DIY Sail Cleaning

CPD

CPD

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 Sep 2006
Messages
3,014
Location
Hampshire
Visit site
Is this a ridiculous suggestion ?.

I am thinking :

  1. Lay on the lawn (the sails that is).
  2. Scrub heavily soiled areas (scrubbing brush and detergent).
  3. Gentle jet wash all over.
  4. Lots of hot water, detergent and use of mops or similar.
  5. Leave to soak overnight.
  6. Gentle jet wash again.
  7. Repeat as necessary.

  • Anyone tried it ?.
  • Is it a faff ?
  • Does it work ?
  • Am I being a silly skinflint ?
 
CPD said:
Is this a ridiculous suggestion ?.

I am thinking :

  1. Lay on the lawn (the sails that is).
  2. Scrub heavily soiled areas (scrubbing brush and detergent).
  3. Gentle jet wash all over.
  4. Lots of hot water, detergent and use of mops or similar.
  5. Leave to soak overnight.
  6. Gentle jet wash again.
  7. Repeat as necessary.

  • Anyone tried it ?.
  • Is it a faff ?
  • Does it work ?
  • Am I being a silly skinflint ?
Click to expand...

If I did that at any time of year other than mid summer it would end up covered with mud.

At any time of year covered with fox shit and pigeon droppings

High pressure jet washing would be very inadvisable.

Use only warm water ....... 40C like youd use for synthetic clothing I guess
 
Last edited:
Depends how big the sail is could you suspend it between it between 2 trees or put it on the washing line and clean it.
 
I'm planning to do the same - Im lucky to have a large enough concrete patio.

There is some mildew on one of the sails - is patio magic a good idea or will it damage the 15+ year old dacron sail?
 
Aeolus said:
I'm planning to do the same - Im lucky to have a large enough concrete patio.

There is some mildew on one of the sails - is patio magic a good idea or will it damage the 15+ year old dacron sail?
Click to expand...

AFAIK there is no problem with Patio Magic but I would dilute it it appreciably. 10 fold perhaps.

Avoid chlorine based bleaches and cleaners. You might get away with it but hypochlorite bleach is known to turn polyester sail cloth yellow . Irreversibly.
 
Patio Magic shouldn't cause any harm but I doubt it would do any good either. It is great at preventing stuff growing in the first place and will kill anything currently growing. However, it won't remove stains left behind on sails stored damp for ages.

It is great on teak as stuff growing in the grain will die and wash away. However, a white sail is somewhat different.

No harm in trying as it is pretty cheap but expect your fish to die if there's a pond in your garden close to the area used to clean the sails.
 
My experience is that some sails get dirty and you can not reverse that process, spent a lot of beer money last winter on some professional laundering at the sailmaker, looks slightly cleaner but I reckon it has been robbed of five years of its remaining life. Not my best investment. I have tried all the diy techniques with similar results. Green algae and mildew can and should be be tackled with Patio Magic but once it has gone black it is staying forever. Strangely the older North sails that came with the boat from Finland still look pristine, must be the cloth they use over there?
But then I am famous around here both for my pathetic results if tasked with domestic cleaning and for the depth of my pessimism.
 
My preferrence would be a "clay" tennis court, swept before use! DON'T SCRUB. A scrubbing brush will break down the surface of the material and break the stitching. Some professional operators who don't have the automated laundry system use a watering can and indoor, soft broom to lightly swish the liquid around. First wash with a mild detergent solution. then spot clean with dilute bleach were required, rinse and wash again. Thorough rtinsing can be helped with a hose but not pressure washer as it can damage the fabric, too.

The great thing about tennis courts is that they have long, high chain link fences on which you can hand the sail to drip dry. In fact, with a hose you can really rinse it thoroughly. Don't pack it away until you are 100% sure it is bone dry - that's the most difficult part to achieve in the UK!

Rob.
 
As I've posted here before (and following an old recommendation on these forums) I found a hot wash with Biotex enzymatic detergent very good for removal of heavy, black hydrocarbon deposits. (A 'soot' incident from docks, I can only surmise, since it had obviously been carried by rain into the furled genoa.)

I just thoroughly washed out a wheelie bin, filled it with hot water, dissolved in a whole pack of Biotex (just a few £ in Waitrose) and left the folded sail in it for a day or two with occasional agitation. I then rinsed off with fresh water (hand brushing away residual black bits as I went) and dried the sail by hanging it between tree and fence in garden - as I normally do with sail washing, before I used the Biotex.

I would expect Biotex to be good for organic stains like hydrocarbons, but not necessarily for rust etc. How it would do with black mildew spots I do not know. But it succeeded in making a big impression on the hydrocarbon dirt, which a professional sail laundering had not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top