The Safest Soaps for Your Boat and the Environment

The right soap will make washing your boat much easier. Randy Vance

Internet analytics reveal that “environmentally safe boat soap” is a wildly common search term entered into Google. The keystrokes reveal a plethora of bits and advice from forums, magazines and websites pointing toward food ingredients for cleaning. ­After all, if you can eat it, it can’t be bad for the environment, right?

Not so fast.

Just as many medicines are poison when improperly dosed, many food products can also be destructive pollutants in the environment. And nearly all food ingredients selected by “homegrown” boaters are chosen for caustic or abrasive properties destructive to the protective attributes of a boat’s gelcoat.

We spoke to Charles Martin, regional ­manager for Polynt Composites USA, one of the largest providers of gelcoat compounds in the US boating market. He reveals that the three enemies of your boat’s gelcoat are high acidic or alkaline cleaners used too frequently, improper use of abrasives, and a failure to protect gelcoat from the sun’s UV light.

“Gelcoats are applied to a polished mold, and the boat is built inside that coated mold,” Martin says. “As it cures, a thin resin layer develops on the gelcoat next to the mold, and that seals and protects the compound beneath it. Once you’ve damaged that surface, you might need progressively harsher cleaning methods as the unprotected gelcoat ­continues to break down.”

His recommendation for maintaining your boat’s shine is frequent washing with a neutral PH soap followed by a coat of wax. The sooner you begin, the better and easier it is to protect your investment. Avoid pine tars and alcohol, both of which act as solvents when applied to cured ­resins. 

We also contacted a major manufacturer of ­car-care and boat-care products to ask the ­question: What is the difference between car-wash and ­boat-wash soap? The off-the-record reply was “very ­little.” Both car topcoats and gelcoat require a soap with a neutral pH (indicating neither too acidic nor too alkaline), with surfactants to lift dirt ­without use of solvents that damage the finish over time. 

Finally, we looked into environmental ­issues pertaining to soaps. In the 1970s, at the ­encouragement of the Environmental Protection Agency, soap manufacturers began to eliminate phosphates—a persistent pollutant—and replaced them with other unpronounceable but ­more-readily-biodegradable chemicals. Today’s EPA recommendations expand to include ­packaging highly concentrated soaps in smaller bottles to be diluted for cleaning by the user. This shrinks the environmental footprint of ­manufacturing, ­bottling, storing and ­transportation ­considerably.

The survey says: Boaters are reluctant to go “off-label” for cleaning supplies, but savvy boaters know when they can and when they can’t. After years of noticing that many professional cleaners used off-label products, we decided it was time to see if they were safe for your boat.

How We Tested

We traveled to Advance Auto Parts, Walmart, and West Marine to find auto, boat, and household cleaners to test for pH and review for caustic ingredients. We eliminated soaps that had pine tar and other solvents. We avoided products that advertised a wax product as an ingredient. Our job was to find soaps that prep for wax or ceramic, not ones that add a coating we’d have to remove.

A pH-neutral soap desirable for cleaning gelcoat will register between 6 and 8 pH, with 7 being absolute neutral. We tested pH with litmus-test strips acquired at a pool-supply store and an electronic meter from Harbor Freight Tools, then averaged the results. First, we tested the soap in concentrate form, then diluted it according to directions and tested it again. The pH of a soap is one important consideration. A high-alkaline soap with a pH of over 8 or a highly acidic soap of under 5 can be absorbed and diluted instantly in the mass of a ­waterway, but over the long haul, it is harmful to the finish of a boat and its upholstery.

This soap forms a dense foam, and with a brush or mop, removes all but the most penetrating stains. Randy Vance BUY NOW Star brite Blueberry Boat Wash

• Volume: 16 oz.
• Price: $5.96
• Dilution: 1 oz. per gal.
• Foaming Action: Good
• pH Undiluted: 7.5
• pH Properly Diluted: 6.8

Analysis: We’ve used Star brite products for years, noting the company’s commitment to minimizing its environmental impact by making soaps safe for use around water. Don’t waste their concentrate by overdosing. The soap forms a dense foam, and with a brush or mop, removes all but the most penetrating stains. The EPA frowns on perfumes and dyes in soap as additional chemicals unnecessary to the mission of cleaning, but our Blueberry soap had a sure-enough fruit smell and blue color. Ethanol is used in its manufacturing to clarify and add viscosity to the soap, not as a solvent in final cleaning.

As long as the dosage is per instructions this soap should be safe and effective. Randy Vance BUY NOW West Marine Heavy-Duty Boat Soap

• Volume: 32 oz.
• Price: $10.39
• Dilution: 1 oz. per gal.
• Foaming Action: Good
• pH Undiluted: 6.5
• pH Properly Diluted: 6.8

Analysis: Psychedelic pink in color, it had a perfume-free soapy smell, giving one extra point on the EPA’s tally sheet, but it’s neutralized by the color dye. That doesn’t cause us to fear its safe efficacy for boat washing as long as the dosage is per instructions. Not coincidentally, its dosage was the same as the Star brite, and its diluted pH was exactly the same, as was its listed chemical makeup. We wondered if the lack of perfume caused its lower concentrated pH. Star brite bottles under a number of brand names. West Marine, Bass Pro Shops and Walmart are noteworthy among these. 

