Sails - Cleaning Sails

I'm no expert on sails, just a cruiser, but here's some tips for cleaning sails.

Hope this helps

-- Cleaning Dacron sails --

• Make sure you clean your sails on a nice smooth surface. Not on the pavement or gravel (don't want to be sanding the back as your scrubbing the front).
• Mix a mild soap solution in a bucket, or use this solution: Dilute 2 Tbs Woolite and 1-2 cups vinegar in 1 gallon water.
• Lightly brush with a soft bristle brush. Do not over brush or use too much pressure.
• Rinse completely with fresh water. Removing all soap residue.
• Hang to dry completely in a well venilated area.
• Fold (not always on same creases) avoiding windows.
• Store covered from sunlight in well venilated area away from direct heat.

-- Removing stains and spots on Dacron sails --

• Rust: Soak the area in a 5% solution of oxalic acid dissolved in hot water. Follow this with a 2% solution of hydrochloric acid in warm water and, finally, and then rinse the spot well with clear water.
• Number adhesive: Soak the area in cleaner's benzene until the adhesive can be rubbed away with a rag.
• Oil, tar, and varnish: Use trichloroethylene either by itself or in solution with a liquid detergent.
• Mildew: According to Port Townsend Sails: "To remove mildew sailcloth manufacturers recommend a highly diluted solution of Sodium Hypochlorite (3-5%). Because it is toxic to you and the environment, we (Port Townsend Sails) object to the use of bleach except as a last resort. We have also heard and common sense leads us to concur that bleach strips the coating from thread and leaves stitching vulnerable to UV damage. Never use bleach on nylon or laminated sails!"

-- How to clean nylon sails --

• Use a bathtub or huge bucket for cleaning nylon sails.
• Clean light-air sails by rinsing with lots of fresh water.
• No bleach or solvents, they will damage the fabric.
• Hang the sails in a well ventilated area.
• When the sails are completely dry, fold or roll them.
• Sails should be stored in a dry, well-ventilated area away from direct heat.

Note: Never wash your sails in a washing machine, or use a pressure washer with over 1100 psi, which can damage sails.

- Kim (seageek)

And bleach is bad news on polyester (like dacron sails, gel coat, poly resin fiberglass, etc.).  So is acid, so is scrubbing with a brush.  Saw a guy eat through his main in a year using Tilex (bleach) to get rid of mildew stains.

Despite what some say, dirty spots on a sail aren't usually weak spots until you try to clean them.   If you try to oxidize them with a strong agent, you're going to damage your sails to some degree.  Would you clean your engine with bleach so that others thought it looked prettier?

My advice:  mild detergent (I use JOY, not woolite), full rinsing, and then the most powerful natural oxidant on the planet:  sunlight.  Watch those mildew spots fade away as you have fun sailing instead of scrubbing.

IMHO: bright clean sails are for dock jewelry - the boats that never go anywhere.

SD

Maybe I'll wait until the end of the coming cruiing season to decide whether to do anything. I have 2500 miles planned sailing this summer--that should give the sun ample opportunity to bleach the sails.

Caring for your sails:

1. Avoid flogging.
2. Don't exceed the wind range of the sail.
3. Rinse your sails, every once in a while.
4. Remove the sails in the off season.
5. Tape all cotter pins, rings and anything sharp.

I generally will lay out a tarp for lack of "clean surfaces". MILD detergent is a must, there are plenty out, I use Ivory, and a sponge. But really I'll only clean the sails with detergent maybe once or twice a season as any excessive washing can strain your sails. For the most part just rinse the sails at the end of the day/trip with fresh water. If you have a mildew stain, please only try to clean it once with a bleach solution (like a cap of bleach to a bucket of water). It's bad for the environment and the more you use bleach the worse you treat your sails, not to mention the sun will help. You can also find tons of info online just do a google search containing your sail material and the stain type.