right although it lasted 10 seasons and took the brunt of the elements. My cruising canvas looked brand new when I sold the boat. The cockpit cover looked like....well it was 10 years old. Still kept the water, pollen and dirt out of the boat though.