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Vinyl Cleaners -
Inexpensive and easy to use, Spray Nine Zaps mildew
You may not like it, but your boat is probably filled
with vinyl. Some older cruising boats have
vinyl-covered seat cushions packed into every nook and
cranny, After a couple of weeks - perhaps ever
days- of inattention, that seat cushion can become
plagued with nasty mildew. With hopes of minimizing
all on board nastiness, we tested products marketed
solely as marine vinyl cleaners. The field
includes the usual suspects: Meguiar's, Spray
Nine, Star brite, Marykate, and 3M. We also found
a product we haven't tested before from BoatLIFE.
Seven of the 10 cleaners are sprays. The Star
brite and 3M Marine Outdoor Vinyl Cleaner are milky
fluids that are applied with a soft terry cloth.
Our group included only one spray-on foam:
Marykate Ultra Vinyl Cleaner. Some products, like
the Spray Nine, are sprayed on the surface and wiped
away immediately. Others, like BoatLIFE and
Marykate, are left on the surface from 10 seconds to one
minute and the wiped away. Prices ranged from as
little as $6.55 per bottle to nearly $20. For this
test, we taped off equal sections of two very mildewed
seat cushions (one white, one yellow) on a pair of
abused jet skies. We used each cleaner, following
the directions, and noted each product's effectiveness
as well as ease of use. The test was done
twice-once on the white seat once on the yellow one.
WHAT WE FOUND We thought the sprays were easier to use
and less messy than the liquids. The latter are
applied to a cloth. You rub them on in a circular
motion, like a wax. But it really comes down to
effectiveness. We gave the products ratings
ranging from Poor to Excellent. An Excellent meant
that the vinyl was significantly cleaner. Poor
meant that little of the dirt and mildew was removed.
We had several Good performers, including the West
Marine, Star brite, Meguiar's Heavy Duty, and Marykate
Ultra. But two products stood out from the rest:
Knight's Marine Spray Nine (our top choice in a 2002
test) and 3M's Marine Outdoor Vinyl Cleaner. On
one seat, the Spray Nine edged out the 3M, and visa
versa on the other seat. So, performance-wise,
it's a draw. We had only one poor performer:
BoatLIFE Vinyl Cleaner. In both tests, it barely
removed any of the dirt or mildew. BoatLIFE
chemist Richard Craven said the company is coming out
with a new vinyl cleaner this summer called Vinyl Life.
He planned to ship us some so we could try it out. The
Marine Cleaner and Restorer, 3M's other product, was
only slightly better the BoatLIFE, and it garnered the
only "Fair" rating in our test. CONCLUSIONS It comes
down to the 3M Outdoor and the Marine Spray Nine.
Both are relatively inexpensive. The Spray Nine
sets you back 42 cents per ounce, compared to the 78
cents per ounce for the 3M Outdoor. So price is a
factor. the other determinant is ease of use.
The 3M is a little messy to work with. You squirt
it onto the rag. It's harder to control the amount
of cleaner you want to get out, and the liquid can drip
down the side of the bottle. The Spray Nine is
less expensive and, with its spray bottle, is easier to
use. It's our top choice. ©
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