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Foundation Findings #44 - Boarding Ladders

Green Your Cleaning Routine

Most of the cleaners performed similarly well in the cleaning performance tests, with a few stand outs and a few disappointments. We did not find much correlation between environmental impact and cleaning performance. Meaning that generally the "greenness" of a cleaner did not impact its ability to clean. 

Regardless of your choice of cleaner, how you use it can determine your environmental impact as much, if not more than, the toxicity and degradability of the product itself. Factors such as how much you dilute a product, how much you use, and where you clean your boat all contribute to the amount of product that ends up in the environment. Here are some tips to remember:

  • Rinse your boat regularly with fresh water to prevent dirt and debris from accumulating.
  • Follow the dilution recommendations on all cleaning products. It is important to use the cleaning product as specified – whether applied directly to the hull, mixed in a bucket, or attached to a hose. We found that in most cases where the product had a range of recommended dilutions, that the stronger mixture worked equally well as the weaker mixture. So save yourself some money and stick with the weakest recommended solution that works.
  • Use an environmentally friendly general boat soap for an overall cleaning, then spot treat those troublesome stains with a stronger product. We found that regardless of "green" claims, the five cleaners that were directly applied with a spray or a paste were hundreds, to thousands of times more toxic when used as directed than the 15 boat soaps that are mixed with water in a bucket.
  • Minimize runoff of any cleaning products by using a towel after harsh spot treatments.

    • Click to go to the next page of the Foundation Findings 45 report

    		 Rinse your boat often to prevent dirt and debris from accumulating.
    Rinse your boat often to prevent dirt and debris from accumulating.
    Rinse your boat often to prevent dirt and debris from accumulating.
    Use more concentrated cleaners for spot-treaments and use a diluted boat soap for all-over cleaning.
    Use more concentrated cleaners for spot-treaments and use a diluted boat soap for all-over cleaning.
    Always follow the instructions on the product's label.
    Always follow the instructions on the product's label. If there are multiple options for dilution, choose the weakest.
     
     
     
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