Common-Sense Safety Precautions

0

Most times, cleaning your sailboat is nothing more than a common but necessary chore. But some cleaning jobs require special cleaners and more-than-usual elbow grease and time. Working with strong chemicals requires taking a few common-sense safety precautions. First and foremost, READ and follow the directions on the container.

Always wear gloves when using harsh chemicals. We suggest wearing the heavy-duty rubber gloves designed for use with caustic chemicals and acids. (Testers first tried using latex surgical gloves and then switched to household gloves. The cleaners left pinholes in these, allowing acid to seep through and leaving testers without fingerprints.)

Other precautions should include wearing eye goggles and a face mask. Work outdoors and keep children and pets at a safe distance. Protect what’s under the boat: the ground, driveway, trailer, etc.

When using a sprayer or rinsing with a hose, be careful of wind and back-splash. And when cleaning up, remember that there is residual acid on brushes and buckets. Be sure to dispose of any leftover acid solutions in an environmentally conscious manner.

Don’t make your own concoction by mixing ingredients, and don’t add stuff like bleach or ammonia, as deadly toxic gases may result.

For more on the right cleaner for the specific job on your boat, purchase and download Practical Sailor’s ebook, Essential Marine Cleaners today.

To read even more about the cleaning and maintenance of all your boating surfaces, buy the entire three-part series for the price of two! Available for purchase and download is Practical Sailor’s ebook series, Marine Cleaners. This three volume set contains the ebooks Gelcoat Restoration & Maintenance, Essential Marine Cleaners, and Specialty Marine Cleaners.

Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him at darrellnicholson.com.