Last week I went to check on my boat at the storage unit (outside). Since I no longer have a tow vehicle, and my friends and myself are caught up with school and work, it had been sitting outside a couple months. It has been raining cats and dogs here recently so I took the cover off to allow the boat some time to breathe and get rid of all the moisture. Unfortunately, mildew began to buildup on the vinyl in the bow, driver's seat, sundeck, and other various spots in the boat. Although it was wasn't as bad as some of the pics I've seen on WW, it was enough to make you think, "Aww...my poor baby! Don't worry, I'll clean you up buddy!" <BR> <BR>I did a little research on here, searching old posts to find a tried and true mildew remover. Many people suggested the magic eraser, so I went with that. Aside from the erasers, I brought Greased Lightning, which people also suggested, and an all purpose cleaner. <BR> <BR>First target was the driver's seat. I was astonished at how easily the eraser wiped away the mildew. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me. You barely have to apply any pressure and it will take off the stain/grime/mildew. I compared it to the all purpose cleaner and greased lightning by initially trying to clean a spot with one of the two, then going over it with the eraser. Scrub and scrub with a towel and liquid cleaner, yet you won't get as good as a cleaning from the eraser. Also, I was able to clean water stains and marks from wear and tear that have been there for YEARS! It couldn't wipe away everything on the white/tan vinyl sundeck, but it looks the cleanest it has been in a long time! I drove away with a big smile on my face <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/proud.gif" border=0>

Torrey just make sure you follow up with 303 or some sort of Uv protecting Coating. MAgic Eraser dries out the seats and the stitching.

Where do you buy the magic eraser from?

They also remove vinyl, look it up.

Do not use them, unless you are out of alternatives. It's effectively sand paper and removes the top layer of the vinyl...

I would not use these unless you had to. I used these several times on my Malibu VLX and it destroyed the stitching. 303 cleaner is amazing really. I also heard babes is good, but i don't use anything but soap and water anymore. <BR> <BR>You can buy them at mostly any grocery store. If you use them, stay away from the stitching

Crap! Nowhere did I read that they do damage to vinyl? I will go back ASAP and apply some 303. One time isn't catastrophic though, hopefully. Appreciate the advice.

Malco makes a cleaner that is AMAZING. its called malco leather and plastic cleaner. it made our boat look cleaner then the day we got it. spray it on. use the cloth that comes with it to scrub the vinyl. then rinse it off with a sponge. looks amazing. it has taked things off the seats that where there since we bought the boat. might be worth looking into

You'll be fine. I have used it for a couple of years with no problems and my interior is 11 years old. I always use 303 after cleaning though.

These people saying Magic Eraser's SAND vinyl. Humm??? Sounds intresting. I dont doubt it can do it. I say each and every vinyl is diffrent. IMO no one product or cleaner is safe and effectieve on All types of vinyl. I tryed greased lightning and that was the most caustic dammaging product I could have ever put on my vinyl same as Strabite vinyl cleaner. Now let me say if I have a 15 year old boat that sat in the sun every day Im sure greased lightning or Starbrite would be fine. Some vinyl is so beat down and thrashed you need somthing very strong to re-store the vinyl. But a guy who has a 1 or 2 year old boat with minor dirt and grime greased lightning or other hard core products/cleaners will take years off the life of your vinyl. I haven't experianced the Sanding people talk about with Magic Erasers, Im not saying it dosen't happen but no one I have talked to that uses them has had any problems with them. I will say this "You should always try a small section of vinyl or leather that's out of the way before you use it on the main sections of your boat/car. Example I have had great experiances with the Malco plastic and leather cleaner. I tryed it on the leather seats in my Esclade and it dammaged them. You cant assume what works and is safe on one type of Vinyl or leather is safe for all kind's try first and see what your product does to the vinyl and when ur sure its safe then go for it. <BR>IMO Magic Erasers are fine if you use them with lots of soap and not for every cleaning.

Yeah, I assume they aren't terrible if used in moderation. This was the first mildew outbreak we've had since we bought the boat in 2001. Vinyl has been well taken care of for the most part, and yes I agree that vinyl, like leather, differs by boat and year. Nothing noticeable after the procedure, and hopefully it will stay that way.

