Best non-marine deck cleaner?

[Jdege]

So, my boat has been sitting on the hard, under pine trees for most of a year, and it's time to scrub the deck.

I'm sure I could pick up something that promised to be perfect, over at West Marine, but soap is soap.

I'm sure there is something I could pick up at Home Depot or Lowes that would work at least as well at half the price.

Or, for that matter, might already have in my basement or garage.

Does anyone have an ordinary household cleaner that has worked well for them for cleaning fiberglass decks?

[HopCar]

I had good luck with this cleaning the deck on my fishing boat. It had been sitting uncovered for several months. Lots of dirt and black stains. I think I got it at Ann Ace Hardware.
https://30secondscleaners.com/products/outdoor-cleaner

[s/v Jedi]

You can work your way up from soft scrub all the way to TSP (hardware store)

TSP may dull paint enough for recoat without sanding so they care

[GordMay]

Bar Keepers Friend ➥ https://www.barkeepersfriend.com/

[Tupaia]

Pressure washer

[ilanortho]

Davis Instruments FSR Big Job Bottle (Amazon)

Used this after my 34 footer was on the hard for two years uncovered. Scrubbed the deck with it and it left it unbelievably white (rinsed off with a pressure washer after I scrubbed it). Took off all manners of stains and filth. I then used it on my yellow power cord which nothing (simple green, acetone, MFK, super clean) would get the embedded black grunge stains off of and I now have a yellow power cord.

[Stewie12]

If you have teak decks make sure that you do not use a cleaner that will make the caulking sticky like dish washer liquid does.

[zengirl]

Don't laugh, but I had a white-blueish stain in the cockpit where I had propped up a new trolling motor for the time being. I had no idea what the stain was and others couldn't figure it out either. I tried everything including TSP. I ended up using Easy-Off oven spray out of frustration. It worked! Did a beautiful job!

[JJWhite]

I usually start with Simple Green for the vast majority of crud, and finish with Barkeeper's Friend for the tough stuff.

[TooCoys]

Plain old bleach, heavily diluted with water for heavy mold/algae, and simple green for everything else.

[Poeme]

For years I'd neglected the green/black mildew on my teak bowsprit platform...gentle amounts of TSP and bleach in a bucket of warm water practically melted it off with conscientious scrubbing and hosing down. Surprisingly strong combination. From here on plan to treat teak decks with at least annual rinse of some combination of bleach, TSP and salt water. This recipe touched on in "Brightwork" by Rebecca Whitman, but I'd think would clean dark mildewy fiberglass decks as well. Cheap too.

[wiekeith]

The best product I've found in the UK, after trying many of the (expensive) marine products, is sold as a caravan cleaner - https://fenwickscaravan.com/product/caravan-cleaner/ Maybe something similar is available where you are?

[fdr14127]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/39338430709...pid=5020519139




I watched some of my dockmates use the Westerly White Wall cleaner a couple of seasons before I would try it. Westerly is gone but these folks have picked up the brand and it is kinda a cult item. (Paypal only, ships after payment, etc). Haven't replenished under the new ownership but we have been on the cradle for three years so I am gonna get a new bottle. Absolutely the best thing I have ever used for cleaning the deck, bar none.

[Mlp48]

I'd like to try all the things suggested but in my little world of managing a few high end boats, I worry about harming other surfaces. I have varnished ones, waxed and polished ones, painted ones, etc. I have taped on plastic shields to protect these as I worry that some so-called "biodegradable" or "bio safe" cleaners are more wolves than sheep !

My go-to soap is not marine at all, but auto-oriented. It says it won't remove wax and I hope that's so. I know it's cheaper than boat soap.

One boat I oversee lives in an open-ended boat house. Woe is me when pigeons came to roost this early Spring and bred and bred. I think there was a least a dozen. I've since had a lot of bird doo to remove everywhere but also some seemingly immovable stains on the boat's flat sections.

Just this AM, I scanned a Consumer Reports book on "how to clean anything" and then was about try X and Y and Z .. but came across a MAGIC ERASER I've had in the locker.

Am happy ... so WHAT IS the MAGIC in THAT ? It may not suit everyone's time-need to dab here, dab there, but I'm in love with how I could control it and how well it worked !

.

[Djarraluda]

Originally Posted by HopCar

I had good luck with this cleaning the deck on my fishing boat. It had been sitting uncovered for several months. Lots of dirt and black stains. I think I got it at Ann Ace Hardware.
https://30secondscleaners.com/products/outdoor-cleaner

That 30 seconds cleaner is just a bleach, although there may be some soap in there too. I used a pressure washer with just a commercial detergent in it and it worked a treat.
Roger