Bilge Cleaner that is safe for electrical

[SBH2OMan]

Hey guys,

Our bilge is relatively clean, but it gets a lot of mildew, especially in the transom box where the batteries are located (and a lot of associated wiring!). The last time I cleaned it thoroughly was when I re-wired and had all the wiring and electrical components removed, so I was able to just get down in there with bleach and a scrub brush.

Unfortunately that's no longer an option because of the wiring, but I'd like to clean things up. It seems that most bilge cleaners are designed to emulsify oil, but that's not really my primary goal - I want to clean out and prevent mold. But I don't want to spray bleach in and around electrical stuff because of the corrosive nature.

Has anyone found something that is not corrosive like bleach, but will clean and prevent mildew?

Thanks,

Brent

 

[Megabyte]

I have used 50% bleach and water in a spray bottle to clean in the bilge, lazerette, and under the washboards to control mildew.
There are any number of products you can use to protect your battery connections afterward.
Most come in either aerosol, or pump spray so you can target only where you want the product to go.

Can't remember the product that I used (the can is on the boat and in storage), but I'll bet others can suggest a good product.

 

[SBH2OMan]

I have corrosion-X on board. That stuff is very sticky but seems to work well. So do you just spray the bleach/water all over everything, including wiring and relays/fuses/etc? (All marine grade of course)

 

[Megabyte]

Corrosion-X that's the stuff !
I use it on the battery terminals and spray it into my rooftop horns too.
If you do your horns, have a piece of paper towel ready to stuff in there to soak up any excess.
That stuff will stain the gelcoat.

As for the rest, I only spray the bleach solution on the mildew areas, but if it gets one something deemed 'sensitive', I simply wipe it off with a 'boat towel'.
It's not something I stress over, as much of that stuff is made to live in a marine environment.
The bleach goes away rather quickly.

 

[TWOBOATER]

MOLD-AWAY in a pump spray bottle works like magic. You don't have to use so much water. Spray it on wait 5 mins. and rinse. little to no scrubbing.

 

[SBH2OMan]

It seems like all the mold cleaning products are bleach based. I wonder if Clorox Cleanup would work just fine, since it has a bit of detergent in it as well...

I buy it at Costco by the gallon... I think maybe I'll just give that a try. The question is whether to hit the area with fresh water afterwards, then pump out the bilge...?

https://www.clorox.com/products/clorox- ... er-bleach/

 

[HOTPURSUIT]

Although bleach is corrosive to metal I use it in a 50/50 solution and rinse with cold water within an hour. Never had a problem, I understand at that dilution it is only potent for less than 8 hours. The good point for the environment is that bleach starts out as salt water and returns to salt water. So the good rinsing is important.