Northeast - Is there any soap that is safe to use on boat while in water?

Is there Anything I can clean my boat with while it is in the water that will not have a negative impact on the environment?

I have been told by several people that Joy dish soup breaks down in saltwater.

And all the major cleaning product companies make green products now.

West marine carries a line that is biodegradable.

orpine boat soap

Great soap.

I hate to say this, but you are all being sucked into Marketing crap.

All soaps are biodegradeable. They contain surfactants that biodegrade very quickly. Orphine, Simple Green, Dawn, etc etc are all based on similar chemical technology.

Using just about any soap will not damage the environment.

FWIW, I use Car soap, which costs about $5 for a huge bottle to clean my boat.

There is no real difference in Boat soap vs. Car soap. It's all marketing and designed to convince you that one is better than the other.

Dawn works well, but note that the pH of this soap is very high, and it will strip wax. Car Soap is designed not to strip wax as it's a more neutral pH.

John....what car soap do you use? i tried a few and they seemed OK, but never used them for long term results. Thanks.

I've been using Meguires for the past year or so, but only because it was $5 per bottle at my local Autoparts store.

I've used others, with good results. Add a couple oz. of Bleach to your bucket and it really works great.

John, thanks for sharing with us. I always wondered if I was getting ripped off when buying soap that was supposed to not harm the environment.

thatnks.....i had been using meguires boat sop and like it enough....had a sneaking suspicion it was th same stuff in the other color bottle!

do you guys really think its ok to get bleach into the ocean?

do you guys really think its ok to get bleach into the ocean?

Only in large quantities ... ;?

do you guys really think its ok to get bleach into the ocean?

What boat soap has bleach?

I hate to say this, but you are all being sucked into Marketing crap.

All soaps are biodegradeable. They contain surfactants that biodegrade very quickly. Orphine, Simple Green, Dawn, etc etc are all based on similar chemical technology.

Using just about any soap will not damage the environment.

FWIW, I use Car soap, which costs about $5 for a huge bottle to clean my boat.

There is no real difference in Boat soap vs. Car soap. It's all marketing and designed to convince you that one is better than the other.

Dawn works well, but note that the pH of this soap is very high, and it will strip wax. Car Soap is designed not to strip wax as it's a more neutral pH.

+1

Problem with bleach is exactly that...it bleaches.
Bleach is far more aggressive than most people realize. It doesn't clean white laundry, it removes a small layer of fabric, exposing cleaner fabric underneath.
Bleach can also attack non porous surfaces if used in quantity, or with regularity. Once the sealed surface becomes porous, it stains more quickly.

My recommendation is to use peroxide based cleaners, as they are as good as bleach cleaners, do a great job at mold kill, aren't aggressive to surfaces, and very environmentally friendly.

bleach is nasty stuff. ive never seen anyone use a "capfull".....its usualy a splash out of a gallom jug, so probably 5 x that much.

I remember a kid on the football team whose game pants were nasty dirty. his mom put them in some bleach and water to soak (not sure how concentrated) and when he went to put them on, all the seams ripped to shreds. stuff is nasty.

If you are worried about the impact to the environment, please know that biodegradeable does not necessarily mean that something is good for the environment. At least not the environment you might want to have around you and your boat. I'm no biologist, but I understand that the phosphates that are in at least some soaps can harm a waterway by promoting algea blooms and other growth that will choke out more desireable plants. Phosphates are used in most fertilizers and promote the growth of many plants. In waterways, it is known to promote the growth of undesireable plants. This is one of the reasons (all be it a minor one) that Mass instituted title V requiring the upgrade of failed septic systems to an approved system that is not in the water table. I don't know if all soaps contain phosphates. Here is an article from an environmentalist web site FWIW.

http://www.treehugger.com/culture/ask-treehugger-whats-the-dirt-on-phosphate-free-soaps.html

What boat soap has bleach?

John Madison CT said he adds some to his buckets of soapy water. I don't know of any soap that has bleach in it.

bleach is nasty stuff. ive never seen anyone use a "capfull".....its usualy a splash out of a gallom jug, so probably 5 x that much.

