We had six (6) adult lifejackets to wash before the boat surveyor arrives tomorrow.   They were kindly included with the price of the cute little second hand sailboat we finally bought last month (a whole different and wonderful story of keeping your eye on the prize).

The two yellow jackets required the most cleaning and so being new to actually owning a boat with lifejackets, spent about 45 minutes reading blogs and websites about washing them.  Most of which included a mild dose of bleach, although knowing that is the kiss of death for most fabrics and stitching, we began with regular laundry powder and a plastic scrubbing brush.  Even the kids got in on the act.

We made some progress and then we pulled out the big guns.    DISHWASHING LIQUID….and less elbow grease.   In fact dishwashing liquid works on a number of other cleaning jobs, with discretion.  Especially if you apply it directly on specific stains and leave for a few minutes before scrubbing.

The first picture above does speak volumes, although the previous owner’s wife claimed they really did look brand new.  So do give it a try and be sure to rise well and dry the jackets in the sun completely so you do not need to repeat too often as it will increase the life span of the jackets.