Eco Friendly Boat Cleaning

Sometimes the “old-fashioned” way is still the best way. Industry has developed a whole series of cleaning products which, while effective cleaners, are not helping the environment. In fact, some are even toxic. This article will focus on boat cleaning methods and “cleaners” that are easily available and much better for our oceans and lakes.

Boat owners cherish the open water, and maintaining a vessel in an environmentally neutral way aligns with our desire to preserve the ecosystems we sail through. Here are key options for eco-conscious boat maintenance that minimize environmental impact while keeping your boat in top shape.

The Clean Marine Guide to Green Boating, produced by the Georgia Strait Alliance, includes a section about Alternative Cleaners. This section is one of four categories in the chapter entitled “Maintain My Boat”:

• Engine Maintenance
• Completely Exhausted
• Swabbing the Decks
• Alternative Cleaners

The guide focuses on Alternative Cleaners and the benefits of using them, and makes an effort to identify cleaners and methods that avoid the use of phosphates, surfactants, and chlorine.

Why avoid using phosphate-based cleaners on your boat? The answer is simple. Algae growth accelerates when phosphates are discharged into the water; decomposition of dead algae removes oxygen from the water, which in turn harms the fish and wildlife.

The challenge is not just what cleaners you use, but also how to clean your boat to avoid contaminating the ocean around you. A list of cleaning solutions and methods has been developed which both prevent the discharge of toxic greywater and improve cleaning methods. These are identified in the Clean Marine Guide noted above, and are summarized here for your convenience.

Substances that are toxic to marine life are present in many commercial cleaning products. Even products marked ‘biodegradable’ can often include harmful ingredients. Biodegradable means that that the formulation breaks down, but doesn’t mean that the chemicals used in it are safe. One example is chlorine bleach. This is a commonly used cleaner that is both dangerous to marine life and a possible risk to people.

Surfactants are also to be avoided. These surface active agents are added to many soaps and detergents to create suds. They attach to the gills of fish, destroying their ability to breathe.

Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

There are a variety of effective alternative cleaners that readers will recognize as household products, and ingredients that may even be found in your galley. These non-toxic cleaners are inexpensive alternatives that are worth trying. The following table lists those products by task and the project that each one is best suited for.

(Sources: Article in BC Outdoors Magazine by Blake Johnston, and the Clean Marine Guide to Green Boating)

Cleaning Methods

The idea of ‘Seven Tips for Greener Boat Cleaning’ came from an article in BoatUS magazine. Although the original article lists ten tips, many of them, although labelled green, are not eco-friendly. I therefore present an updated list of tips, reduced to seven by including only the green practices for boat cleaning.

1. Rinse your boat with freshwater after every trip. This will go a long way in keeping your boat clean, and can prolong periods between deeper cleaning.
2. Applying a good boat wax at least once per year will help prevent dirt, bird droppings, and airborne contaminants from adhering to the boat, and help make cleaning easier.
3. Test out the cleaning methods listed above, and find the combinations that work best on your boat and with the water (hard or soft) that you have available to mix with the remedies.
4. Many local marinas have designated wash-down areas and catch basins for boat cleaning when you are on a lift or a stand out of the water. These are designed to contain runoff and direct it into a treatment system.
5. Rather than doing a full boat wash, use a spot cleaner on a disposable or re-usable cloth to remove tough stains. You can then dispose of the cloth ashore rather than rinsing the cleaner into the water.
6. For boats stored in the water in coastal areas, wash your boat on an outgoing tide, allowing runoff to be carried away from shore.
7. Avoid cleaning your boat in full sun. Warmer temperatures make cleaners evaporate faster, and you’ll end up using more of your cleaning solution.

Adopting environmentally neutral maintenance strategies is about more than just cleaning: it’s a lifestyle choice that honors our connection to the sea. By integrating eco-friendly cleaning products, sustainable antifouling systems, and green mechanical care into your routine, you send a strong message of stewardship to the environment that sustains us.

These choices help preserve the beauty of our waterways while ensuring that every voyage remains as pure as the wind in your sails.

Primary Sources:
BC Boating Association publications
BC Outdoors Magazine
Georgia Strait Alliance – Clean Marine Guide to Green Boating