Boat Cushion Care – Spilling the Beans on Keeping Them Spotless

Boats can be messy. That’s the long and short of it. Indeed, you would be hard-pressed to imagine a conveyance more wickedly contrived to scatter foodstuffs and beverages far and wide. Most sailors have known what it is to have scalding coffee poured over them. And those unlucky enough to have experienced a knockdown will tell you what joy it is to have a whole table-load of food slide towards you, at least some of it destined for your lap.

Well, laps are easily cleaned. It’s the collateral staining to carpets and upholstery where the greatest challenge lies. How to deal with the crisis calls for good sense, a bit of chemistry and some household cleaning potions you should carry on your boat. These are:

• Washing soda crystals – (alkaline). A non-sudsing detergent in crystal form. Use dissolved in water roughly in the proportions of 1 teaspoon per cup or about 1 cup per bucket.
• Ammonia (an even stronger alkali). Again diluted, 2 tablespoons per litre.
• White vinegar (acidic). 2 tablespoons per litre.
• Spot remover (dry cleaning solvent)
• Paper towels

Resist the temptation to increase the concentrations. It’s not necessary and could cause damage. Proceed cautiousy and remember that not all fabrics take kindly to being drenched – even when it's done for their own good!

Also, notice that there is nothing in the list that makes suds. No carpet shampoo or anything like that. The problem with sudsy cleaners is that they leave residues in the fabric. If you think of how much rinsing it takes to remove suds from a sponge, you will understand why this is the case. And these residues are slightly sticky and will attract yet more dirt in the future

Now let’s move on to the chemistry. The majority of stains are acidic. These include fruit juices, wine, most vegetables, meat, culinary sauces, and all bodily fluids. Acidic stains are best dealt with by applying alkaline cleaners.

Tea and coffee on the other hand are alkaline, and with these the remedies should be acidic – our white vinegar to be specific. 

When there’s a spill your first reaction should be DON’T PANIC! It’s all too easy to make matters worse by doing the wrong thing. Curse a little by all means but suppress the urge to do anything rash.

Instead....

Liquid spills

• Mop up large quantities of the liquid with a folded towel. Press down or stand on the towel if you can
• Scrape up any solids, semi-solids or grease with a knife or spoon.
• Be careful you don’t spread the spill wider. Work from the outside to the inside of the area.
• Apply clean warm water or the washing soda solution.
• Finally, rinse with clean water and spread paper towels over the damp patch to absorb excess moisture.

Semi-solid of greasy spills

• Use a knife or spoon to scrape up as much of the mess as possible.
• Then use the washing soda solution to remove what else remains. Obstinate grease spots may need dry cleaning solvent.
• Rinse and dry as before.

After treating your stains, it’s wise to restore the acid/alkali balance so it is neither one thing or the other (pH = 7). This means an application of, say, ammonia, should be neutralised with a little vinegar, and vice-versa.

So much for generalities. The table below advises how to deal with specific problems: