Cleaning with baby oil

[Water Rat.]

I have recently spoken to a couple of people who clean their boats with baby oil. It does seem to bring to paint up beautifully bright. Before I do this I wanted to know from others what they thought. Is it safe practice?

[peterboat]

Someone I met cleaned his with diesel and engine oil and that was lovely as well and the paint was very very old

 

Peter

[Ex- Member]

I have recently spoken to a couple of people who clean their boats with baby oil. It does seem to bring to paint up beautifully bright. Before I do this I wanted to know from others what they thought. Is it safe practice?

 

If you smear any oil on paint it will make it shiny even water brings up colour. It's a temporary measure as the oil will wear off quite quickly especially in direct sunlight. I would prefer doing the job properly cutting back with a polish such as T-Cut or similar and then apply a decent wax polish. This will last years but is hard work to achieve.

 

Also oil is slippery and non drying and will attract airborne particles such as dust. I certainly wouldn't coat our boat in it. It's brillian for S/S cooker hobs though.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Julynian

[Ray T]

I tried it on 10 year old paint work. As has been said if brought it up well for about a week then it wore off.

As the paint was old the baby oil fetched off some of the paint as well. About an hour after I had done it, without thinking I walked along the gunwhale and got the stuff all over my shirt.

 

IMHO don't do it, a waste of time.

 

peanut butter oil does work on matt car bits, eg bumper inlay, but I had a major problem with squirrels afterwards.

Edited May 10, 2014 by Ray T

[Mike Tee]

WD40 works well, and is cheaper than baby oil. Doesn't seem to wear off that quickly, and is quick and easy to apply. And does dry (use spareingly though).

[Nightwatch]

Just a suggestion.

 

Try polish!

 

Martyn

[Bobbybass]

NO WAY...would I get an oil anywhere that it could get onto the gunwhales !!

 

I speak....

 

...as one who has twice slipped off said gunwhales...and broken ribs !!

[mark99]

Just a suggestion.

 

Try polish!

 

Martyn

 

 

Agree. Decent vehicle wax polish.

 

If the paint is faded use a restorer first (T cut etc).

 

By slopping on oil or WD40 you fill in the tiny interspacial imperections in the surface paint, smoothing it out and it appears glossy. But this dont last long as it washes off easily (and as it stays wet, attracts dust) and goes matt/back to where you started.

 

A decent wax will fill up imperfections and go hard - create a glossy barrier and last longer.

 

Basically oil or WD40 is a quick hit but worthless for longevity. It may also degrade the paint / elastomeric seals over time.

Edited May 10, 2014 by mark99

[Happy Go Lucky]

In the distant past I used to clean steam engines with a mixture of paraffin and engine oil. It made them look lovely but had to be done twice a day. Not really a practical option

[blackrose]

I agree that i wouldn't want any oily products getting washed onto my gunwales. But also, is everyone whos putting oils or chemicals onto their paint aware that these products will eventually find their way into the waterway? Are we comfortable with that? Personally i think we put enough detergents and surfactants into the water from our sinks and showers without adding unnecessary oils and chemicals used to keep our boats shiny.

Edited May 11, 2014 by blackrose

[Higgs]

Don't use any cutting ( T-Cut, etc) compounds on that paint. Epifane's wash n wax will do. Or similar, at the beginning of season and end.

[mark99]

Don't use any cutting ( T-Cut, etc) compounds on that paint. Epifane's wash n wax will do. Or similar, at the beginning of season and end.

 

 

I picked up (on special offer) a set of wash wax and carnuba wax from Craftmaster. I must say it's pretty good. It says no streaks on the wash wax and it was indeed pretty streak free.

[junior]

I cleaned the inside walls of my engine room with 'Gunk' the other day and it brought them up very shiny. Also we used to clean the steam loco's with an oil and paraffin mix and the worked wonders. I couldn't tell you how long it lasted though as it would get re-done every day.

[Ex- Member]

 

 

I picked up (on special offer) a set of wash wax and carnuba wax from Craftmaster. I must say it's pretty good. It says no streaks on the wash wax and it was indeed pretty streak free.

 

There's a waterless wash product called Spray & Shine very easy to use, wipe on/buff off which contains carnauba wax, this will last well over a month, but to keep the shine you'll need to apply every 6 weeks, we've used it for years on our business vehicles as well as private. I would say one Litre would just do a boat.

 

http://www.spray-and-shine.co.uk/

 

Be careful there are copy products cheaper that do not contain the wax, they'll clean but not apply any wax.

[mark99]

I cleaned the inside walls of my engine room with 'Gunk' the other day and it brought them up very shiny. Also we used to clean the steam loco's with an oil and paraffin mix and the worked wonders. I couldn't tell you how long it lasted though as it would get re-done every day.

 

We still welcome new members.

[one of the hidden]

...might the baby oil affect the integrity of the silicone seals around the windows?

[dmr]

A lot of boaters recommend the baby oil thing so we tried it a few years ago. It did work but I feel it did not last as long as polish.

 

Thing is, polish is made specifically to do the job so the only reason to use anything else is to save money, but then considering how much time and effort goes into cleaning and polishing a boat it just ain't worth cutting corners.

 

The Craftmaster stuff is reputed to be the one to use as standard car polish can be too aggressive as boat paint is softer than car paint.

Zymol from Halfords is all natural ingredients and is said to be equivalent to the Craftmaster stuff and its wot I have been using. Its more readily available but probably not any cheaper.

 

..............Dave

[MtB]

Yes it might.

 

It might not, too!

 

[patty-ann]

Trouble with baby oil on the boat..and yes I read it so had a go is that lots n lots little flies stick.

[Dalesman]

I use Craftmaster polish twice a year,spring and autumn works well enough for me.

[MtB]

I polish my boat once every 25 years.

 

Whether it needs it or not...

[nebulae]

Been using Baby Oil for years. Works well. Carefull not to get it on the gunwales. Applied VERY sparingly with a cloth.Cant be bothered to polish the boat. Life is to short..

[Mike Tee]

WD40 works just as well. Used it on my red boat and it seemed to protect it as well as cleaning it, added benefit was it did not take any paint off, unlike some cleaner/polishes.

[steven wilkinson]

surely there are better uses for baby oil!

[Sea Dog]

I polish my boat once every 25 years.

 

Whether it needs it or not...

What do you use Mike? A scabbler?