Vinyl staining

Cableguy Greg

My cushion on the swim deck of my 280 had some red kool aid, soda, or something else spilled on it two seasons ago. I never let any red or orange drinks or food on my boat. We met up with some friends when we were tied to a wharf and they brought it with them. Grrr... It has bled thru the vinyl. I tried letting the sun do its job, but that hasn't worked. Does anyone have any advice on a repair short of replacement?

Handymans342

Try hydrogen peroxide. I have used that before but had to get a 12% solution at a beauty supply shop. Soak a rag and let it sit overnight. Cover with plastic to keep it wet all night. If it don't come out you need new vinyl. Or you can try pet stain remover with oxiclean

Stodge

Looks like the pink pop they winterize with.  Interested to hear how it comes out.

jme097

What about some diluted bleach?

Handymans342

jme097 said:

What about some diluted bleach?

Too harmful to the Vinyl but if left with no choice but replacement?

jme097

Thats what I was referring to. If all else fails, might as well. try it. Dilute it so it doesn't destroy just in case it does in fact work

Liberty44140

If that cushion is the same as the transom cushion on my 2006 342 it is a pretty simple cushion that would not be that expensive to re cover. If you or your admiral have any kind of sewing machine skills you could buy a couple yards of vinyl online or from JoAnns and recover yourself. It is a lot easier to DIY this stuff than you'd think.

frenchship

You could have it re-dye, jus look for somebody that those Vinyl repair they should be able to match the color.

rasbury

I use an Attwood vinyl cleaner and it has pulled out some pretty nasty stains I had- not all of them but I was impressed. 

mattie

Star Brite Mildew/Stain Remover. Had good luck with it. Spray it on & let it sit. Wipe off. Might take a couple treatments. Direct sunlight will beat the stain down too in time.

jme097

@mattie thats what I will be trying here in another week or so. I have a spot on my back seat on the top that had mold on it from putting the cockpit cover on it. Such a pain in the ****

rasbury

I tried the Star Brite first on some stains I had and it did not put a dent in it....the Attwood got it out.

MarkB

I thought Al said you need to get to the stain from behind the vinyl?  Makes sense that the surface is clean, but the backing is still stained. And if you have to take it off to fix it, you may as well get it recovered.

So probably as you say, give something harsh a shot, but be prepared for damage and replacement.

The alternative that I would NOT suggest ... but saying it in case someone does suggest it, is to have a vinyl restorer spray it.  It will be okay for a year, and after that the vinyl coating will start to peel and it will be an unsalvageable mess.

frenchship

Mark
Just to let you know about re- dying vinyl.  I own a company that can re-dye vinyl and it would last a long time. Sure if you used a spray can then you get what you pay for. A professional vinyl restorer would be able to garanty his work for many years  
Paul

Cableguy Greg

It's a small cushion and I was able to take the cover off. It is stained the entire way thru the vinyl, probably due to the dimples that are in it. I am soaking it in oxyclean right now.

rasbury

Try the Attwood stuff...just sayin...and its cheap

Aprice

As unlikely as it seems, Magic Eraser is truly magical!!! I have had good luck with it all over the boat. Good luck. 

Cableguy Greg

Just to give everyone an update on this, I used some Starbrite Mildew Stain Remove on the front and back of the stain. It faded it some, but not completely. I have resorted to the sun method. I have had the cover sitting on the table on my deck for about two weeks now. The stain is almost completely gone. I would have thought that would have happened on the boat, but I back in to my slip and the bow of my boat faces almost due South. That seat never gets full direct sunlight, so it wouldn't bleach out. I am going to leave it on my deck for another week to see how it goes.

Wildboating

Meguiars super degreaser is now my go to for everything.  This stuff is amazing all over the boat.  Only can be bought by the gallon.  Learned about it from a detail pro on YouTube.   Seriously did an amazing job getting stains off the deck and vinyl. 

JoeStang

Do you dilute the meguiars for vinyl? I need to get something a little more friendly than Mr. Clean pads for the seats, but stronger than normal vinyl cleaner.

Wildboating

@JoestangI dilute it 4:1 as per the instructions to start off.  This stuff is truly amazing.