Please select your home edition
Edition
Cure Marine - Cure 55 - LEADERBOARD

Green Yacht Cleaning Tips

by Nicki Reynolds, Yacht Zen Again 18 Jun 2022 14:54 UTC
Green Yacht cleaning tips © Nicki Reynolds

Living on a boat, we are very mindful that whatever we flush down our drains also flows straight into the surrounding water systems and whatever is living in there.

With World Ocean Day happening last week, I began thinking about sharing with you some ways we've found to keep our boat clean without harming the marine critters that share the oceans with us.

An idyllic spot, but everything we use goes straight into the water! There are many products out there that are labelled as "eco-friendly" but these often come at a premium price. However, there are many products available that are just as effective but cost a great deal less. By using these instead, it's possible to create products for every household purpose that (literally) don't cost the earth!

For example, our general-purpose cleaner is a mixture of surgical spirit, white vinegar and water, with a few drops of eucalyptus oil for fragrance (it's also a very effective degreaser in itself). I've found this to be very effective in keeping surfaces spotless. As it cuts through grease easily, it's one of the most efficient ways I've found to keep our cooker clean, shiny and grease-free. It's helpful for preventing mould too, which is a big concern for liveaboards, especially in humid tropical environments. These can all be bought easily and cheaply.

As a cream cleaner, I make a mixture of liquid soap, glycerol and sodium bicarbonate. This is as effective as any proprietary product I've come across and is much gentler on surfaces. We're currently using a proprietary biodegradable laundry detergent which we bought from Ecovibe. However, I've also used just plain liquid or Castile soap and sodium carbonate, with some white vinegar added to the rinse water.

For more heavily soiled laundry, I've found that pre-soaking items in a solution of liquid soap and sodium carbonate for a few hours, before adding them to the wash, shifts even the most stubborn ingrained dirt. Sometimes I pre-soak my tea towels in a solution of sodium percarbonate ("green bleach" - this breaks down into water and hydrogen peroxide) if they need brightening up.

Many of these solutions I've described are based on Nancy Birtwhistle's excellent book, Clean & Green, and I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who wants to reduce their environmental impact on the planet. This book provides helpful tips and recipes from cheap and easily available materials to produce effective cleaning agents that won't harm the environment. The book covers all sorts of topics from bathroom cleaners and laundry detergents, to gardening, and I've found it to be an absolute godsend in creating environmentally-friendly household cleaning products that don't cost a fortune.

Many personal care products can be made using combinations of coconut oil, glycerol and liquid soap - for example, our handwash is simply liquid soap, glycerol and peppermint oil. Nuddy also sells fantastic vegan and plastic-free soaps and shampoo bars, which have the added advantage of taking up less space than conventional shampoo bottles.

Both Nuddy and Ecovibe also sell a range of other personal and petcare products, and accessories such as biodegradable toothbrushes and dental floss.

But I'm getting ahead of myself!

My next blog will cover how we try to minimise our single plastic usage. This is a huge issue, especially on small islands which just don't have the infrastructure to recycle.

So stay tuned for my next post...

Thanks for the sound tips, Nicki. Reproduced with permission (c) Nicki Reynolds.

This article has been provided by the courtesy of Ocean Cruising Club.

Related Articles

World Ocean Day unites and rallies the world
Celebrate the life in the oceans, protect and restore our planet Celebrate the life in the oceans and take action on the 8th of June. Do it for the biodiversity. Posted on 4 Jun
North Atlantic SST Anomalies noted
The graph from Climateanalyzer shows the temperature anomalies Sea Surface Temperature (SST) and other factors have been noted as deviating from the norms for the North Atlantic in the early months of 2023. Posted on 30 May
WMO warns of looming record temperatures
A looming El Niño climate pattern could prompt a spike in global temperatures The development of an El Niño climate pattern in the Pacific Ocean this year is likely, with dangerously high temperatures and extreme weather events expected. Posted on 19 May
A review of climate change for distance cruisers
Prepared by the OCC with contributions from some of the most experienced sailors in the world For some time, OCC members have been observing and commenting on social media about the climate changes that are affecting decisions about passage making, storm avoidance, and seasonal boat storage. Posted on 11 May
Insights into 2023 Northwest Passage activity
The Government of Canada announced a one-year ban for pleasure craft and cruise vessels in 2020 There were no crossings by sail of the Northwest Passage during 2020 & 2021 due to the pandemic and the closing of the waterways to prevent any interactions with the local population of Canada. Posted on 1 May
OCC takes to the stage in Japan
Kirk Patterson is looking to expand the concept of cruising in Japanese waters OCC Port Officer Kirk Patterson features the Ocean Cruising Club in his exhibit area at the boat show March 23-26, 2023 in Yokohama Posted on 16 Apr
Cruising from Ireland to the Canaries
We arrived in Killybegs, on the north-west coast of Ireland, in early June 2022 From traditional Irish weather to astronomical sightseeing, Gaia explores the variety on offer along the Atlantic coastline before setting off into the ocean herself. Posted on 29 Mar
New research proves effects of climate change
Indisputable evidence that a warmer world causes extreme drought and rain It has been a rough few weeks for climate change deniers. Multiple studies have confirmed that our climate is rapidly changing, and not for the better. Posted on 26 Mar
Roving Rear Commodore Report from the Atlantic
Zora was ready to cross the Atlantic and start her Caribbean adventures Five years after we bought her hull, Zora was ready to cross the Atlantic and start her Caribbean adventures. Posted on 23 Mar
United Nations reach accord to protect marine life
After almost 20 years of talks, United Nations member states agreed on a legal framework After almost 20 years of talks, United Nations member states agreed on a legal framework for parts of the ocean outside national boundaries in the historic High Seas Treaty. Posted on 21 Mar
Henri-Lloyd 2022 December - SW FOOTERCrewsaver 2021 Safetyline FOOTERUpffront 2020 Foredeck Club SW FOOTER