Cleaning Shore Power Cord

Willhound

Any tried and true methods out there? I was considering some acetone and clean rags. A web search shows many do it this way but report the rubber covering gets tacky for a bit but hardens back up. I'd be concerned about long term damage.
Thought of Brake Cleaner, but same concerns. Magic erasers? 
Any other tricks?
Once clean I also plan to get some of these. I've been hanging my cord off cleats and wrapping around my stainless rail, but I can see it's leaving marks so want to stop that.
https://www.marineoutfitters.ca/index.cfm?category=10002%7C10107%7C10556&product=43434908&code=093344311765

Ian

I need to mine and the dock fresh water hose too. Was looking at scrubbing with some oxy clean.

The link just takes to the site, not the product on my phone. 

Spyderweb

I use simple green and a plastic scrub pad.  It's a lot of work, doesn't get everything off, but they look better.  I've tried vinyl cleaner that's also labelled for power cords, but it didn't even work that good.  I'm looking for better ideas too.

Willhound

I think I have some Purple Power degreaser somewhere, and maybe some Spray Nine, so might try that with magic erasers.

raybo3

I use a standard can of citrus spray degreaser. 

Dream_Inn

Too funny.  My finger pier neighbor was just trying this over the weekend with a starbrite cleaner for power cords.  Didn't seem to do much without a ton of work.  I had some degreaser that definitely helped a bit.  There has to be something that will make it easier.  I told him maybe MEK with a mix of acetone (it's what I've used on my dinghy, then immediately wash).

Willhound

I might try the acetone and rinse. I also saw some web posts on spraying the cleaned cord with Armor All to keep it clean but my experience with Armor All is it just makes everything greasy.

Cableguy Greg

I tried acetone, along with other cleaners. I gave up. Got a new EEL cord. Can’t wait to try it out. 

Willhound

I have the EEL. Love it. Super easy to connect and I find the rubber formulation a lot more supple than other cords so easy to coil. Might be what is causing it to get dirty faster though. But the EEL clamp system is great!

aero3113

Try some Simple Green and a Magic Eraser.

LaRea

Dream_Inn said:

Too funny.  My finger pier neighbor was just trying this over the weekend with a starbrite cleaner for power cords.  Didn't seem to do much without a ton of work.

Star Brite did nothing at all on mine.  Waste of $17.  I threw it away.  

Willhound

Started off with an industrial grade degreaser mixed 1:15 with water as per instructions with a scrubbie pad. Hadn't gripped something so hard and stroked so much since a young teenager.  Thought it was going reasonably well until I looked back and saw I still had 40 feet to go. Broke out the acetone and a clean rag. It ate the latex gloves I had on and froze my hands, but worked great. Can have one less cocktail  later from the contact buzz. Then wiped with the degreaser/water again and it took the sticky feel off. Going to now soak a rag in 303 vinyl protectant and wipe it down.
Before:

The degreaser:

 A comparison during. This was with the degreaser and scrubbie. If you're sqeamish about using acetone it works, just a lot of scrubbing.

After:

Can you ever see the difference the sun makes on the parts out all the time versus what stays on the storage reel.

YYZRC

Looks amazing!

Slightly OT but has anyone ever come across a 50' 30 amp shore power cable with an integrated Y?  I really dislike the idea of having a connection dangling.

Cableguy Greg

Willhound said:

Started off with an industrial grade degreaser mixed 1:15 with water as per instructions with a scrubbie pad. Hadn't gripped something so hard and stroked so much since a young teenager.  Thought it was going reasonably well until I looked back and saw I still had 40 feet to go. Broke out the acetone and a clean rag. It ate the latex gloves I had on and froze my hands, but worked great. Can have one less cocktail  later from the contact buzz. Then wiped with the degreaser/water again and it took the sticky feel off. Going to now soak a rag in 303 vinyl protectant and wipe it down.
Before:

The degreaser:

 A comparison during. This was with the degreaser and scrubbie. If you're sqeamish about using acetone it works, just a lot of scrubbing.

After:

Can you ever see the difference the sun makes on the parts out all the time versus what stays on the storage reel.

That turned out nice. Mine is in much worse shape than that. That is why I went with a new one. 

Willhound

YYZRC said:

Looks amazing!

Slightly OT but has anyone ever come across a 50' 30 amp shore power cable with an integrated Y?  I really dislike the idea of having a connection dangling.

No, and a search, which I'm sure you've done doesn't turn any up. And can't picture how it would work anyway. At some point you'd need a splice for the split which needs to be done as a moulded connection to meet specs, so just as easy with a y plug I suppose.

mattie

Meguiars Vinyl & Rubber marine/rv cleaner works really well. 

Spray it on a cloth & drag it thru your hand. UV protectant in it too...

Willhound

You'll definitely like the EEL @Cableguy Greg. Good choice. I got mine on sale so only about $20 more at the time three years ago from a regular cord.
Wow. Just realized we're going into our 4th season with the 270. Time flies.

Willhound

mattie said:

Maguiars Vinyl & Rubber marine/rv cleaner works really well. 

Spray it on a cloth & drag it thru your hand. UV protectant in it too...

I'll watch for that Mattie. Generally like Meguire's products. BTW I still chuckle when I think of your post the other day where you referred to  my pasty white legs as "Getaway Pins"! Had never heard that one before. Like out of a 40's gangster movie. 🤣

Aqua_Aura

17 comments on cleaning the power cord in half a day. I need to take my boating more seriously... Total slacker. I have a white cord and it is a little dirty but it kinda blends in with everything. Never thought about cleaning it. 

Willhound

Well @Aqua_Aura ya gotta keep your wire clean! It's likely only getting comments because a lot of us aren't in the water yet, but also because it's something that I'm sure a lot If us, every time we handle the cord we think "Geez I oughta clean this" but never do. I used to think I should clean my dock lines....but instead I bought black ones and don't think about it anymore...

LaRea

Too bad they can't make power cords black.  

Aqua_Aura

Then it would fade to grey and we would have a discussion on polishing the power cord 😁

Ian

I cleaned my white dock water hose today - was also grimy and sticky. Bucket of water and oxyclean and it came up nice.

@Willhound - recalling your “action” comment while doing this using an old dish drying pad and chuckled. Soft yet tough for the vigorous “stroking”.

Aqua_Aura

On the note of water hoses I bought the black "fabric hose" folds up really easy and I think it's 20 or 30 feet. 

aero3113

@Aqua_Aura , I had one of those hoses for years till the other day. I was cleaning the bilge from when I removed the water pump, I had the port engine running and the hose nicked the belt and put a pin hole in it!

Aqua_Aura

Ouchy. We had the original versions years ago at our house in Arizona and it was horrible, everything would puncture a hole in it. The new ones seem to be better. 

This is the one we have... Apparently it's 100' but takes up about as much space as a 25' rubber hose. 

https://www.acehardware.com/departments/lawn-and-garden/watering-and-irrigation/garden-hoses/7539711

Black_Diamond

I tried and tried. Nothing ever really cleaned the cords well. Plus lots of work doing 100’ of cord!

I used the zip on covers, those work well but the sun
kills them in 2 seasons. Got tired of $$$ So I had my canvas guy make a cover out of the light grade Stamoid fabric. 47’ long and zips on. Cords out of the sun and no more cleaning. I’m ahead of the cost of those other covers now. The Stamoid is tough and looks nice. BTW 47’ long because you need room at the ends for the cords to plug in.