How to clean life jackets with mold

Spring is in the air, the weather is getting warmer and you’re ready to hit the water! You get out to the dock and start loading your boat with equipment. Next, you open your life jacket storage and a strong smell hits you like a ton of bricks. Your life jackets are covered in mold & mildew from last season! There is nothing worse than putting on a moist, moldy and mildewy life jacket. Moreso, your perfect day is dampered by the icky life jacket that you have to wear for the rest of the day. If you’re searching for how to clean life jackets, please continue reading to ensure you don’t have to endure another dirty jacket again.

Table of Contents Show

Points Of Consideration
What You’ll Need To Clean Life Jackets
Conclusion on How To Clean Life Jackets

Points Of Consideration

Before getting to how to clean life jackets, make sure you go over these important points so you don’t ruin your life vest. Life preservers need periodic care to extend the life of the jacket.

How To Clean Life Jackets: Important Points

It is important to note that you should not use harsh chemicals when cleaning your PFD. Durable and lightweight materials make up life jackets. Withstanding the harsh effects of chemicals is something they are not designed for. They are designed to keep you floating in the water. Only use mild detergent or soap and a sponge to clean your personal flotation device.
Do not kneel or stand on your life jacket as this can damage the interior design that is meant to keep you afloat. Keep the life vest in its original form as best you can. This also applies to storing your life jacket. Try not to fold it or bend it as this will decrease its life span.
Rinse your jacket with cold water only.
Inspect your life vest before and after each use. Take a trip to a nearby outfitter if you aren’t sure how to inspect your life jacket.

These are things that you should definitely take note of before cleaning your life jackets.

What You’ll Need To Clean Life Jackets

Now, head out to the garage or shed and get these items out. These are the things you will need. Unless, you are only learning about how to clean life jackets.

Large Plastic Bucket: Find a nice large bucket (preferrably 5 gallons or larger)
Regular Sponge: Your everyday, run-of-the-mill soft sponge will be fine
Soap or Detergent: We like to use regular dish cleaning soap from the kitchen
Hose With Shower/Spray Setting: Like your regular garden hose with a high pressure setting
Brush With Soft Bristles: If you have an old toothbrush lying around this will do fine

This is a step by step guide on how to clean life jackets. Before storing your life jackets, make sure they are completely dry. This well minimize the effects of mold and mildew.

1Fill your large bucket with water until it is about 75% full. Before filling the bucket, add a few dobbles of detergent or dish soap to the bottom of the bucket. To avoid frothy water, try not to add as much detergent. You want to protect the materials of your life jacket, so only put enough soap to mildly cleanse the life vest / PFD. 2Before putting your life jacket into the bucket of water, either hold it up or hang it from something. Then, you will want to hose your life jacket down to remove any built up gunk from before. Try to use a high pressure setting if there are build ups that are hard to get off. If you can’t remove them, proceed to step 3. 3Next, place your life preserver into the soapy bucket of cold water. 4Use your brush to lightly scrub anything that didn’t come off with the hose. You can use your sponge during this step as well. Just be careful not to damage any of the materials and be gentle with your life jacket. 5Hang, or hold your jacket up, once you are done scrubbing the debris. 6Hose down the life vest to remove any soap residue. The idea is to remove any residue so it doesn’t stay on the life jacket and damage the materials in any way. 7Hang your personal flotation device outside to let it dry. Don’t leave it in direct sunlight though as this has been know to reduce the quality and damage the life jacket. Hang the life jacket in a well ventilated area. You can dry the life jacket indoors as well. 8Wait until the life vest is 100% dry before storing it again. Don’t put your jacket away at this point like most people. You will want to ensure complete dryness, otherwise you are setting yourself up for more mold and mildew next season.

After you have completed these steps you should have a very clean life jacket. You can now store your life vest for the season as long as the PFD is completely dry. Even if there is a little moisture, keeping a life preserver in a closed space can lead to mold and mildew problems. Not only does this reduce the life span of your personal flotation device, but it also sets you up for another major life jacket cleaning in the future.

Conclusion on How To Clean Life Jackets

That’s about all it takes to clean your life jacket. Hopefully this article shed some light on how to clean life jackets for you. Remember to be gentle and take care of your life vests to extend the life of them as much as you can. Storing them in the wrong places, and not cleaning them are the biggest reasons life jackets get damaged and worn over time. If you do store your life jacket, make sure you are not folding it or bending it in an unnatural way. What this does is just damage the design of your life vest and diminish its life span. It’s best to store life jackets hangining up so the air can circulate and flow around them freely.

Sources: https://www.boatsmartexam.com/knowledge-base/article/maintaining-life-jackets-and-pfds/

You trust your life jacket with your life, so you shouldn't cut corners on care. Sunscreen, food, dirt and mold stains are not only unsightly, but they can also have a deteriorating effect on the fabric and buoyancy material, reducing its efficiency.

Cleaning your life jackets regularly (once a month during boating season) helps keep them in good condition, preventing the buildup of oils from skin, sweat and sunblock.

Avoid leaving your life jackets for long periods in direct sunlight, as this can cause fading and thinning of fabrics, exposing the flotation material underneath.

To clean and deodorize your life jackets, you should use a non-abrasive cleaner that won't damage fabrics. Simple Green Marine All-Purpose Cleaner is biodegradable*, so it's safer for the environment than harsh chemical cleaners. It's also clean-rinsing, so no chemical residue is left on the life jacket which could cause fabric damage or skin irritation.

When a life jacket is stored before being completely dried, you run the risk of mold and mildew development, as well as UV damage. You should replace your life jacket if it is torn or the material has begun to split. If the foam inside the fabric is hard to the touch, it's likely time for a replacement as well.

When not in use, store life jackets in a cool, dry and shaded place.

Wet the surface. Wet the life jacket with clean water.
Apply cleaner. Spray Simple Green Marine All-Purpose Boat Cleaner on surface, and scrub with a soft-bristle brush.
Rinse. Damp-wipe or rinse clean. Repeat if needed.
Dry. Allow them to dry fully before storing.

* Biodegradable formula: This formula decomposes into elements found in nature within six months after disposal into a typical sanitary sewer or septic system.

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