When cleaning a boat why should only non phosphate detergents be used

I recently wrote about the Clean Marina organization that is starting to control what member marinas can and can’t use in and around their properties. The goal of this organization is to help marinas and boat yards reduce and manage their hazardous waste and implement improvements to restore our waterways and protect the environment.One of the rules we need to start following at marinas that belong to this organization is that we can only use approved boat soaps. This means that no matter who is washing your boat, whether it’s you or your boat detailer, only certain boat soaps can be used. Biodegradable means nothing anymore. They must also be phosphate-free AND leave no suds in the water. I mentioned some boat soaps in my article about the Clean Marina organization last month. In this article, I’ll go into more detail about three soaps you can use if your marina belongs to this organization.

Green Doesn’t Necessarily = Clean

What we’ve found with the “green” soaps that have less chemicals in them and are phosphate-free is that although they are more environmentally safe to use around waterways and don’t irritate the skin or nose as much as other stronger cleaners might, they sometimes aren’t strong enough for the extra dirty boats. Ideally, a boat should never be left uncared for that it gets so dirty that it requires strong chemical-laden cleaners or soaps in the first place, but unfortunately that happens all too often.The more often a boat is washed, the cleaner it will be and therefore the mild soaps and cleaning products will work just fine and because your boat is cleaned often allowing you to use milder cleaning products, those mild cleaning products will strip less wax so your boat is protected better and longer not allowing water streaks and bird droppings to set into the gel coat but instead wash right off. I agree, it’s a vicious cycle!Let’s recap…

Boat is cleaned often > able to use milder cleaning products > strips less wax > boat stays cleaner.

Likewise…

Boat is not cleaned often > must use stronger cleaners to clean away dirt and mildew > strips wax in the process > boat gets dirtier faster because it doesn’t have a layer of wax protecting it > stains soak into gel coat easier.

Now let’s review some of those more environmentally-friendly boat soaps that will help you keep your boat clean if done on a regular basis. I recommend washing your boat at least every three weeks, buffing and waxing the whole boat once per year and buffing and waxing the topside again about six months later if it’s starting to fade a bit.

Starbrite Sea Safe Boat Soap

This is one of the more common (easier to find) boat soaps we’ve been using that is both phosphate-free and doesn’t leave suds in the water. It will suds up a bit in the bucket but it rinses off almost suds-free. I’ve found it to do a good job at helping wash away dirt and it seems to get the boat nice and clean.

Captain John’s Yacht Shine

This was the only boat soap we could find at this time that actually had an “approved by Clean Marina” sticker on it. However, this soap did leave suds in the water, so I’m not sure if they actually tested it or if we just got a stronger mixture this time. It did an alright job of getting the boat clean, but we had to use a bit of extra elbow grease to get some tougher stains out. It’s a soap we often use at the more strict marinas so we can show the harbor master the seal of approval if asked about our supplies, but it’s not typically our first choice for washing.

Zaal Sea Solve

This is a boat soap that was introduced to me a few weeks ago and we’ve been using it ever since. It’s was first designed as a boat soap that was very good at removing salt spray and crystals but it became so much more. It’s phosphate-free and is made of mostly natural ingredients and smells great. Your boat will literally smell like fresh fruit. It’s really good at cleaning tough stains and works well to get dirt out of teak decks. It has a de-foamer in it, so you won’t see suds in the bucket or the water. At first, you feel like you’re just using a bucket of water to wash your boat with since you can’t see any suds, but after a while you get used to it and realize that it’s doing a good job cleaning. However, this soap is almost three times as expensive as the other soaps. We save it for our large yachts and boats with special finishes.

Tips On Green Cleaning

You can try to wash your boat with baking ingredients, such as vinegar and baking soda, but let’s face it, in some cases when there’s more dirt than you bargained for, those ingredients are better for zucchini bread than boat washing. Unless you wash your boat on a weekly basis, completely pure ingredients may not be able to cut through strong stains, heavier dirt or green and black mildew as quickly or as easily as something with a specific cleaning agent in it that is meant for the job.I’ve always said that cleaner wax is one of the best cleaners you can use because it stays on your boat. You can use cleaner wax to remove scuff marks made by the shore power cord, fenders or lines. Cleaner wax can also brighten up stainless, remove marks in non-skid, remove stains left from bird and spider droppings and leaves, clean and polish plastic windows and remove stubborn water streaks in between your big wax jobs.

One thing I’d like to point out is that some of the spray cleaners that are meant to remove specific stains or that are considered “green” such as Simple Green can remove wax over time. You’re main goal is not to use a cleaning product that removes wax. That’s not doing your gel coat any good. Better to use cleaner wax as a cleaning product before you reach for the spray cleaners.

