There are a lot of products out there to keep your boat looking shiny and new. The problem isn't finding the products to do the job for you; it's identifying which of them are least likely to have a negative impact on water quality and aquatic wildlife.

Fortunately, the law mandates that hazardous products such as detergents, cleaning agents, and polishing and stripping substances, be so labeled – and the required labeling is quite specific. So an important part of identifying the more environmentally friendly products is to read the label.

DANGER is used to indicate products that are flammable, corrosive or extremely toxic.
POISON must appear – in addition to the word DANGER – on extremely toxic substances.
WARNING signifies moderately hazardous products.
CAUTION labels mark the less hazardous substances.

Whenever possible, choose products for your boat that have no warning labels whatsoever. Otherwise, opt for the CAUTION marking.

- Linda Hoff