Cleaning your boat cover

So for the last few years I've been intimidated by cleaning my cover as mine goes over the entire boat and tower... I was afraid I wouldn't be able to fit it in any commercial washer not to mention my home washer. What I did was lay it out on the driveway and hit it with the hose and follow up with a very light pressure wash to remove the bird crap etc. I keep my boat on a lift for most of the year and was getting tired of cleaning the whole boat up only to "dust it" with more dust again every time I covered it up. After washing, I installed the cover and put a fan on in my shop to dry it out while it "assumed the shape" even better. No longer worried about much... Not sure if I should do anything else since it's protected for the rest of the year in my shop.

when i took my cover to get it cleaned they just used a pressure washer on it..but they said after washing it u need to recoat it with some water proof stuff. not sure what they used tho. but mine turned out great! like new.

I have an over the tower cover with side skirts. There is no way it would fit in my house machine and I would not put it through that abuse. I took the cover, a pocket full of quarters and a book to a laundry mat a shoved it into on of the big washers that handle like 3 or 5 loads. Can't remember how many but the machine was big. Do a search, this was covered in depth a couple years ago. Also discussed was the type of soap used to not remove the waterproofing.

Use some 303 fabric guard or a product called Aquatite is a very good product that seals the outside essentially but will still let it breath. Feel I've had good luck with both.

Grew up working on awnings at the family business. Always followed sunbrella's recommendations:

General or light cleaning
To clean Sunbrella while still on a boat, follow these simple steps:
1. Brush off loose dirt.
2. Hose down.
3. Prepare a cleaning solution of water and mild detergent such as Woolite or Dawn dishwashing liquid.
4. Use a soft bristle brush to clean.
5. Allow cleaning solution to soak into the fabric.
6. Rinse thoroughly until all detergent residue is removed.
7. Air dry.
8. May not require re-treatment depending on the age of the fabric.

Also, 303 is recommended to retreat the fabric.

Where/how do you put the cover when you're cleaning it? Yard is grassy/dirty, driveway has small rocks/grit. Bathtub a bit too small....

I do mine on the driveway. Take the broom and the blower to it first. Some people do it right on the boat. A buddy of mine has one of those big plastic tarps and puts that down on the driveway first.

I just got my leaf blower and blew off the driveway first. Then I laid the cover out on the driveway and went at it. Then I put it back on the boat to dry. Only took 20 minutes plus an hour of fan assisted dry time. Looks like new again.

I did mine in the yard, got a few grass clippings on it but no big deal - grass is less abrasive than sand. Hung it on our dog line to dry, flipped it over to ensure the inside was dry then treated the inside and outside with 303 FG/Aquatite