I remember a kid on the football team whose game pants were nasty dirty. his mom put them in some bleach and water to soak (not sure how concentrated) and when he went to put them on, all the seams ripped to shreds. stuff is nasty.

It really reacts with nylon and can dissolve it. So watch your nylon lines when using bleach.

Chris

If you are worried about the impact to the environment, please know that biodegradeable does not necessarily mean that something is good for the environment. At least not the environment you might want to have around you and your boat. I'm no biologist, but I understand that the phosphates that are in at least some soaps can harm a waterway by promoting algea blooms and other growth that will choke out more desireable plants. Phosphates are used in most fertilizers and promote the growth of many plants. In waterways, it is known to promote the growth of undesireable plants. This is one of the reasons (all be it a minor one) that Mass instituted title V requiring the upgrade of failed septic systems to an approved system that is not in the water table. I don't know if all soaps contain phosphates. Here is an article from an environmentalist web site FWIW.

http://www.treehugger.com/culture/ask-treehugger-whats-the-dirt-on-phosphate-free-soaps.html



Not to be a smart azz, but I understand this issue well. I can assure you that what Governments believe to be good for us, is more often than not simple politics and pandering.

The amount of phosphates that get into water ways due to detergents is a drop in the ocean when you look at the amount that comes from things like Fertilizers, Sewage treatment effluent, and other bio-sources.

Phosphate was a great product for use in cleaning products. It is not as bad as what we were told to believe and removing it from things like Home laundry and other cleaners was meaningless when it comes to the "improvement" to the environment.

What we got in return is cleaners/detergents that do not work as well. So we use more to get the same results. This means other chemicals that aren't so "natural" as Phosphate. (FWIW, all living organisms need Phosphate to exist, as do you !)


Like I said in my first post, be very wary of advertising claims. It's more often than not, crapola you're being sold.

Orepine. GREAT stuff.

Not to be a smart azz, but I understand this issue well. I can assure you that what Governments believe to be good for us, is more often than not simple politics and pandering.

The amount of phosphates that get into water ways due to detergents is a drop in the ocean when you look at the amount that comes from things like Fertilizers, Sewage treatment effluent, and other bio-sources.

Phosphate was a great product for use in cleaning products. It is not as bad as what we were told to believe and removing it from things like Home laundry and other cleaners was meaningless when it comes to the "improvement" to the environment.

What we got in return is cleaners/detergents that do not work as well. So we use more to get the same results. This means other chemicals that aren't so "natural" as Phosphate. (FWIW, all living organisms need Phosphate to exist, as do you !)


Like I said in my first post, be very wary of advertising claims. It's more often than not, crapola you're being sold.

Aaah yes, the old "it's not me, it's the other guys" argument.

While industrial sewage and fertilizers are still a large cause for concern, they are highly regulated and their effluent is monitored. Soap is not, and everyone just dumps it down the drain with no regard to how much is actually needed to make something clean (very little) and with no regard to consequence. This is also the case for "environmentally friendly" soap - most of the biodegradable soaps are degraded by soil bacteria, not water.

The unfortunate truth is that boaters must decide between a clean boat and a clean boating environment. There are no "drops in the bucket".

Your comments are something Obama would say............;););)

Not a lick of fact................:o:o:o

I hope you never piss in the water while swimming. If you ever did, you're POLLUTING THE ENVIRONMENT with excess Phospate. :nono::nono::nono:

In fact, perhaps the Government should ban pissing in the ocean. :jk:

The unfortunate truth is that boaters must decide between a clean boat and a clean boating environment.

Since we now live in a 'nanny' state, somehow I think the EPA would be all over boat soap in the water if it was such a monumental problem. Life is too short to jam a log up your butt every time a problem is perceived ... ;?

Urine is untreated sewage. Untreated sewage is not allowed to be discharged within 3 miles of land.

This is how Massachusetts manages lakes and inland waterways:
http://www.mass.gov/dcr/watersupply/lakepond/downloads/main_geir.pdf

For the TL;DR crowd: my "nanny state" does a heck of a lot to keep your nutrients, along with the nutrients industrial processes, out of my drinking and boating water. This is done for my health and enjoyment.


