How to Stop Boat Odor

People who talk about the wonderful smell of the sea air have probably not spent much time at sea. When you do spend time at sea, though, you discover a whole new range of smells, many involving mildew that forms in the oddest places. You can eliminate many of these smells before they have a chance to become a problem. A combination of regular maintenance and a few changes in the way you do laundry will eliminate many "boat odors."

Things You'll Need

  • 1/2 cup baking soda
  • Bottled lemon juice
  • Stiff bristle brush
  • 1 cup Chlorine bleach
  • Clean, dry cloths
  • Plumber's snake
  • Rubber gloves
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Instructions

    • 1

      Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to the water when you wash clothes, particularly if the water used in the boat or marina laundry is "raw water," drawn from the lake, river or ocean in which you are boating. Baking soda absorbs the smell of the water used in the laundry. If your boat is powered by a gasoline or diesel engine, baking soda and scented fabric softeners will help eliminate the strong fuel odor that clings to "boat clothes."

    • 2

      Wash any fabric, other than clothing, that has mildew spots as you would any other fabric. Dry the fabric outside of the boat cabin, preferably on a calm sunny day, to prevent the return of the mildew.

    • 3

      Pour bottled lemon juice on mildew stains on clothing. Hand scrub the spots with a stiff bristle brush. Wash the clothing and hang it outside in the sun. Wash any fabric that can withstand chlorine bleach, including bedding and clothing, in the boat's -- or the marina's -- washing machine with 1 cup of bleach per load. Always dry clothes thoroughly.

    • 4

      Wipe down all pipes, waterlines, decks upholstery inside the cabin, daily, with clean, dry cloths. Condensation on these cooler surfaces promotes the growth of mildew in closed, dark spaces like those under a sink or counter, or in a closet.

    • 5

      Push a plumber's snake down the vent stack of the marine sanitation device -- the sewage holding tank, to clear any obstructions. Repeat this process at regular intervals to prevent odors from the tank to back up into the boat's toilet.