Spring cleaning happens in winter

Three ways to clean your boat

The world, as any Australian will tell you, has been upside down for years. Spring is the time to take all the furniture out of the house to clean the inside. Winter is the time to take the boat out of the water to clean the outside - and the inside and everywhere else if summer has lived up to its reputation. Upside down or not, none of this puts off the necessary evil of cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. But, the boat's out of the water, you're not going anywhere, so let's get down to it.

Spray hoods

Probably one of the worst problems that any of us have to face in this sceptred isle of ours is green gunge - you know the mildewy stuff that gathers on spray hoods and other canvases? Like Davy Jones's Locker is reaching to get you. Bad stuff this, algae growing like wildfire, so it needs something equally ferocious to get rid of it.

No, not rubbing and scrubbing, you'll be still at it when the algae grows back again. Far better is this miracle goop from Renovo that you slap on thick, leave to dry while you have a coffee, and then just sponge off. Boat Canvas Cleaner it says on the tin - and it does exactly... The best thing about it though, is that it's water-based, read environmental friendly, and it's blue-green in colour so you can easily see where you've painted and where you haven't. Good stuff this, and once you've got the surface clean Renovo do a canvas reviver as well. To find out more, go to www.renovointernational.com.

Caring for the environment and your hands

Spare a thought though, for where all that dirt is going - and what you're using to take it off with. If you've cruised the Med, you'll already know what it means when all kinds of chemicals get dumped in the water. Which is why we're pleased to see cleaners with the Ecover label turning up in chandleries - yes, the same people who are involved in the Transat 650 and other events.

Just because a product says "biodegradable" doesn't mean it doesn't release toxins that are harmful to aquatic organisms. Or sensitive skins either, for that matter. Ecover assure us that because their cleaners are based on vegetable and natural mineral substances, this just doesn't happen - and that applies to hard surface cleaners, spray squidgers, degreasers, the works. To find out more, go to www.ecover.com.

Getting rid of rust