Healthy Boat

Archaea Microbes - the Best Way to Eliminate Oil in the Bilge

There are several approaches to eliminating oil discharges in bilge. OilSorbers and similar products have been on the market for a while and are effective - but the problem is what do you do with the oil soaked result. There is still a serious disposal issue.

Clean Water Solutions's Oil Eradicator line of oil eating microbes uses a bio-remediation technology to not only absorb all of the oil in the bilge - BUT turn it into safe carbon dioxide, water and fatty acids, that fish love. Clean water has completely eliminated the disposal issue.

CWS has a series of products - in all shapes and sizes – sardines, whale, barracuda - that are basically sized for the job (and priced accordingly). Plus there's a powder that can be sprinkled on surfaces or dropped into containeres. These naturally cultured Archaea microbes digest as much as 32 times their own weight in hydrocarbons — such as MTBE, oil, gasoline, diesel, nitrates, kerosene, marine deposits, animal feces, fish blood, and even odors — until they are gone. This product solves a very serious problem in the most positive way possible - it belongs on every boat.

To learn more, here is a link to their site: http://www.cleanwatersolutionsinc.com/

Manage Your Gray Water

If there is sufficient holding tank capacity, plumb your gray water along with the black water. On the other hand, if a small tank means discharging the sink and shower outflow directly overboard, then it becomes critical to control everything used on the boat that might find its way down one of the drains. Begin with a comprehensive review of the onboard cleaning supplies and toiletries.

Interior Cleaning Supplies
Consider dispensing with toxic, commercial cleaning agents for the boat’s interior. Generally, the galley will yield sufficient “natural” cleaning supplies to keep the space below fresh and sparkling – and those enclosed spaces make aggressive cleaning agents feel even more powerful. Put together an interior cleaning kit with just baking soda, white vinegar, lemon juice, salt, borax, vanilla, gentle dishwashing detergents, a commercial natural cleaner, a couple of spray bottles, and for those really tough jobs maybe a little Bon Ami.

1. Use a 50/50 mix of white vinegar and water for the freezer and refrigerator and then put an opened box of baking soda inside each. To keep the freezer fresh, wipe it down with a little vanilla sprinkled on a cloth. A gentler 25/75 vinegar/water solution will shine up almost any galley surface. Don’t forget a final rinse with clear water.

2. Baking soda and water will clean just about everything else. To make a scouring powder add salt. For a stronger paste, just let it sit. Or for a foaming, stain remover, drizzle vinegar on top of the baking soda/water mixture.

3. If do-it-yourself isn’t your thing, then there are a plethora of natural, non-toxic cleaning agents available from reliable manufacturers like Seventh Generation, Method Home, Mrs. Meyers and make sure anything you buy is phosphate and chlorine free. A really good choice for always storage-challenged vessels is Shaklee’s Basic H2 Organic Super Cleaning Concentrate – just 16 oz. makes 48 gallons of a non-toxic, biodegradable works-for-everything agent. It also comes in impregnated biodegradable wipes.

4. Choose gentle dishwashing detergents that are also free of phosphates, chlorine, dyes and perfumes. Some use grapefruit or aloe extracts. (Sources include Bi-O-Kleen, Seventh Generation, Ecover or Life Tree).

5. The best scent is no scent – but that is hard to manage on a boat. So, look for natural deodorizers that use essential oils to put in the cabins and the heads. Natural air fresheners like Ecco Bella Botanicals’ Lavender Mist or Aura Cacia’s Ginger mint keep the below deck spaces smelling fresh. And Prelam™ Magic Odor Neutralizer is an interesting option for neutralizing head smells.

Personal Toiletries
If your shower sump is pumping overboard, reconsider what you are washing with. There are now many gentle, environmentally-friendly personal care products on the market. Aubry Organics has been making natural soaps, shampoos and conditioners for 40 years. The shelves at Whole Foods are also lined with similarly safe, plant based products that are as good for us as they are for the environment.

Use Environmentally-Friendly Boat Maintenance Practices

An outgrowth of the Clean Marina program has been the National Clean Boaters Campaign. Founded by the Marine Environmental Education Foundation, it has been getting traction in Florida with 3,500 participants, but seems to be stalled on its trek northward. California also has an active Dockwalkers Program that spins off from the same parent. They all focus on a similar set of best boating practices.

1. Minimize oil discharge from the bilge. Tuck absorbent pads under the engine to catch drips and place a few strategically in the bilge.

2. Take care during oil changes and fueling. Keep absorbent pads handy when fueling and moving oil filters, don’t overfill the fuel tank, and have spill-containment supplies on board in a convenient spot.

3. Keep spring and fall boat maintenance projects away from the water, and, if you can’t, then take a long hard look at your bucket full of supplies, read the labels and decide if you can, in good conscience, use them.

4. Use non-toxic, ecologically safe cleaning products. Some of the same principles applied to the interior of the boat can work when cleaning the outside. But if you want to use commercial products, read the labels carefully (West Marine has a line of generally non-toxic, bio-degradable cleaners). “Biodegradable” is not enough – be sure that the product is also non-toxic and phosphate-free. Check out automotive cleaners, as well. Surprisingly, that industry has made some interesting strides in developing environmentally-safer products (PuraClean, for example) that are often less expensive then ones labeled “marine.”

5. Rethink how you select, use and treat anti-fouling bottom paint. Choose non-toxic bottom paint and use minimal abrasion when cleaning the hull to reduce the amount of extra paint that is sloughed off. E Paint EP2000, for instance, offers a slick racing finish with good anti-fouling properties. Successful, solo around-the-world sailor Bruce Schwab used it on his SV Ocean Planet.

6. Dispose of all wastes – hazardous and household – at designated shoreside recycling and trash centers