Michael Bradshaw Posted January 20, 2008 Report Share Posted January 20, 2008 I am sure this has come up before, but I can't remember the answer. Can you clean your sails to help remove any grime that can build up on the sails? I find in particular that I get some grime rubbing off the side shrouds as the main rubs against it whilst on shore. Any ideas? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralph Posted January 21, 2008 Report Share Posted January 21, 2008 Don't leave the sails up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QB2 Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Use a broom or a mop to swab your sails with a bucket of water and laundry detergent. Rinse off and let dry. Use a sponge on ingrained dirt or grease. If your sails are mouldy wash with napisan or a household bleach to whiten before rinsing off. There is a weak acid (acetic??) you can buy to bleach rust stains. In Queensland there is a large noisy blowfly like insaect that makes black, sticky tar like egg honeycombs which makes a hell of a mess in rolled up sails. You need lots of elbow grease with kero and turps to clean the tar off. The tar smells like pine and is probably collected tree sap or resin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryK1200LT Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 I find that straight household bleach poured onto the sail, then a quick brooming of the grimmy spots, followed by a thorough rinse, then leave the sail to dry. Worked wonders for cleaning white sails. Cheers Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yeti2300 Posted January 22, 2008 Report Share Posted January 22, 2008 Hey Barry, Straight bleach sounds a bit (very) drastic. How does it work on mylar sails? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warbird Posted January 23, 2008 Report Share Posted January 23, 2008 My experience is that I do not wash my sails. THe salt stops the mildew. I sail in rain enough to rinse them. If I buy a sail with any mildew or marks I use a mold cleaner for showers. Spray it on. leave it and then wash it off. Nappy cleaner is good for hard to remove...in the bath or similar over night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.