Not arguing or starting a war but i gotta say this about them. I read about it on a car forum and didn't buy it either as i'd used them before too on a previous boat. So I tried it on a colored vinyl scrap, gave it a decent wet scrubbing and color came of on the eraser. It also smoothed out the texture a bit and you could feel the difference. And while all vinyls may be different it's still vinyl and the erasers are still abrasive, akin to a 1500/2000 grit sandpaper wet imo. But then everyone can make their own choices. <BR> <BR>I personally won't use them but that's just me. What i didn't like and why it dries vinyl out is that one of the key ingredients in the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is formaldehyde, great. Read below if you need more proof. <BR> <BR><a href="http://arcadearchive.com/pinball/magic/" target="_blank">http://arcadearchive.com/pinball/magic/</a> <BR> <BR><a href="http://www.consumersearch.com/stain-removers/mr-clean-magic-eraser" target="_blank">http://www.consumersearch.com/stain-removers/mr-clean-magic-eraser</a> <BR> <BR><a href="http://prohowtos.ipower.com/content/mr-clean-magic-eraser-product-review-does-it-work-and-it-safe" target="_blank">http://prohowtos.ipower.com/content/mr-clean-magic-eraser-product-review-does-it-work-and-it-safe</a>

"Formaldehyde". Bleach as well I believe? They are terrible for your vinyl and thread. "G" would you happen to have any pics of the leather damage? Not doubting you, just have never seen any damage from Malco Plastic and Leather cleaner in many years of use.

They are fine to use, just dont scrub like a mad man. I have used it on my boats for a long time with no problems what so ever. Theres NO bleach in them either and they work great on gelcoat NOT paint though (like your car)it will scratch paint. I gently wipe my seats with them. I prolly woulndnt use it on old already dried out colored seats.

Sparky: Yea I can take some Pick's. Right on the Malco bottle it say's to test the product in a small out of the way section. So Im not blameing the dammage on the product more like user error

Thanks Grant. You know I really push this stuff to friends and customers of mine and am interested to hear about any problems people have had.

I have used the Magic Erasers on hard to remove marks in the boat upholstery with some good success. It does seem like it's removing it sort of like a fine grit sandpaper would so I've been pretty cautious about using it a lot or really grinding into the upholstery with it. <BR> <BR>I picked up a couple of bottles of the Malco product a while back. We haven't been able to use it a lot yet. But I did clean the engine cover one time with it &amp; then had the boat out a couple times after that. My initial impression is that it does a good job of cleaning the upholstery. My interior is mostly white with dirt in the grain &amp; the Malco gets to it pretty well. But we didn't care for the slick finish it left behind. After the engine cover gets wet after cleaning with Malco, it's slicker than snot. It will be interesting to use come spring time &amp; see how long that lasts. <BR>I may be going back to Babes or trying Magestic next.

Bill, if it was slick after cleaning when it gets wet, you most likely didn't get all Malco off before it dried. I use a soft brissle brush, followed my two towels, one wet, to soak up the grime, and one dry to buff with. Ring out and rinse the wet towel frequently. When I am done the vinyl feels very supple, even kinda dry until protectant is applied.

My '05 24SSV had been sitting in Florida for a year without a cover on it. Nothing worked, not Oxy Clean, Greased Lightening, Simple Green (I know, you shouldn't use it), or any conventional method. I bought a box of magic erasers and got in my boat with a bucket of water. Fifteen minutes later I was gone to Wal-Mart to buy 5 more boxes. LOVE them, and keep one in my boat for irresponsible passengers.

Jay, The local place I buy my malco cleaner at said they don't reccomend the Malco cleaner for certain types of leather. They said it will remove the coloring.

anyone want to save money over buying Malco???? <BR> <BR>There is this stuff at the dollar store in a frosted clear bottle that says AWESOME CLEANER "As seen on TV" and I have my pretty solid beliefs that it is Malco that is re-packaged for the $1 store. I am no chemical engineer, but it looks the same, smells the same, and cleans exactly the same. I have used a bunch of this stuff and I am telling you it is the same. Someone else that uses Malco, should go try it out and tell me what you think.....

i used to work for my cousin, he owns a carpet cleaning company. and he uses "awesome" in his solution for the carpets. <BR>and i could see how you could say that it might be the same as malco. but i think they are different. they are pretty similar now that you mention it. but i dont think they are the same

Diggs, will look into that next time I go to the dollar store...