Any effective way to whiten vinyl cushions?

K

Katemma Life

Member
Oct 7, 2018
135
cape cod
Boat Info
2007 sea ray 290 SLX
Engines
Twin mercruiser MAG 350 MPI w/ Bravo III
Have a bow rider. The cushions are originally white but have discolored over the years. Is there any effective products out there to bring them back to their original white color?
 
I've tried a lot of cleaners over the years, but for vinyl seats I've settled on Spray 9 followed with 303 vinyl protector. For stains, a cloth dampened with bleach - lay it on the stain for a few minutes then rinse well - keep the bleach away from any seams or stitching. Spray the seats with the Spray 9, scrub with a stiff brush, rinse/wipe dry, then apply the 303. Avoid using anything with abrasives in it like soft scrub or magic eraser - they initially make the seats look clean, but over time they actually damage the vinyl. I am sure there are other products (Star Brite makes some good ones) that work just as well, but this has become my goto vinyl cleaner. Do this in the spring, then it's just a wipe down occasionally during the summer.
 
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The sun does wonders as well. I had a leaf stain one time. Scrubbed with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Then sat it in the sun for a few hours and all gone.

Bennett
 
Try LA’s Totally Awesome Cleaner for deep cleaning the seats.
Rinse well and once dry, treat them with 303 Aerospace Protectant.
 
IMG_4230.JPG
I know of a person who got tired of the color of an expensive leather sofa and dyed it a completely different color. It looked like a brand new piece of furniture and still looks great. You might look into products for vinyl if cushions are in good condition.
 
4U cleaner degreaser did wonders for mine. Otherwise SEM vinyl dye is super easy to use
 
This ones simple.



+
77825ed4-2418-4127-93da-b24a9cb3f9ea_1.671abe660f4fd498820d334918b1d298.jpeg


= crazy clean vinyl.

You're welcome.
 
You can clean them, sand them and dye them... If your happy with that result you are good to go. If your trying to make them look new again then you should consider redoing the vinyl. It's not that expensive...
We did it with our boat when we bought it. But we only redid the vinyl that was not like new. The shop matched it perfect and we were very happy with the result.
 
Stay away from Magic Erasers when it comes time to clean your vinyl. They’re abrasive and will knock down the texture in the material.
If your cushions are really bad, then the method that Bobeast outlined above is your best bet.
That’s what I did on my kids 18’ Bowrider to buy a little time. I got two seasons out of it, but their cushions were really bad and are exposed to the sun a lot.
They need to be replaced now.
 
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Fly'n Family said:
This ones simple.



+
77825ed4-2418-4127-93da-b24a9cb3f9ea_1.671abe660f4fd498820d334918b1d298.jpeg


= crazy clean vinyl.

You're welcome.
Click to expand...

Please only use the "Mr Clean" type cleaning pads as a very last alternative and not part of the regular cleaning process. They work like very fine sand paper removing the outer coating of the vinyl. This will only accelerate any the process of the vinyl drying out.

-Kevin
 
Katemma Life said:
Have a bow rider. The cushions are originally white but have discolored over the years. Is there any effective products out there to bring them back to their original white color?
Click to expand...

To properly deal with this you need to understand where the discoloration is coming from. Is it surface dirty, a surface marking, an absorbed stain, surface mold growth or sub surface mold growth? Once we now where it is coming from we can come up with a corrective action for cleaning.

However, many people fight this year after year when the discoloration is coming from sub surface mold growth. When the mold is set into the underside of the material it continues to grow to the surface each year. When this is the case you have two options - recover or paint. Bleaching will temporarily kill the mold in the top surface but will also dry out the vinyl and the stitching. You many be able to get a good look for a couple of years but eventually the material will dry and crack or the stitching will give out. Recovering will obviously remove the problem and painting will encapsulate it for a while.

-Kevin
 
New discovery, Marine 31. Expensive, but absolutely does the trick on mold. If you live in Florida, it's mold, not dirt.
Even worked on SEM repainted cushions from an Irma boat I saved.
Tried CLR Mold Remover at 1/4 the cost, and it didn't even touch it. One spray with Marine 31, rinse after 5 minutes, and seriously, new boat. I am not into magic solutions for anything, but this stuff kills.
https://www.amazon.com/Marine-31-Mi...t=&hvlocphy=9012718&hvtargid=pla-581992012307
 
370Dancer said:
New discovery, Marine 31. Expensive, but absolutely does the trick on mold. If you live in Florida, it's mold, not dirt.
Even worked on SEM repainted cushions from an Irma boat I saved.
Tried CLR Mold Remover at 1/4 the cost, and it didn't even touch it. One spray with Marine 31, rinse after 5 minutes, and seriously, new boat. I am not into magic solutions for anything, but this stuff kills.
https://www.amazon.com/Marine-31-Mi...t=&hvlocphy=9012718&hvtargid=pla-581992012307
Click to expand...
Isn't this a chlorine based bleach product?
 
Not sure. "secret formula", but they do claim to be eco-friendly. Frankly, I don't care if it contains pixie dust. It is the first spray on spray off product I have ever seen actually work.
 
I have used Marine 31 for a few years now with no damage to the seams of my vinyl. It is amazing stuff. As 370Dancer wrote, spray it on, rinse with water and new, or nearly new looking vinyl appears. My only regret is I didn't find this before reupholstering 2 of our 4 cockpit seats and the 4 bolsters. Could have saved thousands.
 
Don't waste your money on Marine 31... I thought so too and brought a gallon of that stuff @ $50 plus extra to ship... it is nothing but sodium hypochlorite (better known as Chlorox). The MSDS sheet spells out the ingredients and YES it's in there 10%-30% with the rest of it a lemon fragrance and water!

See here: http://www.attwoodmarine.com/userfi...-s-a-85616--msds--2---07-11-08---09-08-08.doc

In fact Tilex works better as I've found. I did use the Marine 31 but immediately after soaking for 5-10 minutes used pure hydrogen peroxide to deactivate the chlorine.

Really hard to get out stains I used a cream hair lightener and left it the sun for several days and it removed all the stains and hard to rid mildew. Looks like new upholstery.
joy.jpg
 
If the staining is coming from mold then start thinking about recovering.
I cleaned the stained cushions in my kids bowrider then sprayed them with SEM.
They looked great for a season but that’s all I got out of it for all the effort.
 
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