Marine Interiors Care And Cleaning

One of the best ways to keep Sunbrella® fabrics looking good is to hose fabrics off on a monthly basis with clean water. This helps prevent dirt from becoming deeply embedded in the fabric and eliminates the need for more frequent cleaning.

General Or Light Cleaning
• Brush off any loose dirt.
• Prepare a cleaning solution of 1/4 cup mild soap, such as Woolite® or Dawn® dishwashing liquid, per gallon of lukewarm water.
• Use a sponge or a soft bristle brush to clean.
• Allow cleaning solution to soak into fabric.
• Rinse thoroughly to remove all soap residue.
• Allow fabric to air dry.

Spot Cleaning
• Apply a light mist of mild soap and water using a spray bottle.
• Work the solution into the spill by lightly scrubbing the area with a sponge or very soft bristle brush.
• Rinse thoroughly to remove all soap residue.
• Blot excess moisture with a clean, soft towel or sponge.
• Wet-vacuum or blot excess water.
• Air dry. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until all soap residue is removed.

For Removable Sunbrella Fabric
Hand washing
• Soak fabric in a solution of 1/4 cup mild soap per gallon of lukewarm water.
• Use a sponge or a soft bristle brush as necessary.
• Rinse thoroughly to remove all soap residue.
• Air dry.
Machine washing
• Machine wash in cold water. Depending on wash load size, use normal amounts of mild laundry detergent and add 1 cup of bleach. Allow fabric to air dry.

Heavy Cleaning
For Stubborn Spills And Mildew
Sunbrella fabrics do not promote mildew growth, however, mildew may grow on dirt and other foreign substances that are not removed from the fabric. To clean stubborn spills:
• Prepare a solution of 1 cup of bleach and 1/4 cup mild soap per gallon of water.
• Spray on entire area and allow to soak into the fabric for 15 minutes.
• Remove spill with a sponge, clean towel or very soft bristle brush.
• Rinse thoroughly to remove all soap residue.
• Allow fabric to air dry.

For other spills, products such as 303® Multi-Surface Cleaner, Dawn®, or Resolve® are applicable. Specific information on spill cleaning is available at sunbrella.com/cleaningguide

Retreating Sunbrella Fabrics
Sunbrella fabrics are engineered to provide long-term performance. After repeated thorough cleanings, or years of use and exposure, you may choose to refresh
your fabrics with an appropriate retreating agent. We recommend 303® Fabric GuardTM, available in the United States, and Tex’Aktiv, available internationally.
Applying a retreatment:
• Clean Sunbrella fabric, using one of the cleaning methods outlined.
• Allow Sunbrella to completely air dry.
• Apply retreatment in a well-ventilated area following instructions on the container.

Professional Cleaners
In evaluating the services of a professional firm, you should inquire about the firm’s experience in working with Sunbrella fabrics and knowledge of cleaning and re-treatment requirements.

DO NOT dry clean Sunbrella fabrics.

Sample of how new Sunbrella material can look when new. Bending and folding of the new fabric for sewing and assembly or stuffing creates small marks in the fabric. As new, these new folds are more pronounced and with time will become more consistant throughout the matrial and cover it forms.

What are all these lines in my new cover?

The feature we tend to miss as often not seen right out of the box -

As boat owners we do not often get a chance to see fresh covers right from the supplier. All of Catalina Direct covers are made to order from fresh bolts of Sunbrella material. As they are cut and sewn and sometimes stuffed with foam, the material creases causing a slightly different color and sometimes what look like lines in the fabric.  As the cover is broken in the material continues creasing to create the uniform look we are more accustomed to seeing when looking at Sunbrella covers. Some colors of Sunbrella fabric are known to show these production marks more than others, specifically Cadet Gray.

The sizing that makes the Sunbrella water repellant also makes it a bit stiff, thus the lightening along the folds and creases. If you remove the sizing by washing the Sunbrella, you make the fabric less water repellant.

Use your boat and products protected by Sunbrella fabric or made from the fabric and you will find that the once noticible creases will fade from the fabric and material.  

Catalina Direct
Tech Support