What do you use to remove odors from your boat?

[qlboat]

My boat was bought second-hand, and I rarely use it. I only use it occasionally when I go out to play with my children. There may be something else (small animals or something?) and then there is a little odor. I can't find it.
See how to remove it. What kind of machine can be used to remove the odor? Air freshener, or some oxygen machine, ozone machine, etc.

[Benz]

Both baking soda and fresh coffee grounds are good for absorbing odors. Just put open pans of each around the boat.
A solar-powered vent fan such as Nicro makes is very useful to keep constant airflow.
There are also moisture absorbing products available at marine stores. Keeping the air dry is critical to not promoting smells.

[mvweebles]

I can think of five main categories of odor source:. Fuel; head/holding tank; stagnant water (bilge or shower sump); mold/mildew; and animal intrusion including feces/urine. Ozone generators are reported to work fairly well, but a better approach is to tackle the cause. Each source has a different approach for remediation. Step 1 is figuring out what the underlying issue is and go from there. If you cannot tell, go from easy to hard. A good disinfectant cleaning on all surfaces will remove mold and mildew. Cleaning bilge water is similar. After that it starts getting a bit harder - sanitation hose is a common culprit but can be difficult to replace (TIP - take a damp paper towel and wipe the hose. If you can smell an order on the paper toewel, hose is permeated).

Good luck.

[ranger58sb]

See Peggie's book:

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Boat-Odor.../dp/1892399156

And her bazillions of helpful posts here.

-Chris

[wsmurdoch]

First, a thorough cleaning, then chlorine dioxide.

https://www.amazon.com/STAR-BRITE-El..._dp&th=1&psc=1

or

https://www.amazon.com/ODOR-CLO2-Chl...s%2C138&sr=8-1

or

https://www.amazon.com/Biocide-Syste.../dp/B00BJHQD04

[peghall]

You cannot eliminate any odor until you've found and eliminate the source(s), 'cuz as long as the source continues to exist it will continue to generate odor.



The most common sources of odor are 1. a bilge in need of a serious cleaning for a change instead of just dumping in some bilge cleaner, adding water, then turning on the bilge pump and calling it done. You wouldn't just add some dishwashing liquid to a kitchen sink full of dirty greasy dishwater, pull the plug and expect to have a clean sink, so why do so many boat owner expect doing essentially the same thing to result in a clean--and odor free--bilge??? 2. permeated sanitation hoses. There's a simple test to determine whether they are a source of your odor: wet some clean rags in HOT water, wrap each one around a separate section of hose. When they've cooled, remove each rag and smell it...if you can't smell anything on the rag, that section of hose has not permeated...if you can, it has...new hoses are the only cure. 3. Sumps in need of cleaning. 4. Chain locker. The same micro-sea organisms that die, decay and stink in your toilet intake line will die, decay and stink on your anchor rode. The cure: pull the line and chain out and lay it on the dock to hose off...clean the chain with plenty of detergent and water while it's out. 5. Mold and mildew can be the result of humid conditions or pfds and rain gear that have been stored wet. Wipe hard surfaces down with a mild solution of bleach (the ONLY use for bleach on a boat), put soft goods outside the sun for a day. 6. Oil and diesel odors. Find and eliminate any leaks, put "diapers" down to catch any new ones, scrub with a strong solution of detergent and water.


Ozone is a bad idea for two reasons: 1.it's highly corrosive and damaging to rubber and plastics...2. retail ozone generators are just very expensive air fresheners...they're not allowed to generate enough ozone to kill the sources of any odors, so while they remove odors from the air as long as they're running, the odors will return while they're off.


This is just an overview of the sources and cures for odors...the bottom line, keeping a boat odor free requires an attention span and manual labor.


--Peggie

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by peghall

You wouldn't just add some dishwashing liquid to a kitchen sink full of dirty greasy dishwater, pull the plug and expect to have a clean sink, so why do so many boat owner expect doing essentially the same thing to result in a clean--and odor free--bilge???

--Peggie

Well.... because the Fabreze commercial says you can. (Those commercials kind of drive me nuts)

As Peggy says, clean your boat (Read her book). Remove everything that can be removed and stick your head down into the deep dark chasms of your bilges, lockers, head, settees, engine compartment, etc. and clean.

[NorthCoastJoe]

My boat had a runaway diesel incident that stank up the boat. I used straight Simple Green ( undiluted )and a lot of paper towels to clean up the oily mess. No smells now.

[maine-cruiser]

Originally Posted by wsmurdoch

First, a thorough cleaning, then chlorine dioxide.

https://www.amazon.com/STAR-BRITE-El..._dp&th=1&psc=1

or

https://www.amazon.com/ODOR-CLO2-Chl...s%2C138&sr=8-1

or

https://www.amazon.com/Biocide-Syste.../dp/B00BJHQD04

I second this. I used the starbrite one and a few days later that musty smell was gone.

Bill

[Iron E]

Originally Posted by NorthCoastJoe

My boat had a runaway diesel incident that stank up the boat. I used straight Simple Green ( undiluted )and a lot of paper towels to clean up the oily mess. No smells now.

+1 on the Simple Green

We have used Simple Green for years. For every mess, bilge, engine, head, nook, and cranny.

I don't use it straight, though. I have used it for so many years that I have developed a shade of green that I mix it to.

[Lepke]

Vent the boat, especially the bilge areas.
I have an 83' wood boat with 6 bilge areas. Each one with a bilge blower and a rheostat to set a slow speed. The blowers always run when I'm on shore power or running. I live aboard, and my boat smell like a house.

[lhuff35204]

Sunpac will solve your problem
https://www.dkhardware.com/account/dashboard/

[OS2Dude]

I like to wipe down the interior of my boat with white vinegar. It gets the job done and is not harmful to the environment (or to you).

"Vinegar has both antifungal and antibacterial properties and can be a budget-friendly and effective treatment." - https://www.bobvila.com/articles/doe...gar-kill-mold/

[Nicholson58]

Make the teenagers bathe

[sailorboy1]

Most people believe THEIR boat doesn't smell. I recently moved ashore and I didn't used to think my boat smelled. Try this, take the clothes you store on the boat and put in a tight bag. After being off the boat a while open that bag and stick your head in it.

In the end all you can do is stop the source, clean all the surfaces and everything that was exposed and hope for the best. I also believe ozone as part of the cleaning is pretty effective.