Sail washing

Good to see you Headhunter, I've used OxiClean. Depending on how bad the stains are, you can use it as a paste with very light scrubbing or soak the whole sail in a tub.

Cleaning is kind of rough on sails, but usually by the time this comes up the sails are kind of soft anyway and we just want them to look better. 😆

http://www.sailrite.com/303-Aerospace-Fabric-Vinyl-Cleaner-32oz
Safe and effective. Must be diluted 20:1 or more, but safe enough to wash vegetables.

Thanks guys!

Know anyone with a pool? Great way to wash sails, mild chlorine and easy to just get in with them and wash away. JMHO, Ricardo.

If you have an ultralight aircraft there is a good chance that it is covered with dacron sail cloth. This is the same style of cloth used in the sailing industry. These boats are generally quite expensive, with the owners wanting bright colours and CLEAN sails! So to find out how to clean dacron sail cloth I searched the "sail boat" web and came up with the following recommendations which i follow in san blas sailing

CLEANING - Use a soft scrub brush and a mild detergent or Ivory soap. Detergents with a neutral ph factor will not tend to set certain types of soil rather than remove them. Always scrub in line with seams. After scrubbing, rinse sail with plenty of warm water to remove all soap before laying flat to dry.

MILDEW - Mildew is caused by storing soiled sails wet. While it does not affect the strength of Dacron, it is unsightly and should be removed early to prevent spreading through the dirt and moisture left in the sail- a good reason for keeping the sail clean.

Headhunter wrote: My square weave jib is looking kinda ragged.

Some sail lofts will clean and refinish a jib for about US$50. Refinishing puts the stiff feel back into the cloth, helping you to keep a better foil shape with the jib, and prolonging its usability.
Just food for thought.

Unfortunatly my storage shed had a leak and now a couple of my sails have some mildew developing. Would heavily diluted bleach solution work for removing it? The sails are all Hobie 2010 and newer.

Edited by si_beachcats on Feb 06, 2015 - 10:51 AM.

most mildew experts say bleach is the wrong thing to use.
almost the worst thing actually

use regular sail cleaning solution (or solution of choice) and see if that handles the problem

I purchased(cheap) a boat (sight unseen except for a photo from the previous year) from an acquaintance being transferred out of town knowing it was going to need some work...but he failed to mention that the sails had been left rolled up on the tramp with no bag for the last 18 months. Lots of soil and some mildew spots. After drilling thru this site and the web for advice went with soaking the sails in the bathtub for a couple days with oxiclean, rinsed and repeated. The few little mildew spots that remained I spayed on some tilex mold and mildew cleaner, scrubbed lightly with a sponge and rinsed immediately. Jib and main turned out very well and are worth more than I paid for the boat.

Edited by NeubaurRL on Feb 07, 2015 - 01:14 PM.

soaking the sails in the bathtub for a couple days with oxiclean, rinsed and repeated. The few little mildew spots that remained I spayed on some tilex mold and mildew cleaner, scrubbed lightly with a sponge and rinsed immediately. Jib and main turned out very well

Thanks, this is exactly what I have been needing to read. 😀