It’s been 20 years since I’ve seen what the original cushions looked like. If the fabric is a vinyl, a strong item such as Pinesol should do wonders, or any other liquid that is designed to clean deep dirt.
If a woven fabric, Capture spray and powder works wonders. The upholstery cleaner I used to subcontract to recommended it.
It's a grey vinyl. Would hve replaced it years ago, but they work fine and they have studs sewn into them that match studs in the cockpit to hold them in place. Very nifty.
NiceAft wrote: ↑Sun Jun 01, 2025 8:07 pm
It’s been 20 years since I’ve seen what the original cushions looked like. If the fabric is a vinyl, a strong item such as Pinesol should do wonders, or any other liquid that is designed to clean deep dirt.
If a woven fabric, Capture spray and powder works wonders. The upholstery cleaner I used to subcontract to recommended it.
I did not order any cushions for Nice Aft. I did not like what the factory made. Soon after purchasing the boat, I had an upholsterer make cockpit cushions out of black Sunbrella fabric. A couple of decades later, they still look good and feel good.
NiceAft wrote: ↑Mon Jun 02, 2025 12:45 pm
I did not order any cushions for Nice Aft. I did not like what the factory made. Soon after purchasing the boat, I had an upholsterer make cockpit cushions out of black Sunbrella fabric. A couple of decades later, they still look good and feel good.
I bought factory cushions. Junk. Used them for template. Bought new open cell foam (drains water not soak it up)
I took Ray's advice about the black sunbrella. That stuff is amazing. However, I got "creative" and bought black-ISH sunbrella material. It has some other fibers mixed in so it's not solid. I thought it would hide dirt better. It does, but also get super hot in the sun. My sunbrella dodger, bimini, sail cover do not. Should have stuck with the plan.
BTW 303 cleaner was developed for the aerospace industry. We use it on lots of stuff.
dlandersson wrote: ↑Sun Jun 01, 2025 3:47 pm
I have the original cockpit cushions. They're pretty dirty
Recomendatioms for cleaning cosckpit cusions?
Magic Eraser with pretty much any cleaning solution like Simple Green for example, followed by a protective layer of 303 Aerospace...worked magic for me on the original cushion covers.
dlandersson wrote: ↑Sun Jun 01, 2025 3:47 pm
I have the original cockpit cushions. They're pretty dirty
Recomendatioms for cleaning cosckpit cusions?
Magic Eraser with pretty much any cleaning solution like Simple Green for example, followed by a protective layer of 303 Aerospace...worked magic for me on the original cushion covers.
Magic Erasers will help clean the cushions… but at a cost. They will cause scratches in the vinyl that will eventually collect more grime that will be harder to remove the next time around. I am not a fan of them.
I am a fan, however, of the StarBrite brand of cleaners and polishes for marine use. I’d try this stuff first… if that doesn’t work, then move to the more harsh stuff.
It really does not require anything exotic. The simple fact is that all you need to clean vinyl is soap and water. To bring back the shine however, a protectant/polish is a good idea. Products designed to do all of that in one application can do a nice job, but it remains that to clean, soap and water is sufficient.
Of course if one has not done any maintenance on the cushions from time immemorial, good luck.
Starscream wrote: ↑Tue Jun 03, 2025 12:35 pm
Results of the Magic Eraser process several years ago. With the 303 applied afterwards, the cushions still look great.