We Test Stuff

Q:Dear Boat Doctor, we purchased new dock lines earlier this season, and they turned green with moss or slime. This has never happened before. How can we clean the lines, and what can we do to prevent the green from returning? Adam McCoy Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

A:I don’t know why your lines turned green. I can say that things often turn mossy around the water.

What I can also say is that I have had good luck cleaning grimy dock lines using a solution of water and sodium hypochlorite (sold in powder form at paint and hardware stores). A scrub brush will help the process along, but often a two-day soak in a bucket gets the job done.