Cleaning an older deck

[Sow&Pigs]

Here's a question for anyone with an older Parker:

I have a 1990 2520. It's been stored at a yard here in town and what with the guys going on and off to do various things and my own almost constant attention the past few days (compounding and waxing everything above the waterline) the deck is a mess. Black, ground-in dirt covering almost every square foot.

I've bought a few of the cleaning products mentioned on this site, and most of them work pretty well. But I'm so happy with the results I've been getting from the compounding and waxing (the hull sides and cabin don't look that much different than the new boats sold down the street from my yard) that I'd love to get the deck looking new again.

I could do the compounding/waxing program on the deck, which would sure make it look good, but it would be slick as hell.

I've heard that you can put Woody Wax down on a wet deck and let it dry, then buff and it is supposed to be non-skid.

But before I do anything like that I thought I'd see if anyone had a good suggestion. I want the deck to be as clean as the rest of the boat, resist dirt to some extent and not be a slippery nightmare.

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

 

[96TL]

Use Barkeeper's Friend to clean the deck.

 

[Megabyte]

The deck has to be clean before you can put down Woody Wax.

When I bought my boat 5 years ago (a 1996 model), it had been sitting on a trailer in a dusty storage yard directly under some big trees. The deck had a large amount of leaf litter in it which stained the deck with tannin, and promoted the growth of some funky green 'stuff'.

My BIL told me... "She needs a little cleaning."

I scrubbed the deck with a lot of different products, but eventually resorted to Marykates On/Off hull cleaner. I dumped a whole bottle on the deck, spread it around with an old brush, and let it sit for about an hour before rinsing it down.

That took care of a lot of the staining, but it eventually took a good scrubbing with a combination of Orpine boat soap, Zep orange cleaner (available by the gallon at Home Depot), and good old liquid bleach to get her white again.

Once getting the deck clean, I dumped a gallon of liquid bleach on the deck, spread it around with a deck brush, and left it overnight. The next day I rinsed the deck lightly and left it. The sunshine and residual bleach did the rest.

 

[Sow&Pigs]

Kevin, that's the cleanest deck I've ever seen. :shock:

Okay, I'll give your "recipe" a try.

Thanks!

 

[Keith FDNY]

Holy shit that deck looks brand new buddy i am def. going to try that reciepe for sure,while letting it soak in i will put back few beers!!!!Great job and thanks for details!!!

 

[Megabyte]

There's really no magic to my 'recipe', and trust me... I tried a lot of different products before getting the results that I wanted.

A lot depends on what the deck is stained with. Is it simply yard dirt, or are there black shoe marks? If so, than Hull cleaner, Simple Green, Orange Zep, Clorox Soft Scrub, or Barkeepers Friend (each by themselves) might be good choices. Be cautious of mixing certain cleaning substances as some will react with each other and liberate noxious fumes that you do not want to breathe. Use the least harsh substance that will still get the job done.

Is the deck stained with leaf tannin, fish blood, black mold, or bird droppings? If so, liquid bleach is what you want. Apply it mixed in your wash water, or straight out of the bottle. I keep some straight bleach in a small spray bottle for spot cleaning. After giving the boat a bath, if a stain remains (bird droppings for instance), I'll spray the problem area with some bleach and leave it. The stain will disappear overnight (or sooner).

Hull cleaner and simple green can remove wax, so be careful with the products you use.
Orpine boat soap, Orange Zep, and bleach don't seem to bother your waxed finish, so some experimentation might be needed depending on the products you use.

One last item... To clean the floors in the v-berth and the pilothouse, I use Pine-Sol and water. The cleaner does a great job of cleaning the floors and walls, and it leaves the pilothouse smelling great.

 

[dougmacf]

Love those "golden oldies" Parkers, mine is a 1989 with all of the character (and age related problems) of the old homes I work on. Stained decks and hull are always a concern here in the Northeast with overhanging trees, winter outside storage, etc.

Barkeepers Friend ( barkeepersfriend.com ) is a great product that's been around since 1882. The mild abrasive comes from (as I remember) the tiny silicate exoskeletons of microscopic sea critters that eventually collect at the bottom of the sea. The cleaning action is from oxalic acid (same as in wood bleach), used to clean wood decks, deck furniture, wood siding, etc.

DO NOT mix with chlorine bleach or strong alkaline solutions.

The company has a lot of good tips on the website but the most useful are: Don't over scrub; don't use with an abrasive cloth (3m scrubby, etc.); don't use on anodized (painted aluminum).

Use gloves if you've got sensitive skin or open cuts as you'll feel the cleaning action first hand.


My old standby inside the house (Formica counters) or outside on the boat is a paste of baking soda and household bleach. Depending on the power needed I use anywhere from 10% bleach/90% water with baking soda on the countertops to 100% bleach with baking soda outside. Same cautions apply, don't mix in detergents or other stuff, use gloves, plenty of ventilation especially indoors or down below in the cabin, and avoid telling your significant other when possible. My wife is currently studying chemical hazards/ environmental monitoring. Bleach can do harmful things to your skin.

Either product is pretty much "environmentally safe" when washed off with plenty of water, IMHO.


Barkeepers Friend is usually found at grocery stores, Ace Hdwe., Lowes, etc.

Doug