Mildew on seats!! Argh!!

[Rocko]

So I bought a new (used) boat this fall. The original owner took immaculate care of this beauty...I mean for a 20 yr old craft, there's not a single scratch, scuff, or ding on the entire hull or interior fiberglass. The engine compartment you could literally eat out of. They took really good care of her...with the exception of the seat covers. The vinyl has really bad mildew stains from not being properly cared for. No idea why they overlooked this. But anyway....I have been able to remove quite a bit of it with old fashioned elbow grease, oxyclean, x14, scrubbing, and multiple washings/cleanings. There are still quite a few mildew spots/areas, however.

Does anyone have any way to clean these better? I'm about to resort to bleach and magic erasers, but I know this will probably cause more damage. Rather keep the original embroidered seat covers than replace with new. They're white btw.....any help appreciated. TYIA

[TiltonBB]

I had yellow spots on white seats and I tried all of the things you mentioned. (Bleach, Magic Erasers Etc.)

I gave up and called Leather Medic. He came to the house and dyed the seats and when he left they looked like new.

https://leathermedic.com/

[Rocko]

Originally Posted by TiltonBB

I had yellow spots on white seats and I tried all of the things you mentioned. (Bleach, Magic Erasers Etc.)

I gave up and called Leather Medic. He came to the house and dyed the seats and when he left they looked like new.

https://leathermedic.com/

So...leathermedic does vinyl? Do they guarantee against the dye cracking/peeling/leaching/etc?

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by Rocko

So I bought a new (used) boat this fall. The original owner took immaculate care of this beauty...I mean for a 20 yr old craft, there's not a single scratch, scuff, or ding on the entire hull or interior fiberglass. The engine compartment you could literally eat out of. They took really good care of her...with the exception of the seat covers. The vinyl has really bad mildew stains from not being properly cared for. No idea why they overlooked this. But anyway....I have been able to remove quite a bit of it with old fashioned elbow grease, oxyclean, x14, scrubbing, and multiple washings/cleanings. There are still quite a few mildew spots/areas, however.

Does anyone have any way to clean these better? I'm about to resort to bleach and magic erasers, but I know this will probably cause more damage. Rather keep the original embroidered seat covers than replace with new. They're white btw.....any help appreciated. TYIA

Go on Amazon and order a bottle of RMR-86. This stuff is amazing, just spray it on, no scrubbing. You should wear a mask, probably not healthy to breath in the chemical.
I had severe mildew on my porch furniture cushions, I thought I was going to have to replace them. I laid all the cushions out on the lawn and spayed them with this stuff and within 15 minutes they looked like new!

[burgerunh]

Originally Posted by Biggd

Go on Amazon and order a bottle of RMR-86. This stuff is amazing, just spray it on, no scrubbing. You should wear a mask, probably not healthy to breath in the chemical.
I had severe mildew on my porch furniture cushions, I thought I was going to have to replace them. I laid all the cushions out on the lawn and spayed them with this stuff and within 15 minutes they looked like new!

I will also vouch for RMR-86. It does work quite well. A major component of it is bleech as it smells like bleech. I have used it on my pontoon with no bad effects. It definitely helped significantly with the mold/mildew stains on the seats.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by burgerunh

I will also vouch for RMR-86. It does work quite well. A major component of it is bleech as it smells like bleech. I have used it on my pontoon with no bad effects. It definitely helped significantly with the mold/mildew stains on the seats.

I had a flower pattern on all the cushions, and it had no effect on them. As a matter of fact, it made all the colors more vibrant.

[Rocko]

Originally Posted by burgerunh

I will also vouch for RMR-86. It does work quite well. A major component of it is bleech as it smells like bleech. I have used it on my pontoon with no bad effects. It definitely helped significantly with the mold/mildew stains on the seats.

Everyone I’ve spoken to so far says bleach is no bueno as it destroys the stitching. That’s why I’ve been looking at alternatives.