That's not the way to clean a bilge...
Make sure you have a large enough drain hole in the bilge sump because between the hull and liner water gets trapped and it smells. I mix some mild bleach solution and pour it in and sail for a couple of days then manually pump it out of the bilge with a hand pump so not to put the bleach in the water.
Noooo...bad plan! Bleach has no place on a boat...it's corrosive and destructive to rubber. However it's harmless to the environment because chlorine evaporates within 24 hours...which is another reason not to use it to "clean" a bilge...once it does, you're still left with the source of your odor..and you'll never get rid of any odor until you get rid of the source. Which means you won't ever have a bilge that doesn't stink until you do at least a little manual labor. I'll treat you to a little excerpt from my book (check out the link in my signature below to see what else is in it that, especially as a new boat owner, you'll find useful):
[FONT="]A wet bilge is a dark stagnant swamp.... And it behaves like one, growing a variety of molds, fungi and bacteria—some that thrive in dark stagnant water, others that just like damp dark places...and it generates the same gasses--hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide--that can make a whole boat smell like rotten eggs or a sewer. The warmer the weather and water, the faster they grow. Add some dead and decaying sea water micro-organisms, dirt, food particles, rain water, wash water, hot weather and humidity, plus a little oil or diesel, and you have a real primordial soup…no wonder it stinks![/FONT]
[FONT="]Most people’s approach to bilge cleaning consists only of throwing some bilge cleaner--or worse yet, bleach--into that soup when it starts to stink and calling it done. I’ve never understood WHY they think that’s all there is to it. They wouldn’t just add some detergent and bleach to a bathtub full of dirty bath water, swish it around a bit, then just pull the plug and expect the bathtub to be clean. They wouldn’t just pour some more detergent into a sinkful of dirty dishwater, swish it around a bit, then pull the plug and expect to have clean sink? So WHY do so many boat owners think they can have a clean bilge without any effort and especially without rinsing ALL the dirty water out of it? [/FONT]
[FONT="]So if you want to get rid of the odor, roll up your sleeves and get to work![/FONT]
[FONT="]First--BEFORE using ANY cleaning product, use bilge pads or pillows to soak up any oil or diesel. Dispose of the pads in approved sites. Now, using a good detergent, plenty of water and a scrub brush, really CLEAN the bilges...if there are areas you can't reach by hand, it's time you owned a power washer...I've had one for 15 years (on my second 1650 psi model now), wouldn't ever be without one. And finally, thoroughly flush ALL the dirty water out out. And if you really want to do it right, you need to dry it out completely too... use a shop vac or a hand pump and a sponge and bucket to get what the bilge pump leaves behind (you'd be smart to do this every time you close up the boat), and leave the hatches open so that plenty of fresh air can circulate in it for at least 24 hours.[/FONT]
[FONT="]Once a year should be enough to keep most boats smelling fresh (the best time to do it is in the spring as part of full recommissioning), although it may be necessary to clean the bilge two or three times a year in tropical climates.[/FONT]
