How to soft wash boats

October 18, 2024

Soft washing boats is a specialist market comprised of boat owners who already know they must spend a considerable amount of money on their boats every year – and are quite willing to do so.

Using Benz Oxy Cleanze gel to clean boats

Oxy Cleanze can be used on most marine surfaces including stainless steel. It can be used on GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) without affecting the gelcoat.

The photo below is of an extreme example of contamination of a GRP boat.

We simply brushed Oxy Cleanze on.

And after only 30 minutes wiped the surface clean.

Quick tips:

1) A pre-clean using Benz Lightning Cleanze on "rescue cleans" like this can be beneficial, as Lightning Cleanze will remove the worst of the heavy build-up of grime. Then Oxy Cleanze will take care of whatever remains.

2) Oxy Cleanze can be used to remove stubborn marks at the waterline and rust marks from fittings.

3) Oxy Cleanze may remove some of the old polish. So after cleaning a GRP boat hull with Oxy Cleanze it should be given a coat of high quality wax or PTFE polish to protect the gel coat.

Soft washing boat hulls

Boats have to be lifted out of the water every year or so to have their hulls cleaned and repainted. So positioning your soft washing service as one that boat owners could benefit from at this time will go down well. And of course this ensures that chemicals will not get into the water.

Winterising boats

A Benz Bio Cleanze treatment, diluted 50:1, will dramatically reduce the problem of green algae growth during winter. And it's safe to use on all known boat materials including wood.

Additionally, treating boat hulls with Benz Oxy Cleanze quickly removes water stains and rust marks, making it a highly effective way to  clean boats that can easily be incorporated into your winterising care schedule.

Application methods

If you use a roller be careful not to get spatters on your body, which can occur without your knowing about it at first.

For PPE, wear chemical resistant gloves and wrap-around eye protection at the very least and ensure all vulnerable skin surfaces are covered. We recommend wearing a full face mask that also covers your hair.

Soft washing boat jetties

Boat jetties are often wood planked and so suffer from algae infestation. This makes them very slippery and, because they are adjacent to water, can be extremely dangerous when not regularly cleaned.

Treating jetties with a combination of light pressure washing followed with a spray of Benz Bio Cleanze will endear you to all boat owners who use the jetties.

And the boatyard or marina owners will be happy because you will have helped them meet the stringent health & safety regulations.

Click here to learn more about soft washing boat jetties and slipways
 

Approaching boatyards and marinas

To break into the soft washing boats market, go to where the boats are. We suggest talking to boat owners, hanging out in the clubhouse, and asking if you can place your posters on their noticeboards.

Make friends with boat chandlers and all companies involved with boats. It's a huge market. There are thousands of amateur and commercial boat owners who are willing to pay considerable sums of money every year to maintain their boats.

Quick tips:

1) The rinse water from Lightning Cleanze should not be allowed to enter any fresh watercourse. It should however be fine to release into salt water as the active ingredient in the product breaks down on contact with organic matter into nothing more than water and salt, and the surfactant is biodegradable.

2) Bear in mind also that Bio Cleanze is fully biodegradable, contains no additional surfactant, and therefore can be the most environmentally sound choice for cleaning boats moored in fresh water.

3) Always check the regulations of local water authorities before discharging any chemical into fresh or salt water. 

• Click here to return to the Oxy Cleanze product page

We hope this information is helpful and sincerely wish you great success in your soft washing business,

Team Benz

Click here to get more practical soft washing how-to tips

How to find answers to most soft washing questions: Simply enter a relevant "keyword" or short phrase – e.g. keyword for the above link = "how to" – into our in-site Search Engine (magnifying glass icon on the main menu).

Click here to download our Product Documentation Pack (includes Application & Dilution guides, SDS, PDS, RAMS, PPE & Mask info, COSSH, sample Contract and more)

Order Benz Softwash chemicals & equipment online or by phone:

GB (England, Scotland, Wales)

Phone: 0800 70 74 222 

Online: www.benzsoftwash.co.uk

Ireland and other countries

Phone: 00353 214 622 978

Online: www.benzsoftwash.com

Lines open Monday - Friday, 9am – 5pm

Please note: The above numbers are for orders only (click here for tech support)

PS: Click here to set up your "Clean & Maintain" programme. After completing an initial soft wash treatment, put your customer on a "Clean & Maintain" ongoing maintenance programme. Your customers will enjoy a permanently clean property and you will enjoy a steady stream of repeat business.

This is clearly a win-win arrangement for you and your customers.

Click here to explore the extensive range of Benz softwash cleaning chemicals & equipment

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