Interior cushion cleaning

[duffer1960]

We have a 1981 Catalina with the nice 70''s plaid interior cushions. We would like to clean the upholstery, and instead of scrubbing them, I was thinking of just removing the covers and tossing them into the washer. What does everyone think? Has anyone tried this? Good or bad idea?
Thanks in advance.

[boatbum]

Having owned an 82 Catalina, the plaid covers will not only shrink if you remove them, but you will have a fun time getting them back on.

Egads, plads are out. I can''t imagine the condition they must be in after 24 years of service. I would suggest you have new ones made and replace the foam at the same time, it is way past its useful life in duration and compressibility.

If cost is a big deal, try a rug and upholstery cleaner like Resolve and a very light bristle brush followed by a sponge. Let the covers on the foam. If you choose to remove the covers for any reason, here''s the trick to getting them back on. Wrap the foam in brown wrapping paper and it will slide right in to the cover. Once you position it start ripping the wrapping paper out. Good luck, either way it''s a project.

[duffer1960]

I''ve heard the shrinkage warning before, but it doesn''t make sense to me. If the cushions are for a boat, wouldn''t the designers/builders use materials that are designed to get wet, and therefore not shrink? (As an aside, I read in another forum where someone said the cushion covers are "dry clean only". This really doesn''t make sense!)

Thanks again.

[boatbum]

Now there you go, trying to make sence of boat builders. You would think they would be washable, and they may be. I imagine the tags have long since been removed or are unreadable so you''ll need to experiment. The Catalina owners association is active out here on the net, give them a Google and ask you question there. I had my 82 Catalina 23 years ago for a few years and as I recall, all I did was vacuum them and clean the vinyl backs.