Cleaning Sails

[sonny]

I tried washing dirt and grime off sails but can never get them clean. Whats best to use?

 

[AndrewB]

There's no satisfactory answer to this one. Anything really effective at cleaning grimy terylene sails is also likely to damage them. Usual DIY treatment is put them in a warm soapy bath to soak and get rid of all salt, then swish them round and a bit of hand wringing to remove all the surface dirt, rinse, dry thoroughly and store. Even if you have them professionally valetted, they won't come up much better.

 

[Guest]

Treat your boat to some new ones! You will be amazed at the improvement in performance. Most sailmakers are offering discounts at this time of year.

 

[RogerLloyd]

Mud comes off very easily when it is wet.
Let the mud dry and it is very difficult to remove it.

Do BOATLIFE do something?
Roger Lloyd

 

[Guest]

BIOTEX. Tried it last year following a Forum recommendation. Works by soaking the sail (suitable size conatainer req'd!) for 12 hours or more followed by thorough rinsing. Gets rid of greyness and grime (but not metallic or tar stains). Bought at some supermarkets and hardware stores. Considered as safe for terylene.