Leaf stain

[Indy23.5]

I have leave stains on my Hunter 23.5 that I can't seem to get scrubbed off. I have tried pressure washing and using a standard deck cleaner.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated since the boat looks really bad with all these black leaf shaped stains on the deck.

 

[Joe]

Use an acid based cleaner.... I've used an inexpensive toilet bowl cleaner, available at any janitorial supply house, such as Smart & Final... to clean algae and other organic stains.

 

[Indy23.5]

Thanks, I'll give that a try.

 

[Steve Dion]

Oxalic acid (component ingredient in many deck cleaners).

 

[Indy23.5]

Thanks-hopefully something will work. Appreciate the suggestion!

 

[GeorgiaBII]

Mr. Clean magic eraser has done wonders for me in the past.

My Girlfriend turned me on to them.

 

[Ray Bowles]

I had exactly the same problem this spring on a boat cockpit that had been open for a year. I used "Bar Keepers Friend" which I bought at Wal-Mart. It had been recommended on this site and worked very well. Use as directed on the can.
Ray

 

[Indy23.5]

I tried a nylon scrubber but didn't think to use one of the magic erasers. We have one by the sink. Thanks!

 

[Indy23.5]

Thanks-unfortunately I visit Wal Mart several times a week and will pick up a can next time.

 

[Brian S]

You can get oxalic acid in powder form at a good hardware store. Probably cheaper than barkeepers friend. (Oxalic acid is active ingredient in barkeepers friend.) if you have On and Off hull cleaner, that should work too, as it cleans tannin based waterline stains.

 

[Indy23.5]

You can get oxalic acid in powder form at a good hardware store. Probably cheaper than barkeepers friend. (Oxalic acid is active ingredient in barkeepers friend.) if you have On and Off hull cleaner, that should work too, as it cleans tannin based waterline stains.

Cheap is good-thanks for the tip.

 

[Brian S]

Cheap is good-thanks for the tip.

Savogran Oxalic Acid Wood Bleach, 12oz. I believe I got mine from an Ace Hardware.

Here's what it looks like from amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Savogran-1050...02540462&sr=8-2&keywords=savogran+oxalic+acid

 

[Joe]

The key ingredient is "acid"... check the label on the least expensive bottle of bathroom bowl cleaner where you buy cleaning products... Hcl is the most common acid... dilute in a bucket of water, use a pot brush to apply.... rinse with fresh water.

I've used it to clean the algae scum from my trailer sailboats ..... I kept a slightly diluted mixture in a spray bottle in one hand.... a water hose in the other. I could walk around the boat, spray and rinse.... the scum would disappear like magic... light wiping occasionally, but absolutely no scrubbing needed.

 

[rgranger]

Oxalic acid (component ingredient in many deck cleaners).

Yep! Just did this yesterday on my boat. Luckily I'm a chemist and can get it cheap. Rit dye's rust remover is oxalic acid. So is bar keeper's friend. A few others. Go to the cleaning supply section at Lowes or Walmart and read the ingredient labels.

Put some in water... add some dish soap (mostly to keep it thick and viscous) wet a paper towel and soak the stain for about 30 min. The gently scrub it with a Scotch pad, it will come right out no problems.

 

[py26129]

You may also find that just leaving the stain will take care of it. We get a lot of leaves on my boat and the sun is pretty good at removing those stains over a week or two.

Cheers

Matt