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How to Clean Yacht Surfaces:

Cleaning Metal Surfaces

Metal How to Clean
Aluminum Trying mixing 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar in one quart of hot water.
Brass Try a paste made of equal parts salt, vinegar and water. Otherwise try Worcestershire Sauce
Chrome Wipe with cider vinegar to clean, rinse with water. Use Baby Oil to polish.
Copper Try using a paste of Lemmon Juice, water and salt
Stainless Steel Clean and polish with a baking soda/water paste or a cleaner with Bon Ami

General Cleaning

Surface How to Clean
Dishes Use vegetable oil-based soaps/detergents near the ocean.
Fiberglass Stain Remover Try using a paste of baking soda and water.
Floors To clean vinyl tile and linoleum, use 1/4 cup white vinegar in 1 gallon of warm water (add 1/4 cup washing soda if available.)
Glass Use 1/4 cup of white vinegar in 1 quart of water.
Hands Use baby oil or margarine, then clean with soap and water to remove grease, fuel, etc.
Mildew Remover Make a paste of equal parts of eiterh lemon juice and salt or vinegar and salt and scrub. For more severe problems, scrub mildew spots with a borax/water mix using a nylon scouring pad.
Scouring Powders Try using baking soda. Otherwise, try non-clorinated cleanser like Bon Ami

Tips for Wood Treatment

Surface How to Clean
Teak Cleaner Use a biodegradable soap to remove the dirt and saltwater. Try using a mild powder and scrub with bronze wool.
Wood Preservative Avoid products which contain pentachlorophenol (PCP), cresote, tributyltin oxide or folpet. Water-based presevatives that seal the wood and protect it from water rot and insects are readily available. Look for borax-based wood presevatives. A water-based sealer or polyurethane can help to prevent wood rot.
Wood Stains and Finishes Use finishes derived from natural sources, such as shelac, tung oil and linseed oil. Use water-based stains. Try new less-toxic wood working compounds.

Tips for Painting and Stripping

Products How to Use
Paint and Antifouling Products Try epoxiated vinyls, Teflon, Silicon or hard copper paints as alternatives to traditional bottom-sloughing paints.
Paint Stripper Alternatives Avoid strippers containing methylene chloride and trichloroethylene (TCE), benzene, 1,1,1-trichloroethane (TCA), xylene or toluence.