Boat Moisture Absorbers, Odor Eliminators, and Air Fresheners

Marine Moisture Absorbers, Odor Eliminators, and Boat Air Fresheners Resources and Information

PartsVu is thrilled to offer a complete selection of marine moisture absorbers, odor eliminators, and boat air fresheners to mitigate moisture and unwanted smells on your marine vessel. Browse marine cleaning products from the most trusted marine product manufacturers in the industry, including Star-brite, Forespar, Damprid, CRC, Camco-Armada, Sealand, and others.

Looking for more boating and marine products? Check out our complete selection of Products and Accessories or Cleaning and Care products. Or, browse our broader category of Boat Cleaners, Protectants, and Degreasers.

Boat Moisture Absorbers, Odor Eliminators, and Air Fresheners FAQs

How do I properly store my boat? 

Long periods of sitting during the winter months can easily exacerbate many boating issues. Plus, you’re more likely to forget about developing problems and hope they get better during storage (answer: they won’t). Even if you feel you can put some repairs off until next season, you’ll likely be disappointed when your boat starts to malfunction next season.

It’s essential to clean your entire boat before storing it. Proper cleaning of the exterior and interior removes dirt, grime, pests, salt deposits, and more while preparing the boat for long-term storage. If you don’t remove these contaminants, they can spread into serious issues or reduce the efficacy of waxing before covering your vessel.

Cleaning is a big job when it comes to boat storage. Here are some tips before you clean:

• Choose a dry day to clean your boat, preferably closest to when you will put away your boat.
• Check for any signs of corrosion, especially around the trailer and other exposed metal components. If you find signs of corrosion, you’ll want to address them (see “Corrosion Protection” section). For example, if your cleats begin to corrode, this can lead to burrs that eat away at wires and ropes over time.
• Check for fuel and oil leakage on the hull, engine compartment, and other areas of the boat. Cleaning can introduce moisture into your system, so you’ll want to be more careful around these areas until you resolve these issues.
• Check for any dents or cracks in the boat’s fiberglass or gel coat. Repair using a marine-grade epoxy resin filler followed by a skim coat of high-bond primer surfacer to address imperfections before cleaning is highly recommended.

For cleaning:

• Begin by opening your boat’s bilge drain plug and seacocks for complete drainage.
• Start at the bow and work toward the stern, making sure to get into all the nooks and crannies where contaminants like to hide.
• Begin with a simple hosing down of fresh water to remove surface dirt and grime. After this, a mild soap and water solution will help you remove even more dirt.
• Choose a boat cleaner formulated for all the surfaces on your boat. For example, a gel coat requires special cleaning that may not be appropriate for fiberglass decking or wood surfaces (and vice versa).
• You’ll want to do as much cleaning by hand as possible to eliminate hard-to-remove substances. Use an extension handle for areas that are out of reach. (PartsVu has plenty of cleaning kits with everything you need).
• Also, don’t neglect to clean the boat’s interior thoroughly. Bacteria can eat away at fabrics and materials, degrading these materials and leaving an unpleasant mildew smell that’ll be even harder to remove when you take your boat out of storage. Also, ensure that the refrigerator lockers and bait storage areas are thoroughly cleaned out, as this can be an opportunity for pests to infest your boat. Add dryer sheets to ward off areas that are prone to infestation.

After washing your boat, make sure that every surface is completely dry. This helps you apply protective coatings and avoid any leftover moisture, potentially leading to mildew and rot.

One of the most efficient ways to drain water from your boat is to raise the bow and let gravity draw any water away from the boat.

For your interior, place moisture absorbers and mold control bags inside the cottage and in any other compartments to combat moisture in the air from being absorbed during boat storage.

What are the four types of stains that you get on your boat?

The stains you can find around different surfaces of your boat include:

• Dirt and grime
• Rust and tannin
• Mold and mildew
• Scuff marks or transfer stains

Dirt and grime are your everyday stains like mud, road dirt from trailering, footprints, food, drinks, fish blood, and so forth. Rust stains and tannic stains include rust stains from metal hardware or hooks you left around. Tannins are naturally produced in plants as they break down in the water, and they leach into the pores of your fiberglass, causing those signature orange stains at the waterline.

Mold and mildew stains are those black, green, brown, pink, etc. stains caused by excessive moisture. As the name suggests, scuff marks and transfer stains are transferred from another surface to your boat. Transfer stains come from many sources, including chemically resistant shoes leaving scuff marks or marks left from dragging a rubber hose around the boat when you’re cleaning.

All four types of stains require different boat cleaning and protection technologies.

What is the type of formulation needed to tackle marine mold and mildew stains?

You can use a surfactant or a surface-active agent to tackle dirt and grime. These chemicals break the bond between the dirt and the surface it is attached to, making it easier for you to clean.

Acidic products are instrumental when cleaning rust and tannin stains. You need a bleaching agent to eliminate mold and mildew stains. The bleaching agent attacks and breaks the mold and mildew, eliminating the stain and associated discoloration. Finally, gentle abrasives can help eliminate scuff and transfer stains.

Can you use Clorox for boat cleaning?

No. It’s important not to use a regular chlorine bleach, like Clorox. Chlorine bleach causes more harm than good, destroying your gel coat, breaking down your fabric, stitching, and other surfaces on your boat.

Starbrite’s chemists have developed buffered bleach products that are safe to use and do a great job of eliminating mold and mildew stains while protecting your boat’s surfaces.

What is Starbrite’s approach to cleaning and protecting boats from future stains?

Star brite’s mission is to walk boaters through the process of cleaning these different types of stains and protect their boat from each, so the stains don’t quickly return. Realistically, it’s impossible to stop these stains from returning completely; but our products ensure that they don’t come back quickly.

For dirt and grime stains, we recommend Non-skid Deck Wax, an excellent follow-up product to our Non-skid Deck Cleaner or Boat Wash. This product adds a nice protective layer to textured surfaces, creating a little invisible shell so that you can easily rinse off the surfaces with fresh water without the hard work of scrubbing or rubbing.

One of our marine polishes will be the best for preventing rust and tannin stains. Our marine polish seals the boat’s fiberglass pores considerably, preventing water from seeping in and the stains quickly returning. Ultimately, our marine polish deters rust and tannin stains from manifesting, but when these stains eventually do appear, you can use an instant hull cleaner to remove these stains in the future.

Our Mildew Stain Blocker is a great follow-up product for our Mildew Stain Remover and can last for several months, depending on how often you use your boat. Simply spray the Mildew Stain Blocker across the seats and other appropriate parts of the boat after cleaning and allow it to dry. Applying the product forms a protective film on the surfaces, preventing (or at least significantly delaying) the return of mold and mildew.

There’s no particular way to protect boat surfaces from scuff marks and transfer stains. Nevertheless, we recommend using a speed detailer protector. A perfect example is our Boat Guard Speed Detailer which gives your boat considerable shine and UV protection.