Our test group, from left to right: West Marine, Star brite, Mary Kate, Sea Bowld, Nautical Ease, 3M, Aurora Boat Scrub, and Meguiar’s.

Nonskid—whether it’s raised diamond, speckled, or some other form—plays a crucial role in keeping you safe while traversing the decks of your boat. And since boat manufacturers are sometimes stingy when it comes to handrails and handholds, an aggressive nonskid is all that more important.

Nonskid’s bumpy surfaces, crevices, and contours make it tough to clean, however. Talk about elbow grease. If you’re not using the right cleaner, you’ll never get the job done. The marine industry offers products specifically to clean nonskid. We rounded up a bunch of them and threw in a couple of household cleaners for comparison’s sake. …