This soap foams copiously for such a small 1-ounce dose to a gallon of water. Randy Vance BUY NOW RainX High-Foaming Car Wash

• Volume: 64 oz.
• Price: $7.97
• Dilution: 1 oz. per gal.
• Foaming Action: Good
• pH Undiluted: 8
• pH Properly Diluted: 6.7

Analysis: According to RainX’s material safety data sheet, ingredients are withheld as trade secrets, so we received no help in analysis from that. It’s green in color, lacks perfume, and foams copiously for such a small 1-ounce dose to a gallon of water. Its pH of 6.7 lands it squarely in the middle of acceptability for acrylic paint and resin gelcoat. Because RainX is known for creating fluids for dissolving residue on windshields and some are destructive to acrylic, we would avoid using it on acrylic windshields. At the least, try -testing it on a corner multiple times before proceeding.

This soap is also formulated for use in a foam sprayer, a handy device that forgoes the use of a bucket. Randy Vance Turtle Wax Max Power Car Wash

• Volume: 64 oz.
• Price: $6.97
• Dilution: 3 oz. per gal.; 9 oz. per gal.
• Foaming Action: Good
• pH Undiluted: 9.4
• pH Properly Diluted: 7

Analysis: This product offered three dilution levels. We tested only the lowest and highest. Both tipped the pH meter to 7 even though the label says “3 levels of cleaning boost the pH cleaning power for any task.” Neutral is the golden ticket for boat washing, and this one pulled the ticket at the lowest concentrate. Directions say that the pH should have reached 8.5 and 10 for the higher concentrates. In our opinion, higher concentrates should be unnecessary. It’s also formulated for use in a foam sprayer, a handy device that forgoes the use of a bucket.

At a pH of 8, we think this soap should be used only in a pinch on your boat, and it should be immediately rinsed away. Randy Vance BUY NOW Dawn Platinum Dish Washing Soap

• Volume: 24.3 oz.
• Price: $4.94
• Dilution: 1 oz. per gal.
• Foaming Action: Good
• pH Undiluted: 8
• pH Properly Diluted: 8

Analysis: Oil-soaked ducklings might benefit from Dawn dish soap, but unlike gelcoat, feathers grow back. At a pH of 8, it’s probably best-suited to stainless-steel flatware, ceramic dishes and glasses. We think it should be used only in a pinch on your boat, and it should be immediately rinsed away. It might help remove organics, but it won’t help dissolve calcium water spots. In our experience, dish soap has proved too harsh on automobile paint, and we wouldn’t expect gelcoat to be any more forgiving of its caustic nature. Leave it to the ducklings.

The pH is on the high side of neutral at its recommended dilution, so we’d steer clear of it for boats except in a pinch or in washing the nonskid deck after a day of grinding in dirt, fish blood, and guts. Randy Vance BUY NOW Mr. Clean Multi-Surface Cleaner

• Volume: 23 oz.
• Price: $3.94
• Dilution: 1/4 cup per gal.
• Foaming Action: Fair
• pH Undiluted: 9.5
• pH Properly Diluted:7.9

Analysis: Meadows-and-rain perfume and green dye add extra ingredients that the label says might be allergens. The pH is on the high side of neutral at its recommended dilution, so we’d steer clear of it for boats except in a pinch or in washing the nonskid deck after a day of grinding in dirt, fish blood, and guts. It’s phosphate-free and biodegradable, per the label, and we don’t think the bald guy with the busy white eyebrows would lie, but it belongs in the kitchen.

This soap bears the EPA’s Responsibly Made stamp. Randy Vance BUY NOW Fabuloso Multi-Purpose Cleaner

• Volume: 56 oz.
• Price: $4.47
• Dilution: 1 oz. per gal.
• Foaming Action: Fair
• pH Undiluted: 6.5
• pH Properly Diluted: 6.7

Analysis: A friend recommended Fabuloso. Apparently her boyfriend uses it regularly on his boat and approves of the results. So we grabbed a bottle for this test and learned, sure enough, that its diluted pH of 6.7 is about as close to neutral pH as can be. It has dyes, fragrances and allergens, per the label, but no other harmful ingredients in the biodegradable formula. It additionally bears the EPA’s Responsibly Made stamp. On the downside, it foamed only a little better than Mean Green.

Mostly, detailers use this product in spray bottles diluted in water to add a final spit-polish cleaning surface for boat shows and photo shoots. Randy Vance BUY NOW Simple Green All-Purpose Cleaner

• Volume: 67.6 oz.
• Price: $ 6.47
• Dilution: 2 oz. per gal.
• Foaming Action: Good
• pH Undiluted: 9
• pH Properly Diluted: 7

Analysis: Simple Green has been a staple of boat detailers for years. It surprised us when we first learned this, but it opened our eyes to other options for boat soap. Mostly, detailers use the product in spray bottles diluted in water to add a final spit-polish cleaning surface for boat shows and photo shoots. It will make 33 gallons of light cleaning soap in a bucket and bears the EPA’s Safer Choice medallion as an environmentally appropriate product. If you know, you know and love it.

Read Next: How to Clean Your Boat Without Dirtying the Environment

At the necessary dilution levels the high-foaming surfactant qualities needed to remove grime and grease from a boat just weren’t there. Randy Vance BUY NOW Mean Green Cleaner & Degreaser

• Volume: 1 gal./128 oz.
• Price: $6.18
• Dilution: 4 oz. per gal.
• Foaming Action: Fair
• pH Undiluted: 11
• pH Properly Diluted: 9.6

Analysis: Its pH is too high to be a viable boat soap when mixed per its directions. We then mixed just 1 ounce in 1 gallon of water, and the pH came down to 7.5. However, the thin bubbles and high-foaming surfactant qualities needed to remove grime and grease from a boat weren’t there at this level of dilution. Mean Green was once a primary sponsor of NASCAR and Sprint Cars but dropped out. We don’t know if the soap was used to clean their cars, but the Mean Green NASCAR rides no more.

The post The Safest Soaps for Your Boat and the Environment appeared first on Boating Mag.