Message 4 of 5
Posted by member colin hewitson on Wednesday 26 October 2022

Hi Peter,
Caution is always the word with such things and small test areas the way to go!

I have heard that a solution of Baking Soda mixed with warm water can work to clean rubber trims, also mild washing up liquid/warm water solution, however, never tried it, again, small test patches could be the way to go.

Some of the cleaning products are expensive and require disposable gloves - it was that that concerned me about the acrylic and surrounding fibreglass finishes.
If It was me, on my own boat, I would try the warm water and BS or liquid soap first, again, small test patch to see if it worked!

Let the rest of us know what works best - perhaps an article for the club magazine? I am sure that others would like to know and Marie the Magazine Editor is always on the lookout for useful methods/tips to include in the magazine!

atb

Col

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Message 2 of 5
Posted by member colin hewitson on Tuesday 25 October 2022

Hi Peter,
Sounds a bit like oxidation of the surface of the rubber seals, most rubber over time will do this.
There appear to be a number of Rubber cleaning/reconditioning products available from Amazon or e-Bay, some appear to require the use of disposable gloves to protect your hands during application etc, not too sure what effect these may have on the acrylic glass in the windows or the surrounding fibreglass gel coat though!

I remember once trying to clean some rubber pieces on a motorcycle once - that didn't turn out well as they ended up tacky/disintegrating and had to be replaced. (Doh!)

May be prudent to contact any supplier/manufacturer first and check out before purchasing/using!

atb
Col.

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