Sail cleaning in a hot tub

[SlimRick]

Is it worth a try?
We have an inflatable hot tub in the garage, and a set of grubby sails. If is set the temp to 40’, throw in some non-bio washing powder, put the sails in and turn the bubbles on for half an hour.

Chances of success or abject failure?

 

[MoodySabre]

I think it will work better if they have had a good long soak. The bubbles will just get trapped by the sail and push it up above water level, soaking the garage floor.

Soak them and then clean with a soft brush on a flat surface. Hang them up and rinse with a hose with a a low pressure jet.
If they are good sails then the cost of a professional laundering is worth it IMO as they washed flat and checked over carefully. £80 incl VAT when I had my genoa done recently.

 

[Heckler]

I think it will work better if they have had a good long soak. The bubbles will just get trapped by the sail and push it up above water level, soaking the garage floor.

Soak them and then clean with a soft brush on a flat surface. Hang them up and rinse with a hose with a a low pressure jet.
If they are good sails then the cost of a professional laundering is worth it IMO as they washed flat and checked over carefully. £80 incl VAT when I had my genoa done recently.

Professional cleaning? Our local people used to take them to an industrial outfit who were workware hirers and cleaners. They would go in an industrial washing machine.
Maybe an owner would do as good as with a gentle wash as described?
Stu

 

[VicS]

Professional cleaning? Our local people used to take them to an industrial outfit who were workware hirers and cleaners. They would go in an industrial washing machine.
Maybe an owner would do as good as with a gentle wash as described?
Stu

Two of your "local people"; The Boatshed and JKA Sailmakers , send them to Tip Top sail Laundry. Their traditional methods were featured in PBO a while back

 

[Heckler]

Two of your "local people"; The Boatshed and JKA Sailmakers , send them to Tip Top sail Laundry. Their traditional methods were featured in PBO a while back

I have two "local" now, here and Gib! No names, no comeback!
Stu

 

[MoodySabre]

Professional cleaning? Our local people used to take them to an industrial outfit who were workware hirers and cleaners. They would go in an industrial washing machine.
Maybe an owner would do as good as with a gentle wash as described?
Stu

I think he would but I wouldn't put my sails in a machine. Dolphin wash them flat and they come back in excellent nick.

 

[pvb]

Is it worth a try?
We have an inflatable hot tub in the garage, and a set of grubby sails. If is set the temp to 40’, throw in some non-bio washing powder, put the sails in and turn the bubbles on for half an hour.

Chances of success or abject failure?

For success, you'd need a couple of scantily-clad ladies in there too, to keep submerging the sails.

 

[Baddox]

For success, you'd need a couple of scantily-clad ladies in there too, to keep submerging the sails.

... and a bio detergent will work better than non-bio without any ill effects.

 

[Fossil]

Irresistibly reminded of a poem by the late Bob Mackay of Welsh hang-gliding fame:-

Sails can be washed
(If wash them you must)
In water that's soapy and wettish.

I wash mine a lot
But then I have got
A soapy hot water fetish ...

 

[Pasarell]

My local place, in Greece, wash sails by laying them out on the concrete outside their office and pressure washing with 2 men walking over them in boots to do it. They're not getting my sails but they were busy all last winter so plenty of people are obviously happy with it

 

[Hydrozoan]

I suspect much would depend on the nature of the dirt. I had considerable success, following advice on this forum, with Biotex (no connection etc.) in removing black hydrocarbon deposits from the atmosphere when other methods (including a professional launder) had largely failed. I used hot water in a bin for about 24h, with occasional agitation of the (heavily folded) sail. A larger container allowing better agitation might help, though it would need more detergent to maintain the concentration. I found it necessary to rub residual black marks after the soaking, but the detergent had certainly 'loosened' them effectively.

 

[SlimRick]

This might have been one of my less rubbish ideas!
Results on the green patches look promising so far.

 

[Carmel2]

Hope the hot tub was washed out first, my old next door neighbour used to...........far to much information!

 

[VicS]

This might have been one of my less rubbish ideas!
Results on the green patches look promising so far.
View attachment 67679

where are the recommended scantily clad ladies?

 

[Carmel2]

where are the recommended scantily clad ladies?

They ran when they saw the hot tub was a kids paddling pool

 

[SlimRick]

where are the recommended scantily clad ladies?

I suggested that to my wife...I still have the bruises.
I may also have overdone the washing power

 

[[163233]]

How are you going to dry it?

 

[Jungle Jim]

Crikey it's the Quatermass experiment all over again. If any of it starts pulsing and glowing I suggest you run away.

 

[stephen_h]

For hard to remove stains try coating with lemon juice, sprinkle on some salt and leave in the sun - if you can find any!