Gorrilla Bill, If you had troubles getting the cushions back in, the covers may not have shrunk all that much. They can be pretty tight to begin with and the corners aren't easy.
Another way to leave the cushions in.....might be to get some sort of carpet cleaning vacuum (the neighbor may have one to borrow) The brand we own is supposed to hook up to the sink faucet and squirt water at the carpet. It then draws the dirty water off the carpet into a storage tank. I don't hook it up to the faucet but I use a bucket of carpet cleaner and a soft brush. I really only use it for the rug where the dogs come in from the yard and for the car fabrics. This could be used on the boat cushion fabrics with some sort of soap but remember that any liquids that you apply may soak into the foam. One could also use a wet/dry shop vac because they usually have more power than household machines. What I do is to use a soap/detergent mix a few times and then clean water rinse. Vacuum after each application. After vacuuming, these things only leave the fabric about 80% dry typically unless you use a lot of time vacuuming. So one would /should air dry the boat cushions better before mildew sets in.
Hmmmm... I never had a problem with too much febreeze... I kinda like the smell and keep a small bottle on board handy. Seems to help with diesel exhaust smell and what not.
Jeez, I hope i'm not like one of the those people who douse themselves in way too much stinky perfume thinking that people like the way they smell?!??!?!
weinie, I prefer the natural smells of the outdoors. ....The smell of diesel and gasoline from other boats floating on the surface of the lake combined with the occasional dead carp is good. The thing with our sense of scent is that we can become desensitized to them. So a little bit goes a long way for other's olfactory senses. I use the occasional citronella candle inside my cabin to keep out the mud wasps and the blood sucking skeeters.
