Picture this. A two-week-long vacation after months of constant, routinely work sounds quite alluring, to say the least. You surf through the internet, searching for various outdoor activities you can do during your well-deserved break. Outdoor activities such as parasailing, kayaking, canoeing, scuba diving, and jet skiing appeal to you the most, considering that these kinds of activities give people quite the adventure and thrill they want in their lives. These, of course, would require one to acquire life jackets.
When settling the logistics for these activities, their packages include the provision of life jackets or, in other words, PFDs (personal flotation devices). However, this is not always the case. This is why it is essential always to be ready with life jackets and PFDs. Purchasing a couple of these proves to be worth the people’s while seeing how convenient and handy they can be. However, cleaning them and maintaining them in their pristine conditions can be a struggle. If one is not informed on how to properly clean and maintain a life jacket or PFD, then the attempts to clean it may be deemed useless because of the ineffective methods used in cleaning them.
Materials Needed
- water
- a cleaner
- bucket
- brush (preferably one with soft bristles)
- UV protectant (optional)
Step-by-Step Guide on How to Clean a Life Jacket
- Hand-wash the PFD or life jacket using clean water.
- A bucket filled with clean, cold water (at least 3 gallons), mix in one ounce of cleaning detergent. Gear Aid suggests using Revivex Pro Cleaner while Simple Green advises people to use its Marine All-purpose Boat Cleaner. Should one not have these specific cleaning agents’ specific brands, one can opt for detergents that are not heavy on chemicals.
- Scrub the exterior surface of the PFD or life jacket with a brush.
- Wash off the excess bubbles from the cleaner with clean water.
- Air-dry the washed PFDs or life jackets. Take into account that these items MUST NOT be under direct sunlight to not ruin the material.
- As mentioned by Gear Aid, put on some UV protectant on the PFD or life jacket. This will protect these items from UV rays.
Following the guidelines on how to clean a life jacket, below are two tips on maintaining PFDs and life jackets.
- Never use any cleaning agent that is heavy on chemicals.
Never use detergents that contain many chemicals. This is because these kinds of cleaning materials may damage the exterior of life jackets, making them not function as efficiently as when one first bought them. - Keep life jackets, and PFDs stored in cool and dry places and away from direct sunlight.
