What do you clean your kayak with?

[Fairtax4me]

I know some of you guys have to be OCD about your kayaks being clean. I’m not at that level that mine has to be spotless, but having that grimey stuff from the lake on the sides and dirt and leaves and stuff in the floor and inside just bothers me. I clean it after every trip. Usually stuff just rinses off or comes off somewhat easily with a brush and car wash soap. 

 

 But today I got into a real mess. Most of it came off, but it took some work, and regular wash soap just ain’t cutting it. So what do you guys who keep your yaks clean use to wash this kinda grime off with after a trip? 

I have some stuff I can put on the hull that will help keep this from happening again, but I need it CLEAN first before I put the stuff on. 

 

The second pic inside Its hard to see the splotches of brown goo, but they’re all over around from splashing up through the scupper holes. 

[flyfisher]

only time i clean my kayak is if i am feeling randy after power washing my house and i just say huh, might as well do the kayak while i have the power washer out.  Other than that, i just leave it all and don't worry about it.

[Darren.]

A new "whatever" wants owner to clean it and keep it "pure".

 

Heck with that, man!  USE IT and clean it when you need to!!

 

That said, 409 is always good,  

[MN Fisher]

51 minutes ago, Darren. said:

That said, 409 is always good,  

Simple Green is another good choice - plus it's non-toxic and biodegradable.

 

409? From the MSDS...

"This mixture is considered hazardous by the 2012 OSHA Hazard Communication Standard"

"Skin Contact: Take off contaminated clothing. Rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15-20 minutes.

Call a poison control center or doctor for treatment advice.

Inhalation: Move to fresh air. If breathing is affected, call a doctor."

 

I ran away from 409 years ago.

[NYWayfarer]

13 hours ago, Fairtax4me said:

I clean it after every trip. Usually stuff just rinses off or comes off somewhat easily with a brush and car wash soap.  

Same here. I find I can get almost any gunk and stains off with a good scrub with a floor brush.

 

Anything that requires more gets a spray of foaming cleaner. Spray it on let it sit a minute than scrub away.

[Tizi]

I use simple green and then apply a good coat of 303 aerospace protectant

[Hawkeye21]

The only time mine gets cleaned is if it's raining while I'm traveling with it.

[Choporoz]

Clean it?

[Darren.]

16 hours ago, MN Fisher said:

Simple Green is another good choice - plus it's non-toxic and biodegradable.

 

409? From the MSDS...

"This mixture is considered hazardous by the 2012 OSHA Hazard Communication Standard"

"Skin Contact: Take off contaminated clothing. Rinse skin immediately with plenty of water for 15-20 minutes.

Call a poison control center or doctor for treatment advice.

Inhalation: Move to fresh air. If breathing is affected, call a doctor."

 

I ran away from 409 years ago.

Hmm. Might explain some things ...  

 

Makes for a great ant killer, tho.

[J Francho]

I don't get fancy.  I hose it down if it gets dirty.

[wasabi_VA]

I just pulled a kayak out from behind the shed where it has sat for 5+ years. The accumulated leaf debris, mud splatter and even some light surface mold from last year's wet Fall made it a mess. I put some car wash soap and a splash of bleach in a bucket and used a scrub brush and hose to clean it up. It needed the scrub brush as I first tried a rag. It came out really clean and colors more vibrant when I was done. On another kayak with similar hull mess as yours I used a spray product they call hull cleaner. Don't leave it on for long but fine for long enough to spray/scrub/rinse. Works amazingly well.

 

But for normal cleaning I have used simple green (I always dilute mine 50/50) and scrub brush and rinse with the hose.

[DogBone_384]

20 hours ago, Tizi said:

I use simple green and then apply a good coat of 303 aerospace protectant

... ditto ....

[Harold Scoggins]

Dawn and warm water.

[CountryboyinDC]

I always wash mine after I go somewhere with snakeheads because I don't want to be the person to introduce them to a body of water that doesn't have them.  I just use car wash soap.  I had some slime like that on mine once, and used the same stuff I use to clean my reels - Simple Green Crystal.  It got it pretty clean, though there's still a line on it.  I'm with most of the users here in that I don't worry about cleaning my kayak every time I go out.

[J Francho]

1 hour ago, CountryboyinDC said:

I always wash mine after I go somewhere with snakeheads because I don't want to be the person to introduce them to a body of water that doesn't have them.

I'm not sure how you'd introduce a fish to another water with a plastic boat.

[jaimeastin]

Basic cleaning... But more importantly is the use of 303.  I have case of the stuff in my garage because I use if on my boat, vehicle, outdoor patios/pool stuff.  I use it on everything.