Carpets are unique and enhance the outlook of a boat. They are made of thick UV-treated fibers to protect the carpet material from direct sun exposure in the marine environment. Even though boat carpet materials are sustainable in many ways, any minor water damage or stain can cause long-term damage to your carpet. It also gets dirty frequently since passengers and sailors constantly walk over the boat carpet. To protect the carpet and preserve them longer, you must clean the carpet regularly and keep it dry. This article will tell you the step-by-step cleaning process for boat carpets.
Step-By-Step Boat Carpet Cleaning Guide
Step 1: Inspect Your Carpet
The cleaning process of carpets may vary, considering the amount of dust or stain it sustained over time. Walk around the carpet and inspect it properly from place to place. Move heavy materials to check beneath the carpet.
Pre-inspection makes the carpet cleaning process more manageable. When you are familiar with the problems, you can better decide how to solve them more precisely.
Step 2: Vacuum Your Boat Carpet
You should vacuum your boat carpet regularly. Regular vacuuming will reduce the dust and particles from the carpet. We recommend you use a marine vacuum if you want to do the job by yourself. Some marine vacuums can clean the dust and remove excess water from the boat.
Step 3: Cleaning Oil and Gas
It is common for boats to have oil and gas stains. You need to treat oil and gas stains within 24 hours. Otherwise, it may sit permanently. Do not let anyone sit before cleaning the oil stain. Use cold water to remove the oil stain.
Take an ample amount of cold water, and mix it with dishwashing liquid, detergent powder, or carpet cleaning soap. Gently rub the place using a brush.
Use a cloth to soak the water from the carpet after you are done brushing. You can also use a hose pipe if the soap does not disappear.
Step 4: Wet The Carpet
After removing oil and gas stains from particular spaces, wet the entire carpet. This is a procedure to clean the whole carpet. Soak the carpet thoroughly.
Spread some vinegar on top of the hard-to-clean stains. The mixture of vinegar and water can break down the dirt and challenging stains. Let the carpet soak in the water for 45 minutes – to 1 hour.
Step 5: Scrub The Carpet
Scrubbing is a sensitive part of carpet cleaning. You may damage your carpet significantly if you do not scrub the carpet using the proper method. Start cleaning the carpet from the center and continue till the edges.
Step 6: Pressure Wash
Boat carpets have high durability. The fabrics can take high pressure. Thus, washing a boat carpet has flexibility. You can use a garden hose to wash the soap out of the carpet.
Almost all pressure washers can do this job properly. Do not forget to start with a lower-powered tip and broader spray pattern.
Step 7: Rinse and Dry
There is hardly enough space on a boat to rinse the carpet. You can brush off the excess water from the carpet. Remove as much moisture as possible.
You can also use a cloth to soak some water out of the carpet. Then, please leave it to dry under the sun. Make sure you wash your boat carpet on a sunny day.
How to Prevent Musty Odor From Boat Carpet
Your boat carpet needs some after-cleaning care. When visitors enter your boat, the smell is the first thing they notice. Prevent your carpet from smelling bad. There are several ways to remove musty odor from boat carpets. We will talk about a few methods,
Vinegar and Soda
- Mix one tablespoon of baking soda with a cup of vinegar.
- Spread the mixture all over your carpet and scrub it for a while.
- Let the blend sit on the carpet for an hour.
- Rinse it off.
Hydrogen Peroxide
- Mix half a cup of 3% hydrogen peroxide with water.
- Gently blot the carpet with the liquid solution.
Note: Hydrogen peroxide may damage the color of your carpet. If you have dark carpeting, this is probably not the ideal solution for you.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is a natural solution to remove odor.
- Mix lemon juice with water or directly squeeze a lemon on top of the places where the carpet smells.
- Let it dry before vacuum cleaning your carpet.
Additional Tips to Clean Boat Carpet
- It is recommended that you clean your boat carpet at least twice a year. There are some more things to consider. Not necessarily you need to clean the boat carpet with soap. If your boat carpet is full of dust, you may often clean it.
- Boat carpets often get wet from rain and other water resources. Wet surfaces tend to have molds, mildew, bugs, etc. Try to keep your carpet dry all the time. Keep the unused area covered.
- Please pay attention to the stains immediately, or they can cause permanent damage to your carpet. Limit the number of crowds on your boat carpet. Ask the staff to wear shoes or socks and not step on the mat with dirty feet.
Detail It Yourself or Hire a Pro?
Cleaning a boat carpet by yourself takes a lot of work. You have to invest considerable time and effort to learn the procedure, collect necessary equipment, and get the human resources to do it properly.
Rather than going through so much hassle, we recommend contacting a professional. It will reduce the cost of cleaning. Besides, professionals know how to handle each material of boat carpet uniquely.
We hope this article has helped you enough about how to clean a boat carpet effectively. With proper understanding, time and effort, you can easily have your boat carpets cleaned to perfection. The procedures we provide have been sourced from professional carpet cleaners and are sure to do the trick.
