Despite your best efforts to keep your personal watercraft (PWC) in pristine condition, one area that inevitably succumbs to dirt and wear over time is the foam-seats.
Whether you’re navigating choppy waters or basking in the sun’s rays, PWC seats endure a constant barrage of elements, from saltwater spray to UV exposure and everything in between.
As a result, even with regular cleaning, PWC seats gradually accumulate grime, black dots, and signs of wear that can detract from both their appearance and comfort.
In this post, we’ll explore the common factors that contribute to the gradual soiling of PWC seats over time, as well as practical cleaning steps and maintenance strategies to help keep them looking and feeling their best for years to come.
Cleaning Steps
Below are the steps I take for cleaning dirty PWC seats.
- Remove them.
- Thoroughly wet the seat.
- Spray the mold & mildew remover cleaner (Amazon Link Ad) on the cushions.
- Let it sit for a minute.
- Wet the Boat Erasers (Amazon Link Ad) and wipe all the affected areas.
- Thoroughly rinse the cushions.
When the seats are cleaned and dry, put on vinyl protectant (Amazon Link Ad) to keep them protected.
What if they are still not cleaned? Keep reading on!
Cleaning Really Dirty cushions
Sometimes I have a few cushions and soft items like covers that don’t get cleaned with the mold and mildew sprays made for such things.
Sometimes, you just need something a little stronger!
Warning: Do a hidden test spot before doing the whole area!
Repeating the steps in the last section, but instead of the mildew cleaner, use this Outdoor Cleaner (Amazon Link Ad). This stuff will stain clothes, so make sure to not wear your good clothing. Also, I suggest you try to avoid the seams and stitches of the cushions.
Boat Erasers
The real magic has been boat erasers (Amazon Link Ad), which are magic erasers made for boats.
These boat erasers are not my daily cleaning of my Sea-Doo, but my go-to for really dirty cushions. Most of the time, a simple boat wash and Simple Green (Amazon Link Ad) gets them cleaned. I figured, if you Google this, then you have filthy cushions and need a good solution.
I would not use regular magic erasers, these boat erasers are made for boats, and it’s soft materials like cushions. You’re going to have to trust me on this one, they’re way better for your boat than magic erasers.
Just Paint It
I’ve cleaned a lot of boat and watercraft cushions, and sometimes the black dots/marks and stains WON’T come out.
The vinyl freckles, just your skin, and it’s there forever. It looks like mold and mildew, but it won’t come out because it’s damaged. People don’t believe me when I say this, they keep trying to remove the black dots, but they won’t come out on some cushions.
The last thing you can do is simply paint the cushions with a vinyl spray paint. This is super easy to do if the cushion is one color, but if not, you have to mask off the areas you don’t want to paint.
The video below shows the best way to do it:
Cleaning The Whole craft?
Cleaning the whole watercraft is a different process that I cover here.
You don’t clean your whole jet ski the same way you clean the cushions. The cushions on jet skis are very different and need different care.
Cleaning The Cover
Cleaning your jet ski cover is similar to your jet ski cushions, both are soft surfaces and hold on to mold/mildew.
For cleaning the cover, you put it on a flat surface and spray it down with water and then the mildew remover cleaner. Make sure the cover is over something that doesn’t get affected by bleach.
Can you wash the cover in the washing machine? You can put your cover in the washing machine and clean on a gentle cycle, but I don’t suggest putting it in the dryer.