Products used to clean boats often contain harmful ingredients, which are used out of habit rather than necessity. Often chlorine, phosphates and ammonia are used to wash decks and hulls of boats. These products can damage human and fish tissue. There are "green" alternatives to these and other harsh chemicals, that is, products that are less harmful to you or the environment. Baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice are far less harmful than bleaches, scouring powders, or detergents. Try these safer, non-toxic cleaning alternatives:

Traditional Product	Try this Alternative
Bleach	Borax or hydrogen peroxide
Detergent of Soap	Non-toxic, biodegradable soap with elbow grease
Scouring Powders	Baking soda
Floor Cleaner	One cup white vinegar in two gallons of water
Window Cleaner	One capful of vinegar in one-quart warm water
General Cleaner	Bicarbonate of soda and vinegar, or lemon juice combined with natural enzymes
Shower Cleaner	Wet surface, sprinkle on baking soda, rub surface with scouring cloth
Aluminum Cleaner	Two tablespoons cream of tartar to one-quart hot water
Brass Cleaner	Worcestershire sauce or paste of equal parts salt, vinegar and water
Copper Cleaner	Lemon juice and salt
Chrome Cleaner	Apple cider vinegar to clean and baby oil to polish
Fiberglass Stain Remover	Baking soda paste
Drain Opener	Disassemble or use plumber's snake; don't use harmful substances in a thru-hull drain; flush weekly with boiling water
Mildew Remover	Paste using equal parts lemon juice and salt, or vinegar and salt
Wood Polish	Three parts olive oil to one part vinegar; almond or olive oil (interior unvarnished wood only)
Hand Cleaner	Baby oil or margarine, then clean with soap and water

Tips for Washing the Topside of Your Boat

Purchase the least toxic product available to do the job.
When cleaning, try water and a little elbow grease first.
Look for the words "phosphate-free," "biodegradable," "environmentally friendly," or "green" on the product label.
Try not to use products that say "poison" or have "danger" warnings.
Request biodegradable and non-toxic boat maintenance products from your marina or marine supply store.

Content Last Updated on December 2019

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You need to clean your boat, and I’m going to help you learn how keep it clean the natural non-toxic way, without having to use cleaning agents that contain phosphates and other poisonous chemicals that are a danger to the ecosystem as they are rinsed off your boat into the oceans, lakes, rivers, sewers, etc.

The main problem with chemicals is they don’t go away. They may get diluted into the water but they are still causing damage to both the life and land. It is just good math that if we do not use them they cannot poison anything.

Grey water is created when a detergent is added to the cleaning water. Algae growth accelerates when phosphates are discharged into fresh water and then the decomposition of the dead algae removes oxygen from the water, which in turn harms the fish and wildlife.

Grey water is waste water, like the water left in the sink when you wash your hands, shower or bathe. This water is not fit to drink but it can be used for flushing the head and landscape irrigation. It can also be treated in manmade and restored wetlands that are designed to act as bio-filters that remove contaminants from the affected water.

In order to protect that Ecosystem while keeping your boat clean lets have:

Less washing. Not you, your boat and vehicle.
No discharge of cleaning water into sewers; use it in landscape irrigation or flushing the head.
Cleaning of your boat and equipment at home as much as possible to avoid possible contamination of fresh or saltwater by runoff.
Use of a non-toxic brand of gel coat wax to help stop dirt from becoming engrained in the hull of the boat. A gel coat is designed to provide a high quality, durable finish on the outer surface of a fibre-reinforced composite material. This will reduce the need for detergents when washing your boat.

Any naturally occurring substances such as salt, spores, dust or pollen will not harm the ecosystem when washed into the water while rinsing your boat off with fresh water after putting it on your trailer.

Harsh chemical cleaners, soaps, and detergents are detrimental to the wax coatings on your boats hull.

Note: In Canada, manufacturers do not have to verify whether their claims that products they make are “non-polluting” or “fully bio-degradable”. All detergents including the ones that claim to be “Environmentally Friendly” or “Green” contain polluting phosphates and nitrates. The “Environmental Choice” logo indicates a degree of acceptability.

Alternatives to Toxic Cleaners

Item Being Cleaned	Alternative Cleaners
Fiberglass	Baking soda and salt
Aluminum	1 tbsp of cream of tartar in a half litre of hot water
Brass	Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, and salt solution
Chrome	Vinegar and salt solution
Copper	Lemon juice and salt solution
Decks	1 part vinegar to 8 parts water
Hair	Baby shampoo (phosphate free and Ph balanced)
Hands	Baby oil or margarine
Clear plastic	1 part vinegar 2 parts water
Mildew	Vinegar and salt solution
Shower	Wet the area, apply baking soda, wipe down
Toilet	Baking soda
Windows	1 part vinegar 2 parts water
Wood	Polish with olive oil
Chrome/Metal	Polish with baby oil
Bleaching	Hydrogen peroxide
Scouring	Baking soda