T&T: re Stinky Bilge

[Peggie]

> Any ideas on sanitizing bilges whilst not eating up any important bits?

Yep...elbow grease: actually CLEANING the bilge, followed by flushing 
ALL the dirty water out, for a change instead of just dumping something 
into it.  'Cuz you got one thing right: a wet bilge is a dark stagnant 
pond, a swamp in fact. And it behaves like one, growing a variety of 
molds, fungi and bacteriasome that thrive in dark stagnant water, 
others that just like damp dark places. The warmer the weather and 
water, the faster they grow. Add some dead and decaying sea water 
micro-organisms, dirt, food particles, rain water, wash water, hot 
weather and humidity, plus a little oil or diesel, and you have a real 
primordial soupno wonder it stinks!

I've never understood why so many boat owners think that bilge cleaning 
consists only of throwing some "miracle" product" into that soup when it 
starts to stink and calling it done.  No one would just add some tub 
cleaner to a bathtub full of dirty bath water, swish it around a bit, 
then drain it and call the bathtub clean. No one would ever even think 
of skipping the rinse cycle in the clothes washer or the dishwasher...so 
why would anyone think its possible to clean a bilge without rinsing 
all the dirty water out of it?

The only cleaning products you need are a strong solution of detergent 
and water and a scrub brush--or better yet a power washer. And if you 
really want to do it right, after you've gotten the bilge clean, you 
need to dry it out completely too...use a hand pump and a sponge to get 
what the bilge pump leaves behind, and leave the hatches open so that 
plenty of fresh air can circulate in it.

A real cleaning once or twice a year should be enough to keep most boats 
smelling fresh...especially if you also use that hand pump and sponge to 
remove as much water as possible before leaving the boat each 
time...'cuz it's when water in the bilge is allowed to sit that that 
turns into a primordial soup.

-- 
Peggie
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Peggie Hall
Specializing in marine sanitation since 1987
Author "Get Rid of Boat Odors - A Guide To Marine Sanitation Systems and 
Other Sources of Aggravation and Odor"
http://shop.sailboatowners.com/boat_odors/