Mould on sails

[AIDY]

Any suggestions on removing mould from sails ?

Have been told to use neat Milton, not sure if it's a good idea or not.



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[pvb]

Milton is just a dilute household bleach. Save your money and use ordinary bleach.

If you want to spend a bit more, use Polycell 3-in-1 Mould Killer (about £5 a litre from B&Q).

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[VicS]

Milton is not "just dilted household bleach". Both are, however hypochlorite, based.

According to the label on the bleach bottle it should not be used on man-made fabrics so unless you have cotton sails be warned and in any event rinse very, very thoroughly.

I have found that some mould killing preparations are inclined to stain and in any case are for use on plaster, brick, masonry etc. So again beware and read the label.

Sorry to be so negative. If there is a way of removing mould stains then I will be pleased to learn of it. Swmbo says you can't, at least Ihho.

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[MainlySteam]

Household bleach used in method and the concentrations on the bottle for laundry use is ok for polyester (dacron, terylene) sails. And it works in my experience. Not for any other sailcloth though.

John

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[AIDY]

Thanks for the advise guys. I will have an experiment in a small section either by the clew or the tack and let you know the result.

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[Capt_Marlinspike]

Ask SWMBO for some pre-wash soaking detergent, e.g. Vanish or Biotex. Theese fetch mold of a treat. Usually it will just soak off, if stubborn give it a scrub with a stiff brush.

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[Capt_Marlinspike]

Ask SWMBO for some pre-wash soaking detergent, e.g. Vanish or Biotex. These fetch mold off a treat. Usually it will just soak off, if stubborn give it a scrub with a stiff brush.

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[MainlySteam]

But don't scrub too much or with a hard brush, or you will irrepairably damage the filler in the sailcloth.

John

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[pvb]

Give it a try, Vic...

We could argue for ages about what is in Milton, apart from dilute bleach and salt. But have you actually tried using Polycell 3-in-1 Mould Killer? It's a clear water-based liquid, which can be brushed on neat with a paintbrush. It dries quickly. It doesn't stain. It kills mould. I use it twice a year on my sprayhood, and it keeps it looking good without ever having to scrub it. You could give it a try.

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[VicS]

Re: Give it a try, Vic...

Yes I have used Polycell mould cleaner also and others. I remember that one of them left a stain. To be fair I dont think it was the Polycell one but my point was to be cautious.

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[AIDY]

Just to let you know that house hold bleach is rather too strong to clean sails.

have tested it on the clew and turned a small patch a yellow colour.

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[david_e]

I asked this question from my sailmaker just before Xmas. I have a laminated genoa and knew the problem would occur, a pay off for great performance.

<"You need a bleach which you should only leave on for 10 mins , then fully
wash off .The problem is caused by the impervious layer in the laminate
which does not allow the moisture to escape. It is important to try to store
dry. There is a Bainbridge bleach based product which I'll
investigate">

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[AIDY]

Thanks david. will be interested to learn how you get on.

thankfully i did not go too mad with the bleach, it's only on a piece a couple of inches square.

regards

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by delf on 07/02/2004 14:43 (server time).</FONT></P>