| Sailboat sails are expensive and sail repairs cost | | | | Dry brush the sail on both sides to remove dried |
| big bucks. Sailing skippers need to give their boat | | | | blood. Use a mild solution of bleach and soak the |
| sails an annual bath, a careful inspection, and | | | | affected area in a tub for 20-30 minutes. Scrub |
| remove any stains. This will keep the harmful, | | | | both sides of the sail. Rinse all traces of bleach |
| abrasive effects of soil away from your sails. Use | | | | from the sail. Drape over chairs or hang on a line |
| these five sail cleaning tips to protect your | | | | to dry. |
| investment. | | | | 4. Rust or Ink Stain Removal |
| 1. Annual Bath | | | | Use a 5% solution of oxalic acid. Purchase this |
| Wash racing or cruising sails in mild soapy water | | | | product over-the-counter at your local drugstore. |
| once a year. Use a medium firm hand brush. | | | | In the days of the square riggers, sailors scrubbed |
| Follow the seams with your brush strokes to | | | | the wooden decks with this mild abrasive. Rinse all |
| prevent unnecessary stitch wear. | | | | traces of oxalic acid from the sail. Dry the sail |
| As you clean, inspect sail seams for broken zigzag | | | | before storing. |
| or straight sewing stitches. Keep a record of | | | | 5. Number and Decal Removal |
| these in a small notebook. Make the repairs | | | | Remove old racing sail numbers or decals with a |
| yourself or drop the sail by a local sailmaking shop. | | | | small amount of WD-40. Spay around the edges |
| 2. Mildew Stain Removal | | | | of the adhesive, wait a few minutes and peel. As |
| Dry brush the sail on both sides to loosen the | | | | you peel, spray more lubricant to keep the |
| mold spores. Soak the effected area in a mild | | | | adhesive soft. Wash all traces of WD-40 from |
| bleach solution for 2-3 hours. Do not use bleach on | | | | the sail with a mild soapy solution; then rinse. |
| nylon spinnaker sails! Use only mild soapy water | | | | Drape the sail over chairs or hang on a line to dry. |
| on nylon sails. | | | | As a sailing skipper, you want to do whatever it |
| After soaking, scrub both sides of the sail. Rinse | | | | takes to increase the life of your costly boat sails. |
| several times to remove the bleach solution. | | | | These sail cleaning tips will save you money and |
| Drape over chairs or hang on a line to dry. Drying | | | | reward you with a suite of sails that give you |
| your sails helps prevent mildew growth. | | | | great performance for many years to come. |
| 3. Blood Stain Removal | | | | |