I'm in the process of sprucing up the Javelin I just bought. The sails (Originals, by Hannah made for ODay) are still crisp, though somewhat wrinkled from storage. Both the main and jib have surface dirt, and some of what appears to be rust stains on them. What's the best cleaning product and method to use for this situation? Thanks! Bob
Best way to home clean sails
- Thread starter bmwbob
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Keep it simple
Soap and TSP diluted in water for dirt. Rinse the sail, spray on the solution scrub lightly with a soft brush where the dirt is heavy and rinse thoroughly. For rust stains, use a mild oxalic acid solution. Barkeeper's Friend or Zud, are common cleansers containing a mild oxalic acid solution that can be purchased in the grocery store. Oxalic acid is an organic acid and is a reducing agent that will not damage the fibers in the sailcloth or the thread in the stitches. Think of it as a 'deoxidiser' and rust is just iron oxide. Make a paste, cover the stain, let it soak and rinse.
Soap and TSP diluted in water for dirt. Rinse the sail, spray on the solution scrub lightly with a soft brush where the dirt is heavy and rinse thoroughly. For rust stains, use a mild oxalic acid solution. Barkeeper's Friend or Zud, are common cleansers containing a mild oxalic acid solution that can be purchased in the grocery store. Oxalic acid is an organic acid and is a reducing agent that will not damage the fibers in the sailcloth or the thread in the stitches. Think of it as a 'deoxidiser' and rust is just iron oxide. Make a paste, cover the stain, let it soak and rinse.
TSP for mold.....
TSP = triSodiumPhosphate used to clean wood. Available in hardware and paint stores. Better for mold if you can find it is a detergent that has a base of sodium silicate (Tuff-eNuff, etc.) Such 'caustics' will dissolve the mold but you may need to follow up with oxalic (buy it in hardware/paint stores) to remove traces of iron or tannis, etc. , also good for bleaching out gelcoat, etc. Be sure to thoroughly rinse out and NEVER mix a caustic with oxalic. Oxalic can absorb through your skin and harm your kidneys ... wear gloves, etc. The above is ONLY for WHITE woven DACRON. DO NOT use on dacron laminates or other laminates or colored sails. hope this helps.
TSP = triSodiumPhosphate used to clean wood. Available in hardware and paint stores. Better for mold if you can find it is a detergent that has a base of sodium silicate (Tuff-eNuff, etc.) Such 'caustics' will dissolve the mold but you may need to follow up with oxalic (buy it in hardware/paint stores) to remove traces of iron or tannis, etc. , also good for bleaching out gelcoat, etc. Be sure to thoroughly rinse out and NEVER mix a caustic with oxalic. Oxalic can absorb through your skin and harm your kidneys ... wear gloves, etc. The above is ONLY for WHITE woven DACRON. DO NOT use on dacron laminates or other laminates or colored sails. hope this helps.
A friend used "Oxi Clean"
He used Oxi-Clean on his very dirty sails and they came out very nicely. His sails were of a size that into a 55 gal barrel and he agitated then by hand and with a baseball bat. I don't know if there are any bad goodies in that type of soap but they look real good and we've sailed her all summer without problem. Sail Care does a nice job to if you have the spare change. Ray
He used Oxi-Clean on his very dirty sails and they came out very nicely. His sails were of a size that into a 55 gal barrel and he agitated then by hand and with a baseball bat. I don't know if there are any bad goodies in that type of soap but they look real good and we've sailed her all summer without problem. Sail Care does a nice job to if you have the spare change. Ray
clean up
I've heard of people tossing them into a spa and letting it run for a couple of hours, then rinse and let dry
I've heard of people tossing them into a spa and letting it run for a couple of hours, then rinse and let dry
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