Cleaning a Pontoon Boat Enclosure

Q: The enclosure for our pontoon boat extends our boating season. It’s great, but I don’t know how to clean the “windows.” They are made of some flexible clear plastic vinyl called eisenglass. How do I clean it? – Chris Ozan, Oxford, Miss.

A: You have several workable cleaning options. Simply rinsing the glass with water and buffing dry with a chamois cloth might work.

Believe it or not, countless boaters swear by Pledge furniture polish, which makes sense given that it’s designed for a clean, non-waxy finish.

Otherwise, try a regular marine cleaner, which a Stryker Lakeside Marina representative says works well. There’s also a product made especially for eisenglass – Eisen Blue glass cleaner, which costs about $8 for a 1-quart bottle. Contact info and product information are available at www.totallycleanmarine.com, or you can call (630) 306-6699.

A more expensive, high-end cleaner that many boaters use is IMAR strataglass protective cleaner (strataglass is a type of eisenglass that has an added scratch resistant coating). Peggy Foor, Manager of IMAR products, says that although the cleaner was designed to clean and protect the coating of strataglass, it works wonders on any clear vinyl. In addition to having antistatic properties, the cleaner provides UV protection. Foor also recommends using IMAR strataglass protective polish occasionally. The spray cleaner runs about $17 for 16 ounces and the same size bottle of polish is about $19. For more information, visit www.imarsales.com or call (703) 330-4693.

No matter what you end up using, make sure you wipe products off with a soft cloth and avoid products that are too soapy – too much soap dries vinyl out.