Ok, so I've searched the archives for cleaning, sails, sail cleaning, and cleaning sails....without any hits...I'm looking for suggestions for a general cleanup (owner performed, not professionsal cleaning) of sails that were left unattended for 10+ years. I know they could use replacing, or at the very least a good prof. cleaning, but I am on a strict budget....More imprtant things to spend my money on to get this boat out of the slip!. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks in advance for your advise and thoughts. Mark P.../)
Sail cleaning
- Thread starter Mark P.
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Pro cleaning and checks not that much
Had my sails pro cleaned and repaired at Doyle Sail in RI cost about 150.00 for all pretty cheap considering. wouldn't want them blowing out while sailing. If sails fall apart you wont be going to far out of the slip __/) ~~~
Had my sails pro cleaned and repaired at Doyle Sail in RI cost about 150.00 for all pretty cheap considering. wouldn't want them blowing out while sailing. If sails fall apart you wont be going to far out of the slip __/) ~~~
Home sail cleaning
I've cleaned my sails by soaking in a large garbage can with one scoop of automatic dishwashing detergent (this is so you won't foam like crazy and a double dose of oxyclean. then double rinse. Get them clean exept for rust. use an oxalic acid paste on rust stains and rub in with toothbrush. Good luck
I've cleaned my sails by soaking in a large garbage can with one scoop of automatic dishwashing detergent (this is so you won't foam like crazy and a double dose of oxyclean. then double rinse. Get them clean exept for rust. use an oxalic acid paste on rust stains and rub in with toothbrush. Good luck
DIY Sail cleaning
Directions for cleaning WHITE ***dacron**** or dacron laminate sails: Obtain a sodium silicate based liquid detergent (janitorial supply or sometimes from a chandlery as Tuff-eNuff) and some oxalic acid crystals from a hardware/paint store. Caution: Sodium Silicates are stongly caustic; oxalic acid rapidly absorbs though exposed skin ..... so wear proper protection On a cloudy, windless and humid day .... Clean the deck Slowly raise the sail as you spray/spritz on the detergent, mist with water from a hose to keep wetted. Continue until sail is fully coated with detergent and water, lower to deck and cover with a waterproof tarp to keep from drying out. LET SOAK for about an hour. With long handled soft bristle brush slowly raise sail as you scrub the surface, apply more detergent where needed until whole sail is scrubbed and recoated. Lower and cover with tarp and LET SOAK. Slowly raise again and scrub ... then re-raise and blast with hose to totally rinse all detergent from sail. Raise and lower several times while blating with water hose until ALL detergent is removed. Sodium Silicate or other strong caustics will not harm dacron or the polyester seam stitching. And it will dissolve the cellular structure of mildew, 'artillery fungus' (teeny black spots all over gelcoat and sailcloth) air pollution spots, etc. ... these are the 'usual' cause of 'dirt' on a sail. Make sure the sail is well rinsed. ------------ For tannin and rust stain removal (be SURE there is NO caustic left in sail) See oxalic acid caution above as if this stuff gets absorbed it can seriouslly harm your kidneys (oxalic is the MAIN component in teak/wood bleach and many of the vogue cleaners/cleansers now marketed and available in 'supermarkets, etc. ---- BAD SHIT for human kidneys) Dissolve the oxalic acid crystals in warm water ... just enough water so that 'most' of the crustals (but not all() dissolve. Apply to tannin and rust stains with long handled brush .... if tannin or iron stan, will bleach almost immediately. RINSE RINSE RINSE AND THEN RINSE AGAIN. Go sailing to dry the sail. Then rewax the boat as the Sodium Silicate will have stripped all the old dead wax from the pores of the gelcoat. Good to strip the old wax every year to retard oxidation acceleration due to old dead wax. Then take remaining oxalic acid and wash/bleach the waterline and engine exhaust outlets to remove the 'bow moustache' and waterline stains from tannins and rust, etc. Then reseal/wax the gelcoat on the topsides and waterline. Three jobs done on same morning .... Costs about $15.00. Sail should now be quite clean and stain free. Be VERY careful using organic solvents to remove grease,oil from sailcloth as such solvents can disolve the plasticizer and the polyester stitching and even the sailcloth. ****DO NOT***** use this method on Mylar or other High tech sail cloth materials. DO NOT use method on colored/dyed dacron ailcloth ... this cleaning method is for WHITE dacron ONLY. ;-)
