Clean Shore cord

[seadaddler]

What do you use to clean your shore power cord,mine is looking pretty dirty all black and I just would like to clean it up so it looks a little better.
Any thing special or just a good detergent cleaner I don't want to do any harm to it.
Nick

 

[Ed Schenck]

Try this Nick: http://www.polywater.com/rubber.asp .

 

[noprob2]

Mary Kate

mary kate sprayaway
spray on let sit a minute and scrub off
a

 

[Pat Hooyman]

I had the same problem - this stuff is expensive but it really works Starbrite Power Cable Cleaner/Protector.

see http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_11151_10001_109309_-1?cid=powerreviews

I also used it on my Hunter 38 plastic dorade scoop - it was the only thing to ever clean that successfully.

 

[Benny17441]

They sell some nice canvas covers and organizers for power cords but they are expensive and only last a couple of years at best. I still do not warm up to the idea of spending $20 ($27%) in cleaning supplies to clean a $75 powercord. Some have actually purchased a 2nd cord thay use exclusively for when they tie up at a fancy transient marina. The concept of having a 2nd cord is not at all bad as two 50 footers can be joined to form a 100' cord for when the power pedestal in the slip of that fancy marina is not working. I clean my powercord with clothes detergent, water and a scrub pad and at a cost not exceeding $2 and I think the results are very adequate. I do agree that a dirty power cord detracts from any boat and speaks poorly about pride of ownership and maintenance.

 

[John T1594]

I finally gave up trying to clean my power cord every year. It got dirty and a sticky film would form on it that got all over the deck. I used everything from special cleaners to acetone and it only stayed clean for a month or so.
I present solution is to cover it with spiral plastic wire wraps - the kind that holds several wires together on the boat. You can get them for cheap at Home Depot and the 1" size fits best. The only down side is that i could only find black spiral wraps but at least my deck stays clean and my hands don't get sticky when handling the cord.

 

[Rick Sylvester]

We made our own covers.

Our 'umbilical' consists of two 30 amp cords and a coax for TV/ISP. We could never keep them clean. They would leave a grungy residue on anything they touched. Coiling and stowing was a nightmare.

We made our own covers out of about $50 of Sunbrella and velcro. It's still a wrestling match but it's at least more manageable now. That was 7 years ago. Still using the same cords and cover and they still look like new. We made a 50' and a 25' one. We can connect them if the power pedestal is too far away at a transient dock.

A big problem in our experience has been that plugging and unplugging the cords without religiously shutting off the breaker at the pedestal causes arcing and pitting in the plugs and receptacles and becomes a fire hazard. Don't ask how we know this.

 

[Rich Stidger]

Acetone will clean but it damages the surface of the cord and leaves it sticky forever.

I recommend Spray Nine Marine. A quart for about five bucks. Use a agressive nylon scrubby for about one buck at Wal-Mart. Same stuff works well on a hypalon dinghy and fenders too.