How do you clean lifeline netting

[hd002e]

I put up lifeline netting last tear for my little boy and after one season they are looking quite weathered and dirty. I threaded it around the top lifeline (easy) and the toerail (hard) so I cant just take it off and throw it in the wash. Any tips on how to get them clean while they are still up?

[boatman61]

Can't be done.. might just as well take it down and fit new netting.. its cheap enough.. and stronger than year old netting weathered and polluted by sun, salt and crap in the air.

[Sailmonkey]

Like boatman says....good luck.

However next time if you buy black netting you’ll get years out of it and not see the dinginess!

[zeehag]

black netting. fishnet comes to mind.... not the plastic fishnet the black good stuff.

[malbert73]

Yes, black netting is great. Dont buy from west marine as it is not very durable or robust, and more expensive. Go to Seattle Marine which is a fishery supplier of nets- i did both of our boats while children were young with their netting
https://www.seamarnets.com/category/700505

[zeehag]

definitely go to fishery supply. worst marine is no marine store. too pricey and fail goods. oopsy. good thing they going to clothing instead of boating goods.

[SailFastTri]

Power washer is great for cleaning lines, netting, zippers, and Sunbrella. Go easy, use a spread stream nozzle and with a little experimentation you can find where your nozzle is far back enough to remove the dirt but not damage the weave.

[hd002e]

I had purchased the lifeline netting from Defender and it’s structurally in sound shape. Just needs some cleaning as the yard I left it last year was dirty and windy.

I’ll try the power washing trick.

[Cheechako]

It can go grey pretty badly for sure. It depends, if it's soft netting you can wash it, but it may come out all tangled, put it in a pillow case or bag of sorts. But yeah, replacing may be best. I bought Black soft finish netting from Fisheries Supply in Seattle. I cant remember if it was nylon or poly. There's a formula for what length to buy based on the installation height IIRC.

I just looked at Fisheries and cant find black netting. In fact the only net they seem to show is Polypropylene... what? I thought the sun rots that? Also they want way too much for it too. $7+ a foot! FIsheries site is always very hard to find anything on though. Calling them is a lot easier than on line.
This place will make it to size and add 3/8 rope on the perimeter for what appears to be excellent prices: http://www.cascadenets.com/barrier_n...BoC_ewQAvD_BwE

[gradyho]

I recently added new netting to my 32 foot boat, S/V Anejo. I used black netting made from a company that makes sports netting. It's tarred, size 48 twine. I bought 64 feet x 2 feet for a little over 100 bucks. It also has a perimeter rope laced in it. Top quality stuff. The website has a calculator that will let you input your size and length and give you a cost. Top notch people to work with. I'm one of their customers, that's it.

www.ondecksports.com | info@ondecksports.com

Grady

[rhubstuff]

Just an idea here: We use volleyball netting (about $30 at Walmart) around our outdoor deck, which should work on a boat too. Black nylon cord; should last a few seasons.

[Copacabana]

Funny this topic has come up... I just put all my netting in the washing machine the other day and it came out white again. Mine was dark green from the mildew that grows in a hot, humid tropical climate. I did soak it for 24 hours in a strong soap and bleach mixture first before putting it in the machine though.
It did, however, come out in a big mess that I had to untangle...

[malbert73]

Originally Posted by Copacabana

Funny this topic has come up... I just put all my netting in the washing machine the other day and it came out white again. Mine was dark green from the mildew that grows in a hot, humid tropical climate. I did soak it for 24 hours in a strong soap and bleach mixture first before putting it in the machine though.
It did, however, come out in a big mess that I had to untangle...

I’m sure that worked. Hopefully you just rely on netting to keep gear, not humans or pets onboard? I’d be cautious that netting that was exposed enough to mildew, and then bleached, kept its strength. I swapped my netting out after 2-3 seasons when my kids were young...

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by malbert73

I’m sure that worked. Hopefully you just rely on netting to keep gear, not humans or pets onboard? I’d be cautious that netting that was exposed enough to mildew, and then bleached, kept its strength. I swapped my netting out after 2-3 seasons when my kids were young...

Yes, it's mostly cosmetic and to keep fenders from rolling overboard. I might put new netting on if I can find the right stuff (not easy in Brazil...). Otherwise, the old one goes back on until I can get new netting.

[Tingum]

Originally Posted by SailFastTri

Power washer is great for cleaning lines, netting, zippers, and Sunbrella. Go easy, use a spread stream nozzle and with a little experimentation you can find where your nozzle is far back enough to remove the dirt but not damage the weave.

Beat me to it! Pressure washers are good for everything, just back off a bit.