Is it worth investing in a steam cleaner to eliminate AIS (aquatic invasive species)? There are several household steam cleaners available, but 1) do they do the job? and 2) is there any point since you need to prove that your boat was cleaned to DEP standards at some sites?
I have no idea of your state’s requirements. In Idaho and Montana they look at the boat. Kayaks are a very fast walk around my truck looking up at it. Canoes they typically don’t even walk around if it’s upside down on the truck. Power boats can take longer.
Really if you clean it regularly you should be good. Most of the invasive species will be eliminated simply by making sure the boat is clean and dry. They sun does the rest.
You could wax it to get it to clean up faster and better?
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I would just be sure to open all hatches and thoroughly wash the kayak and let it dry. A little bleach for the interior wouldn’t hurt, but drying and UV will kill almost everything in a few days.
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I always wash my kayak when returning home, using Dawn (or a boat wash) and water, then wipe it down. Also wipe out the cockpit. That kind of close inspection should find any AIS stowaways.
If you kayak and your boat has a skeg, I think it’s crucial to pour soapy water into the skeg box (with the skeg raised), and thoroughly rinse it out with a jet stream from the hose.
LOL, your post is kind of timely as I have a household Bissel steam cleaner ready for donation to the local Salvation Army.
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Thank you for your replies. I’ve only been kayaking for a few years, now, but I haven’t yet been to a location where any sort of inspection was conducted. Some friends want me to come up to the lake where their kayaks are kept, but the club there is very strict on cleaning the boat- in fact, one of them said that they flat out won’t let me use my own kayak, but I somehow doubt this. I know there are DEP approved steam cleaning sites (just got an email from the NY DEP about this, which prompted this post)- do they issue some sort of proof that you’ve had your kayak properly cleansed? And, yes, I should just call the club where the lake in question is and ask.
I’ll give you my Bissel steam cleaner if you’ll pay the shipping. 
On a more serious note, I think power boats and boat trailers are the bigger transporters of AIS because there’s so many nooks and crannies. A kayak is a steamlined, clean design and easier to check.
As I live in Michigan, the only thing I know about New York State is that they have some really crazy rules - like you can boat, kayak, and canoe in a reservoir, but you can’t swim (a relative was ticketed for doing so while visiting, although there wasn’t a single “no swimming sign” posted).
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In the NY reservoirs that allow kayaking you have to steam clean your boat at an approved place. I don’t think you can do it yourself. It costs $25-30.
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Ah! Thanks, @Doggy_Paddler! I received a list of DEP approved locations in the email I mentioned. Do you know if it’s usually a while-u-wait thing, or would I be dropping it off?
I’m not sure. This is a place near the Pepacton Reservoir that I contacted to ask about it; here’s what they told me:
"We will be continuing our steam cleaning service come the spring of 2021. The standard price for a non-member would be around 30 dollars, 25 dollars for members. This reflects recent price changes. Steam cleaning will be available regularly between 6:00am and 12:00pm Monday, Thursday, and Friday. Other times and days, such as the weekend, will depend from day to day on what personnel are scheduled to work, and are therefore subject to change. Appointments are best made for this service via the telephone.
Thank you,
Front Desk Team Member
Catskill Recreation Center
651 County Highway 38
Arkville, NY 12406
Phone: (845) 586-6250
Operating hours:
Monday, Thursday and Friday: 6am - Noon, 2pm - 7pm
Saturday and Sunday: 8am - 5pm
CLOSED on Tuesdays and Wednesday"
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Not that I’m jumping around to a hundred different locations, but that fee could really add up if you’re doing it every time. That’s why I was wondering if anyone here does the cleaning themselves and then how would you prove that you’ve done it? I understand the importance of being sure the hull is clean, so there may not be an acceptable DIY workaround for locations requiring it.
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I had a nasty infection in my toe. Doc prescribed antibiotics and told me to soak it in a weak solution of Dawn.
In a couple of days it was gone, I think long before the drugs could be effective.
Dawn is good stuff for killing microbes and plants.
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Dawn (dish soap) cleans the air filters on the travel trailers real well.
I think the outboard motor lower unit and trailer are the prime transporters of weeds and mollusks.
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Wow, I didn’t know that Dawn was this multi-purpose miracle solution!
And it will remove wax. And whatever you do, don’t mix it with bleach. Yes, I did. Bad thing unless you like sniffing chlorine gas.
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They use it to clean oil off of fouled birds at clean up operations.
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Dept of redundancy dept. 
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Ok…oiled birds.
It works to clean cosmoline off of milsurp to. Along with being good on dishes.
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