How to Clean drysuit stains and kayak stains

So, the yellow parts of my Kookatat drysuit have some stains from dirt, fish guts, scents and what not.  I'm sure the same stains are on the top of my yellow outback as well.

Does anyone have any suggestions for cleaning either of these items?

And just to preempt  any of the forum comedians, the stains are on the outside of the drysuit.

Thanks.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for the boat, not sure if it will work on the "external" stains on the drysuit.

I've found a few things stain the Hobie plastic permanently (not all of the colors, ,though, apparently), like Pro-Cure. I still use the stuff all the time, I'm just a little more careful with it. For everything else I use mild detergent and a scrub brush and occasionally a pressure washer (judiciously).

For my drysuit I use a very mild, dilute detergent and a soft kitchen brush and hand-scrub it. For smells I use Mirazyme.

Let us know what you land on. I like keeping my gear clean.

Thanks for the help.  the Kokatat website says the drysuits can go into a front load washer on cold right side out, and then again inside out, then hung to dry.  Got them in there now, so stay tuned.

If the stains don't come out, I will try the scrub brush method.

Thanks for the help.

So far so good on the front load washer with Mcnetts drysuit wetsuit shampoo

https://www.mcnett.com/m-essentials/wetsuit-and-drysuit-shampoo#30120

For the yak: Lemon Joy and a scrub brush. For stains and stench I like a bleach cleaner like Clorox cleanup or Lysol antibacterial kitchen cleaner.

I have used nikkwax laundry detergent and was unhappy with it. a whole bottle and 3 washings later I still had stains and salmon slime smell. All this after a hose wash after every trip.

I'm way happier with captain Redbeards method. I just use a "eco friendly" mild non-detergent unscented diah soap and scrub brush.

That being said nikkwax waterproofing is pretty good.

Harsh detergents can remove or reduce the effects of the DWR that is applied to shed the water off the suit surface.

(DWR =Durable water repellent)

What I do to remove slime and stains is this:

I put my suit in one of my better coolers, and add hot tap water to the cooler to fill it.  I burp the suit as best as I can, to keep it fully submerged. Then leave it that way for 8-12 hours.

This gets the fabric completely saturated and assists in removal of said stains/odors.  Then into the toploader with 10oz of Nikwax  drysuit cleaner on warm/cold setting.  Then run the rinse cycle a few times. Then I rewash with the Nikwax drysuit DWR. Spin to remove most of the water.  Toss in the dryer on low heat, fluff until dry. 

Stains are gone, smell is gone, water repellent is restored.

Thank you guys for all of the help.  Much appreciated.

Who says guys don't do laundry?

Who says guys don't do laundry?

Don't say that too loud the wives might hear !

There is a distinct difference between washing my gear and doing laundry.

That difference is that I wash my gear and my wife does laundry.   

Thanks for the help.  the Kokatat website says the drysuits can go into a front load washer on cold right side out, and then again inside out, then hung to dry.  Got them in there now, so stay tuned.

If the stains don't come out, I will try the scrub brush method.

Thanks for the help.

That's how I wash mine, using Tech Wash (the stuff made for GoreTex outerwear).

I run it through the wash about once every 3-4 trips. Other than that, I just hang it from a tree and hose it off thoroughly (exterior only).

Any stains left over after that, I just ignore.


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For the kayaks I use straight baking soda and vinegar.  Super cheap, doesn't kill your lawn, and works better than anything I have ever used. 

After a full week of using my suit, and kayak without rinsing either it might be time for me to use some of these methods...


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