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Non skid cleaning tips

Discussion in 'Technical Discussion' started by franzmerenda, Oct 8, 2012.

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  1. franzmerenda

    franzmerenda Senior Member

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    La Spezia, Italy
    Hi guys,
    need some help and I know this is the right place to ask for .
    After a very long fishing day I'm not able to bring back the cockpit to the original snow white.
    I've almost consumed my elbows to get some egg white.
    Somebody told me that a nylon carpet brush, put on a rotating polisher with a compound should work.
    Thanks!:eek:
  2. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Do you have paint or gelcoat? I've mixed a good amount of dish soap with bleach and a little bit of water to make a very sudsy mixture......wet the deck, spread it around, let it sit for 5-10 minutes.....brush and rinse.....it usually works pretty well......there are also dedicated non-skid deck cleaners by Mary kate and others that work ok to good, but not excellent.
  3. franzmerenda

    franzmerenda Senior Member

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    It should be paint with microspheres.
    Many thanks for your usual kind & professional help.:)
    Guess I'll have to add a good quantity of sweat to your recipe ;)
    franz
  4. Maxwell

    Maxwell Senior Member

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    Location:
    Door County, WI
    My Tiara has a very aggressive non skid that easily collects dirt. After reading on other forums I tried "bar keepers friend" powder to clean. I simply wet the surface, sprinkled the powder on and scrubbed with a hard bristled scrub brush, then rinsed. Once the surface was cleaned I applied "woody wax" with a soft brush which seems to make the surface easier to clean moving forward without being slippery. I generally repeat this process every 3-4 weeks.

    Keep in mind my boat is gel coat not paint and these products are readily available in the US. Barkeepers friend also may remove wax.

    max
  5. franzmerenda

    franzmerenda Senior Member

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    Always thought surfing here is like having a boating encyclopedia on my desk.
    And if you live in Italy and ride a Sportfish, is almost priceless :)
    The most difficult part then, becomes to bring proper items here.
  6. Ormond Bert54

    Ormond Bert54 Senior Member

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    Ormond Beach, FL
    I use SoftScrub on my non-skid and my sooted gel coat on and around the cockpit. If it takes off the wax, then so be it. Seems to be the only way to get it clean. The rest of the boat gets washed mostly with Woodywax Boatsoap because it smells good. Works pretty good too.
  7. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I would only use softscrub with bleach on hard to get spots, not on the entire deck, it's pretty abrasive......definately wouldn't use it on gelcoat.....on that try Rolloff.....spray on a brush, spread around and let sit 3-5 mins, brush again and rinse off.....it usually works really well on diesel soot.
  8. Talon

    Talon Senior Member

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    Location:
    Devon UK
    This is another cheap and easy way to clean non skid areas.
    Crush a dishwasher tablet and mix with more bicarbonate of soda, wet the surface the sprinkle this on. move around with a brush and this should lift most dirt.
    You may need to do this more than once on bad areas, or just leave on area longer.
  9. luckylg

    luckylg New Member

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    Portland, OR, USA
    Hard work, hard fishing on a white non-skid deck. After a good scrub down, we'd spray on a 50/50 Clorox/water solution and let it sit overnight. Wash down in the AM ... good as new even after a bloody tuna trip.
  10. Maxwell

    Maxwell Senior Member

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    I was always told that bleach or product that contains bleach would yellow the surface over time especially if you let it sit for an extended period. Is this not the case?
  11. franzmerenda

    franzmerenda Senior Member

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    Non skid cleaning feedbacks

    One word: Sensational!

    They sell here a dishwashing powder, so I didn't have to crush any tablet even; I mixed 6 parts with 4 parts of bicarbonate of soda after spraying a good quantity of water and using first, a smooth brush to spread the product and then a harder brush.
    Combined with Capt J's cocktail (liquid dishwasher plus bleach) - this last one with a hand brush around cockpit perimeter, just close to hull sides and transom - the results are astonishing!

    Again, Thanks Gentlemen:)
  12. eloyex

    eloyex Member

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    hehehehe ... "because it smells good .... " this guy is as picky as me about the boat !!!!
  13. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Sno Bowl toilet bowl cleaner works very well also......
  14. Lawrenc

    Lawrenc New Member

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  15. eloyex

    eloyex Member

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    99 cents at Costco !!! Work very very well ..

    my platform after 4 months on the yard was terribly stained ...
    nothing get rid of the grime , dirt ,grease chemicals .... etc etc etc ...
    with the barkeeper i got 97% of the crap out of the platform ..

    also, i had 2 new fenders VERY dirty (also, thanks to the yard care and respect for other's peoples property !!!) and this magic powder restore the white to almost factory condition !!

    really cleans very well ... pretty satisfied ...
  16. Liam

    Liam Senior Member

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    Malta
    I use the Starbrite Non Skid Deck Cleaner with PTEF and find it best among the boaty brands.

    Have tried in the past other stuff also from BoatLife products but I did not like much.

    The thing with the Starbrite is that it that you should not over use as it stains a bit the sides with water lines. So water spray ship side well after use.
  17. T.T.

    T.T. Senior Member

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    Barkeepers makes a soft scrub like product also. Seems to be a finer abrasive in the liquid product. Both Barkeepers have oxalic acid in them.
  18. Delfin

    Delfin Member

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    Location:
    Anacortes, WA
    Chlorox Clean-Up, which seems to be dilute bleach and something like 409. I use a cheap garden sprayer to wet the deck, then use a long handled brush and it seems to remove most everything without having any abrasive to wear down the Awl Grip + non skid.
  19. praetorian47

    praetorian47 Senior Member

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    Location:
    Bayport, Midland, Ontario
    I have had great luck with auroras sure step, following their cleaning instructions. It lasts me all summer in Ontario.

    I've done this for 3 seasons now with perfect results.
  20. HIBANX

    HIBANX Member

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    Daytona Beach, FL
    X2.. Soap it sown, let it sit a few minutes, rinse it off. Works pretty well, but not as cheap as of the other solutions provided here.