We all know someone who swears by dawn dish soap when it comes to washing their boat. After all, if it's gentle and effective enough to clean oil off of baby ducks, then why shouldn't you use it on your boat? And Simple Green is powerful yet eco-friendly, and it has "simple" in the name, so it must be a great solution for keeping your boat spic and span (no pun intended). In this article, we'll address some of the most commonly ill-advised cleaners boaters use and help to explain why they could slowly be eroding your boat's finishes without you even noticing until it's too late.
1.) Dawn Dish Soap
Dawn's claim to fame is as follows: "We can help you hand wash greasy and dirty dishes without any hassle." - and that it does, rather well. The reason being is that Dawn contains a surfactant called sodium lauryl sulfate, which helps break down and remove grease and oil. When you apply Dawn dish soap to greasy dishes or surfaces, the surfactant molecules surround the grease molecules. These molecules attach to the grease, surrounded it and lifting it off the surface. In layman's terms: Dawn is a degreaser. Degreasers are also capable of stripping protective coatings and leaving your boat's surfaces porous and vulnerable to staining, UV damage, water damage and mold and mildew growth.
2.) Simple Green
Leveraging a rather clever naming convention "Simple" and "Green" communicates to consumers that the formula is void of complication and is eco-friendly. At face value, it's a perfect inexpensive solution to multi-surface maintenance. Upon further review, Simple Green is also a degreaser. The primary degreasing ingredient in Simple Green is a surfactant called alkyl polyglucoside. lkyl polyglucoside is a type of non-ionic surfactant derived from natural sources such as coconut oil and cornstarch. (hence: "Green"). However, regardless of its naturally-derived ingredients, Simple Green is still capable of stripping away hours of hard labor spent compounding, polishing, waxing and buffing (or what's possibly worse) hard-earned money spent on ceramic coatings. And like Dawn Dish Soap, it will leave every surface on your boat vulnerable to premature aging over time.
3.) Vinegar and Bathroom Cleaners
You'll hear fellow boaters claim everything from vinegar to soft scrub to comet and "just a bit of bleach" are capable of keeping their boat clean on-the-cheap. But like everything else, the red flags of common sense will tell you that if it seems to good to be true, it probably is. Like degreasers stripping away your boat's protective layers, acids and bleaches masquerade as superior solutions to cleaning your boat - but they all have one dirty little secret - they're highly abrasive. Let's talk pH levels. We'll keep it simple:
Simply put: Products with a balanced pH are effective, but will not harm the surfaces on your boat. Using anything else has the potential to harm, damage and pre-maturely age your boat.
When selecting a cleaning product for your boat, it's important to opt for one with a balanced pH level. This ensures its effectiveness as a cleaner without being excessively strong, thereby preventing potential harm to your boat's surfaces or the surrounding marine environment and aquatic life. This consideration becomes particularly crucial when dealing with surfaces that have a sealant or wax coating.
The pH scale spans from 0 - 14, with 7 being the midpoint considered neutral—pure water is an example of a neutral liquid.
High pH
Liquids with a pH above 7 are termed "basic or alkaline: examples include most hand soaps and bleach, both of which are alkaline cleaners. Alkaline cleaners excel at removing grease and oil. If you're aiming to degrease your engine, consider using a cleaner with a high pH.
Low pH
Solutions with pH levels 0 - 6 are considered acidic; examples include vinegar, coffee, sodas, and lemon juice. Acids break down stubborn stains, making them more manageable to remove. If your goal is to eliminate rust from your deck or address a waterline stain, a cleaner with a low pH is more suitable than one with a high pH. Nevertheless, it's important to note that when using an acidic cleaner, always ensure to thoroughly rinse the cleaned area with fresh water afterward.
So which products should you use to clean your boat? It depends on the task at hand. If you're looking simply clean your boat on a routine basis throughout the season, a high-performance eco-friendly boat wash with powerful, yet gentle surfactants like SKWOL Wash & Prep is the best boat soap to use. If you're goal is restore a heavily soiled boat and remove stubborn build-up, without the concern of removing protective coatings - some of the cleaners above may do the trick once or twice. If you do choose to use any of the household products mentioned in the list above, make sure you follow them up with protective coatings for every surface on your boat. SKWOL 3 Step Pro Kit has everything you need to safely protect and maintain those surfaces after such a wash to extend the life of your boat's appearance.
