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Cushion cleaning

Gary G

Member II
I have a 1983 E28+ still equipped with the original cushions in the cabin. I'd like to get one more season of sailing out of them before replacing them entirely but they could use a thorough cleaning. The material is rather heavy and several of the cushion covers are backed with vinyl. I'd really like to remove the covers and run them through the washing machine and air dry them. Has anyone out there done that successfully? Any other ideas on how I can clean the original material? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
A clean cush(ion) for your tush...

Our situation was not probably the same as yours, but....
When we bought our '88 boat in '94, it had been sitting unused for 3 years and the interior had grown mold and mildew on all the cushions. It was gross... :(
At first we called some local upholsterers and tried their advice which was to have the cushions "laundered" and then air-dried. This made them look better, but the smell never went away. I finally did what I should have done in the first place and took off the covers -- the foam was visibly shot through with black mold. Threw away the foam and then washed the covers twice, gentle cycle, cold water, with a bit of bleach and soap and air-dried them at home. Another washing might have been better, but I could see that the stitching would not take another washing....
:rolleyes:
With new "2.6" density foam, they have been great for sitting and sleeping ever since. I should add that each piece of new foam was wrapped with dacron batting which really makes for a nice look and feel. The settee seats and back pieces are tufted, and a local shop re-tufted these. The smell still lingered a bit in the fabric, so I tried "Fabreese" which turned out to be perfume in a bottle and mostly just a scam... and then we used our old ozonator machine for several days and several different months and after a few years the smell is gone.
Reason for this cleaning hassle was that the original fabric was (and still is) in excellent condition and looks really great. This is the dark blue velour-looking stuff that Ericson used in all their boats in the mid-to-late 80's.
I should note that the original zipper pulls on the back side of each cushion were mostly corroded away. Salt air was not kind to them while the boat sat closed up...
:(
We "prevailed" but only through considerable time and in spite of some false starts....

Best,
Loren in PDX

'88 Olson 34
:D
 
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ted_reshetiloff

Contributing Partner
Has anyone tried steam cleaning? I know you can rent the steamers for doing couches and home furnishings. I am thinking of trying it myself but woder if anyone else has.
 

Geoff Johnson

Fellow Ericson Owner
I did. I wasn't really steam, but one of those carpet cleaners you can rent in the supermarket. I think it was well worth the effort . . . I no longer felt that I was sitting/sleeping on 15 years of PO funk. If you take the covers off, as Loren points out, you get into the problem of corroded zippers. I tackled this, when I subsequently replaced the foam, by cutting off the pulls, unsewing the other end of the zipper and then threading a new pull onto the zipper. It beats sewing a new zipper on, but threading a new zipper, while doable, is excruciating. When I took the covers off, I did not feel it necessary to wash them so I guess that shows that the carpet cleaning works.
 
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ted_reshetiloff

Contributing Partner
Thanks Geoff. That is exactly what I was thinking of doing. As for the machine washing method how hard is it to get the cushions back into the covers? I have all the cusions off the boat at home now and could wash them but was afraid of it being a complete PITA getting the coer back on.
 

Geoff Johnson

Fellow Ericson Owner
It is a pain to get the cushions back in, but can be done with patience. Another reason I didn't want to use a washing machine is that the cut edges on my covers are not finished so they are starting to unravel. I thought a washing machine might cause some of the seams to come apart.

The biggest favor you can do to your cushions is to replace the foam. I got mine here

http://www.bestfoam.com/

and did a couple of cushions a year. You will find an electric carving knife to be indispensible for cutting the foam.
 
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Gary G

Member II
I did rent a small "steam" cleaning machine at the start of last season and used it to clean the cushions. It did make a difference but with all the piping and tufting I can't help but think that taking the covers off and washing them would be better. A bit of advice if you plan to use a cleaning machine - go over the cleaned areas using the vacuum mode only (no cleaning solution) several times after cleaning to suck out as much moisture as possible. Also, use less soap than is recommended so you don't end up with a film of soap on your "cleaned" cushions.
 
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