How to wash my sails? Help please

I bought this early 70's model Hobie 14 that has sails from the 80's. The sails were very dirty so I washed them on my drive with a car wash mit and soapy water then rinsed them off and raised them up the mast to dry.

They aren't clean enough. The top light blue area of the main still has some mildew stains. I'm ready to remove the battens and go for a 24 Hour soak in the tub.

What soap or bleach do I need to soak them in to remove mildew? Has anyone used OXY clean? And at what ratio?


Please recommend how I can get rid of the mildew and give these sails a good cleaning.

Thanks,
Mike F

_________________
Mike
Pearland, TX
1990 Hobie 16
http://feidler.blogspot.com/
Member of Surfside Sailing and Hobie Fleet 33
http://hobiefleet33.com

I have never been able to get the mildew dots off my sail. They are really stubborn, and the robust cleaners can cause harm. If you are serious about it, I would send it to sailcare.com for cleaning and new resin.

Once I sliced my finger open, and spilled blood all over my main. Barkeepers Friend will take blood out (and other iron based stains like rust) really easily, but not mildew, doesn't work at all. I think (but am not certain) Barkeepers Friends is very similar to Oxy Clean (they are both oxalic acid based cleaners).

Two other ideas are in the links below. I would live with the mildew before I would put any amount of bleach (one of the suggestions below) on my sails:

http://forums.macgregor.sailboatowners. ... php?p=2681

http://forums.macgregor.sailboatowners. ... php?p=2681

I talked to Kelly Hanson Sails in Colorado last year about my moldy 1983 H-16 sails. They said the key is to use a mild detergent and a medium firmness scrub brush. Don't be afraid to scrub hard. The results were great. All mold spots are gone and sails look new.

What are my sails made of?

Dacron? Nylon?

Thanks

_________________
Mike
Pearland, TX
1990 Hobie 16
http://feidler.blogspot.com/
Member of Surfside Sailing and Hobie Fleet 33
http://hobiefleet33.com

Dacron.

Nylon's too stretchy.

Sailcloth is finished with a resin that gives it the the "crispy" finish that people advertise on eBay. Over time, the resin breaks down and the material becomes softer and more porous. Porous sails are not nearly as efficient.

Scrubbing accelerates that process - but on 20 year old sails, it's not going to make much difference.

I soaked them in a bath tube with a water and bleach mixture. It seamed to work very well. They spent about 5 hours in it and then over night in a clean water rinse.

I'm pleased. They look much better!

Thanks,
Mike

_________________
Mike
Pearland, TX
1990 Hobie 16
http://feidler.blogspot.com/
Member of Surfside Sailing and Hobie Fleet 33
http://hobiefleet33.com