Your comments are something Obama would say

I too can bring up political figures that have no relevance to this topic, Mussolini.

I use softscrub on my decks, mix it in a bucket with fresh water, scrub it in and let it sit for a few minutes and then rinse. if you're trying to be environmentally safe, remember you're sitting in a near stagnant harbor with about 400 other boats. you can use any cleaning agent you want, the big thing is to try and use freshwater. all about the muscle. dont forget to wax, will make cleaning easier.

Simple green

Whatever soap you use, unless you want to strip the wax off your boat do not add bleach. I like Starbrite deck cleaner for the non skid areas and any car soap for general boat washing.

Simple green


Other than a good name that gives us the impression that we're buying something "better" for the environment, what leads you to believe it's better than other products?

This is done for my health and enjoyment.

Then you better get on 'em if soap and clorox is such a concern for you. If you don't want to do it for yourself, do it for the chilllldren ... ;?

orpine boat soap

Great soap.

Agree! Or Simple Green

Not to be a smart azz, but I understand this issue well. I can assure you that what Governments believe to be good for us, is more often than not simple politics and pandering.

The amount of phosphates that get into water ways due to detergents is a drop in the ocean when you look at the amount that comes from things like Fertilizers, Sewage treatment effluent, and other bio-sources.

Phosphate was a great product for use in cleaning products. It is not as bad as what we were told to believe and removing it from things like Home laundry and other cleaners was meaningless when it comes to the "improvement" to the environment.

What we got in return is cleaners/detergents that do not work as well. So we use more to get the same results. This means other chemicals that aren't so "natural" as Phosphate. (FWIW, all living organisms need Phosphate to exist, as do you !)


Like I said in my first post, be very wary of advertising claims. It's more often than not, crapola you're being sold.

John - I disagree with your assessment. Phosphate detergents were a large source of phosphate input into our waterways before they were reduced/eliminated. They also found their way into our waterways through the sewage treatment effluent and were a large component of that. When phosphates were eliminated from detergents the results there were huge improvements in water quality, and most apparent on the great lakes where phosphorus is the limiting factor for algal growth in freshwater that were spawning large deadzones. Nitrogen is more of a the limiting factor in saltwater than phosphorus, but it still is still very important.

I do agree with you that detergents are only a piece of the pie and there a lot of other sources that need to be controlled (especially farm runoff). I do agree that decisions on stuff like this ends up being based more on politics than real science. And that the amount of detergents that you use to clean your boat is really a drop in the bucket in the overall picture.....especially when you think about all the other ways that boats pollute the water with gas, exhaust, oil, and bottom paint.

I use Amway's Legacy of Clean™ DISH DROPS® Concentrated Dish Liquid

And it's great on the skin too!



Use what ever takes the gunk off.

To save money avoid anything that calls itself boat soap. I use dish soap. I use salt away and a few times a season the teak gets scrubbed with a mix of ammonia and dish soap. It works great.

Simple greenx2,or dawn,if its good for the duckys,must be be good for enviroment..

Urine is untreated sewage. Untreated sewage is not allowed to be discharged within 3 miles of land.

.

Maybe someone can educate me on how a few ounces of human urine in the ocean differs from the secretions of all the marine life in the same ocean? Seriously, what I am missing? The numbers just do not seem to add up.

I read somewhere there is 17 quadrillion gallons of water in the Atlantic Ocean. That's 17,000,000,000,000,000. Even if all the people in world urinated in the ocean at the same time (assuming a pint a piece) that would be 7,000,000,000,000 / 8 gallons of urine. If I did my math correct that would be 1 part in almost 20 billion.

A summers worth of urine from all boaters in the northeast can probably be measured in parts per trillion. It may be equivilent to $1 as compared to our national debt. Let alone the fact that it leaves with the tide twice a day.

I just don't get it when people think I should burn 2-3 gallons of fuel to go the 3 miles offshore to take a leak.

Turds I understand :nono:

i use palmolive oxy dishsoap to clean mine does a good job and is bio safe