Yellowing on White Vinyl?

[1999Sport]

Every year I get the same results no matter what I try. I've always used Meguiars 57 to clean and protect my vinyl. A few years ago, I had some yellow discoloring and I was able to pull it out with Star Brite mildew stain remover.

Last year I tried to use Star Brite on the vinyl, and it seemed to make the yellowing worse. Thinking the contents of the bottle went bad, I tossed the bottle and bought another one. Yesterday I go to use it, and it's not doing anything to the yellow. I tried several times on different pieces of vinyl, and nothing.

The boat sits on the side of my house with a Rankin cover on it that I just bought last year.

Am I missing something?

And what can I use to get this yellow out? Some people say Fantastik, others say don't use Fantastik. Some say Magic Erasers, some say not to use that. Any help would be appreciated.

I can post pics either later tonight or tomorrow when I get home.

[mndanielsncsu]

RE: Yellowing on White Vinyl?

I have the same issue with the cushion in my bow. I tried Scrubbing Bubbles, Magic Eraser, and Meguiars 57 and none of them worked. Needless to say, the yellow stains are still there.

[laddski]

RE: Yellowing on White Vinyl?

Ditto for me on my 93 Sport. I have tried everything with no success. I have one on my engine cover and one on my back seat. No idea where they came from.

[Chexi]

Definitely do not use magic erasers. They are abrasives and will destroy your vinyl. I wish I had a miracle cure for you, but I have not yet run into that problem. I will say this, once you get it out, use Aerospace 303 protectant on your vinyl. It should help prevent future stains as well as UV damage.

[mndanielsncsu]

I agree with not using Magic Erasers, although I've tried it. For me, it was a desperation attempt to take care of the yellowing. Right afterwords, I used Meguiars 57 and 303 to get some conditioning back into the vinyl.

[1999Sport]

I protected a few of the pieces and put them outside on my patio to hopefully let the sun's UV rays bleach it out. Well the sun came out for a little while yesterday, and this morning when I go to take a picture of the yellowing, it's gone. Everything is white again.

How does this make any sense?

There are still interior pieces that I know are still yellow under the cover so when I get home today I'm going to pull the cover off and get a picture of that (if it's even yellow anymore). If it is, I guess I'll just leave the cover off for a day or two, with the vinyl conditioned, and hope it does the same thing.

There has to be a better way to prevent this from happening year after year though.

[mndanielsncsu]

Wow... glad to hear you had luck with getting it out. I guess that wouldn't work for me because I've had the boat out a lot this year and the bow cushion gets direct sun, but the yellow stains are still there. Wish there was a simple solution.

[1999Sport]

Yesterday I was looking into some stuff called Spray Nine, which is actually supposed to create a barrier for mold and mildew and is good for the vinyl as well. Might want to look into that, I know I will be.

[rocco]

Yellowing on White Vinyl?

I have used Spray 9 before on some things...Its more of a Cleaning Solution..Dont know if i would use it on seats/..............

[1999Sport]

They do have a normal cleaner degreaser, but they also have a marine product as well.

http://www.spraynine.com/product_inf...roducts_id=340

This was the one that I was talking about.

[Roddyj]

RE: Yellowing on White Vinyl?

spray nine works excellent for cleaning vinyl. use the marine spray nine. let it sit for about a minute, and wipe it down. it will make you vinyl white-er than you have seen it in a long time. then use 303 to protect.

[rocco]

Yellowing on White Vinyl?

DO NOT use these products to clean your vinyl-covered boat interior

Formula 409 (bottle states 'Not for use on vinyl'), Murphy's Oil Soap, Simple Green, DC Plus, ArmorAll, Top Kote Sealant, Son-of-a-Gun, Orange 88 Degreaser, Roll-Off, Bleach/Baking Soda, Turtle Wax/Tar Remover (containers state 'Not for use on vinyl'), APCO, Harbor Mate.

DO NOT use kerosene, gasoline or acetone, as they will remove the protective marine top coat.

DO NOT use any silicone based products. They will extract the plasticizers in the vinyl, leave it hard and brittle, and eventually cracking may occur.

DO NOT use a powerwasher on boat seating upholstery.Use these products to clean your vinyl-covered boat interior:

EpHX Vinyl Cleaner
Mild dish soaps (such as Dawn or Ivory)
Fantastik (container must state it can be used on vinyl)
303 Protectant


It is a common misconception that household bleach, chlorine based cleaners, and other strong commercial cleaning solutions are good for treating stains on vinyl-covered boat interiors. These solutions may appear to clean well for a time, but they clean by removing layers of finish along with the stained material on top of the finish.

Continued use of such products will deteriorate the appearance of your vinyl-covered boat interior. Vinyl is a porous material, similar to leather. The pores must be able to breathe, so be careful not to clog your vinyl's pores with suntan lotions, oils, etc. Proper vinyl cleaning and maintenance increases the life of your boat interior.

[MarkSkelton]

RE: Yellowing on White Vinyl?

It is my understanding that anytime a stain disappears after sunlight, it is mildew coming from inside the cushion. True?

[mndanielsncsu]

RE: Yellowing on White Vinyl?

I googled yellowing vinyl and found some random sites that kept recommending "Yacht Brite Serious Marine Cleaner". Has anyone tried this stuff out before? It looks like a general purpose cleaner, so I'm not sure how I feel about it.
http://www.shurhold.com/chemicals_sMarineCleaner.asp

[east tx skier]

This has long been a common issue on the heat stamped panels on older MC's. My 93 had a few yellow spots. From what I recall, it was not the microbial stuff that disappears with sunlight, but it was some sort of vinyl loving organism. Nothing, including magic eraser, would eliminate it. It comes to the point where you're using things to restore the vinyl that are going to destroy the vinyl. The decision I made was I could either live with it or replace it. The yellowing was faint enough that I just lived with it.