Cleaning the boat cover

[Douglasdzaster]

Hello everyone, I have a denier polyester boat cover made by Marine Raider. (Not exactly top of the line) But it has impressed me by protecting my jon boat for several months now.
Besides wind and rain it’s been covered with oak pollen and had spots of sap that I wipe off when I see them. It’s getting a little stiff feeling and needs to be washed.
Does anyone know the best way to go about it? I’ve got a flat bed trailer to lay it out flat on and thought about using boat soap and a pressure washer. Just wanted an opinion if I should be a little more gentle or not?

 

[MrGiggles]

I would do exactly like you said, mild detergent and a pressure washer with a pretty wide nozzle.

 

[Pappy]

I did the same but used ZEP citrus based cleaner. Laid it out on the concrete and hit it with the pressure washer.
Need to do it again because of the Oak droppings and Oak bloom.

 

[DaleH]

To soften it, once clean ... soak it in a barrel with warm water and some fabric softener in it. Being on saltwater, where the salt spray dries and hardens woven materials and even ropes/rodes, we do this all the time.

 

[Jim]

Great topic! I’ve been neglecting my cover for years and now I’m going to follow the tips here and clean my cover once I get my boat out of storage.

 

[LDUBS]

"Great topic! I’ve been neglecting my cover for years and now I’m going to follow the tips here and clean my cover once I get my boat out of storage."

X2. Mine also currently sits under an Oak and I plan on cleaning it next week. I'm going to just stretch it tight on the boat and attack it with a scrub brush on a long handle and soapy water. I emptied the boat of all rods, tackle etc because I was out of town for awhile. This will be perfect timing to scrub down the cover and then scrub down the boat before I put back all the gear.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

I just ran across this older post I had made. I didn’t realize I hadn’t told yall what I figured out. I apologize for leaving this one hanging.
I don’t have a concrete area big enough so I laid it out on my 14’ flat bed trailer and grabbed the water hose and some Woollite. I used a soft brush and it came clean easy. I need to do it again. I’ve built a frame out of pvc pipe that runs the length of the boat so the cover has a nice tent shape. I was thinking about cleaning it while it’s on the boat this time. Spray on a solution and scrub gently then mist it off with a hose.