cleaning vinyl

III · 06-16-04, 12:49

Is it ok to use household soap like Dawn to clean soft vinyl such as tonneau covers, auto interiors, boat seats, etc., or is it best to use a cleaner that's designed for vinyl instead? What about using automotive soaps?

I thought maybe using household soaps might dry out the vinyl quicker? If so, is this over time (if I use it a lot) or will this happen if I use the Dawn just once?

thinksnow · 06-16-04, 01:12

I used to just use marine soap on the seats. This year, I used a degreaser diluted fairly weak and followed up with Hammerhead Boatworks' Vinyl Protectant.

I don't think you'll go wrong using auto shampoo, but I don't know if you'll get the cleaning action you want (especially with boat seats).

PS: The vinyl protectant smelled awesome and left the seats dry to the touch. I'll post some pics when I'm not as lazy and the boat is finished.

6318 · 06-16-04, 01:21

Don't use dawn!!!
yes, it will dry it out too much...
I've heard for heavy cleaning to use a 10:1 dilution of water:simple green