Directions for cleaning WHITE ***dacron**** or dacron laminate sails: Obtain a sodium silicate based liquid detergent (janitorial supply or sometimes from a chandlery as Tuff-eNuff) and some oxalic acid crystals from a hardware/paint store. Caution: Sodium Silicates are stongly caustic; oxalic acid rapidly absorbs though exposed skin ..... so wear proper protection On a cloudy, windless and humid day .... Clean the deck Slowly raise the sail as you spray/spritz on the detergent, mist with water from a hose to keep wetted. Continue until sail is fully coated with detergent and water, lower to deck and cover with a waterproof tarp to keep from drying out. LET SOAK for about an hour. With long handled soft bristle brush slowly raise sail as you scrub the surface, apply more detergent where needed until whole sail is scrubbed and recoated. Lower and cover with tarp and LET SOAK. Slowly raise again and scrub ... then re-raise and blast with hose to totally rinse all detergent from sail. Raise and lower several times while blating with water hose until ALL detergent is removed. Sodium Silicate or other strong caustics will not harm dacron or the polyester seam stitching. And it will dissolve the cellular structure of mildew, 'artillery fungus' (teeny black spots all over gelcoat and sailcloth) air pollution spots, etc. ... these are the 'usual' cause of 'dirt' on a sail. Make sure the sail is well rinsed. ------------ For tannin and rust stain removal (be SURE there is NO caustic left in sail) See oxalic acid caution above as if this stuff gets absorbed it can seriouslly harm your kidneys (oxalic is the MAIN component in teak/wood bleach and many of the vogue cleaners/cleansers now marketed and available in 'supermarkets, etc. ---- BAD SHIT for human kidneys) Dissolve the oxalic acid crystals in warm water ... just enough water so that 'most' of the crustals (but not all() dissolve. Apply to tannin and rust stains with long handled brush .... if tannin or iron stan, will bleach almost immediately. RINSE RINSE RINSE AND THEN RINSE AGAIN. Go sailing to dry the sail. Then rewax the boat as the Sodium Silicate will have stripped all the old dead wax from the pores of the gelcoat. Good to strip the old wax every year to retard oxidation acceleration due to old dead wax. Then take remaining oxalic acid and wash/bleach the waterline and engine exhaust outlets to remove the 'bow moustache' and waterline stains from tannins and rust, etc. Then reseal/wax the gelcoat on the topsides and waterline. Three jobs done on same morning .... Costs about $15.00. Sail should now be quite clean and stain free. Be VERY careful using organic solvents to remove grease,oil from sailcloth as such solvents can disolve the plasticizer and the polyester stitching and even the sailcloth. ****DO NOT***** use this method on Mylar or other High tech sail cloth materials. DO NOT use method on colored/dyed dacron ailcloth ... this cleaning method is for WHITE dacron ONLY. ;-)
oooops !!!
Dont do this if you have a teak deck or bare (grey) teak trim as the Sodium silicate will also clean/etch the bare teak ... but the tannins will get into the sail, etc. The oxalic will bleach-out caustic cleaned teak I use this method to clean/etch/bleach my teak decks .... so I can do 4 jobs on the same morning.
Dont do this if you have a teak deck or bare (grey) teak trim as the Sodium silicate will also clean/etch the bare teak ... but the tannins will get into the sail, etc. The oxalic will bleach-out caustic cleaned teak I use this method to clean/etch/bleach my teak decks .... so I can do 4 jobs on the same morning.
Sail Care
Mark, There have been some fine comments here - if you want to have someone else do it, here's a link to a place that cleaned and reconditioned a genoa for me. It came back looking very nice. See the accompanying link...
Mark, There have been some fine comments here - if you want to have someone else do it, here's a link to a place that cleaned and reconditioned a genoa for me. It came back looking very nice. See the accompanying link...
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