I have small dark colored stains on my dacron sails for my Hobie 16 which I can't seem to remove. Tried oxyclean, lighter fluid, shout, 'goop' hand cleaner, all kinds of soap.
They look like oil but apparently are not. Any suggestions on removing them?

Here is a site that gives some great tips and I liked it the best:

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance-articles/19829-sail-care-cleaning.html

This next section also gives some good suggestions:

So you wanna clean your sail yourself
by Greg Allen
http://www.mothboat.com/CMBA/Building/sailclean.htm

Are the accent Phoenicians the keepers of the secret to sail cleaning? Does the chemical list look like a cross between jet fuel and DNA gene spliced material? Should sail cleaning only be attempted by the chosen few in purple robes?

Professional sail cleaners, if available in your area, do guarantee their work for about a dollar per foot. But a peak behind the curtain revealed a simple labor-intensive process with common household chemicals, not rocket science and exotic materials. And the labor was performed by a high school part-timer, not a degreed specialist.

Materials

The materials needed are a basin or bath tub where the sail can be emersed. Luke Warm water, laundry soap, laundry bleach, mild brush, and a place to hang them to dry. The sail cleaner used liquid Tide and Clorox bleach, but said any brand will do. I was concerned about the use of bleach, but a 1983 study by Howe & Bainbridge showed that if household bleach is used sparingly and rinsed properly, bleach will not damage dacron and cotton cloth or the stitching. The report also says never never ever use bleach on nylon or kevlar sails. Bleach will discolor your cloths, so keep this in mind when choosing proper sail-cleaning attire. You may wish to wear gloves as well.

Cleaning the Sail

It’s simple; soak the sail in lukewarm water and laundry soap for about 12 hours. How much laundry soap? Follow the directions on the box. Next spread the sail out flat and scrub with the mild bristle laundry brush. Treat the stained areas with a 2-4 percent solution of bleach and water. Rinse thoroughly and hang out to dry. I used the bath tub because the side of the tub offered a large flat surface for scrubbing the sail a section at a time. Since most of us no longer have cloths lines, I strung a line between two trees and hung the sail there. Fold the sail only after it is completely dry.

Mildew

The biggest secret to removing mildew is to begin at the earliest opportunity. Otherwise it will spread quickly and set deep into the fabric and stitches. Household bleach and warm water are the chemicals of choice. If the mildew does not come out during the first scrubbing, further cleaning will only damage the fabric. That’s as good as it gets. Get over it. Rinse the sail thoroughly and dry flat and completely. Drying the sail in sunlight may further fade the stain. Storing the sail in a dry well-ventilated area will help prevent the mildew from reoccurring

Spot Remover

The sail cleaner kept referring to a special citric spot remover by 3m, but further investigation revealed a spry bottle of Fantastic. Again, the treated area was rinsed completely after scrubbing. For blood they used Tilex which is a chlorinated cleaner with higher levels of chlorine, and they used acetone. I personally would rather put up with the stains than risk using these chemicals on the sail. Remember to rinse profusely with tons of water.

If sailing in salt water, rinse the sails each time to sail. And at the end of the season, use a soft brush on any metal rings to minimize corrosion.

So you don’t need ancient secrets or exotic chemicals. Just a few readily available materials, lots of elbow grease, and some common sense.

Suggestions from Andy Greenspon

Sailing is a very opinionated pleasurable past-time. How one sets up a boat and how they sail their boat is also very personal. I have other ideas as to how to care for sails.

When Debbie and I first moved to the Clearwater/ St. Pete area, we opened a sail cleaning and canvas cleaning business. I spent many hours on the phone with DuPont engineers as to the best methods of cleaning sails. Also, presently, I have a carpet and upholstery cleaning business. Most, if not all, the techniques I learned from experience are transferable between carpeting and sails, since they are both synthetic substances/materials.

Here's how I do it:

1. Wash/rinse the sail with fresh water

2. When using a "cleanser" opt for a product like Borax II or a product that has oxygenated bleach, not chlorinated bleach (the oxygen will not attack the fibers as chlorine can. When using two separate products, IE a cleaner and a "bleach" be careful that the pH factor is neutral (7.2) or else harm can be done to the cloth. If the cleanser has the bleach already in the product then chances are that the cleanser is neither acidic nor alkaline. Chlorine can turn white fabric yellow and destroy the fabric at the same time. Oxygenated bleach doesn't attack the threads and will bring the natural color back making it whiter and brighter. As always, rinse well after washing.

ANDY

great data...

I heard eons ago you don't want to use Tide etc. that will ruin dacron,and decrease it's strength- so sails can shred. You can bleach to your heart's content- just don't do what a friend did wore gloves- got chlorox inside the gloves and 2nd degree burns on hands and forearms.

John R.

I've always been advised to NEVER use straight bleach on anything! Not getting a chemical burn is not a bad reason along with I haven't seen anything that can be cleaned with bleach that can't be cleaned without diluting it somewhat.

JMO,
Clayton

Thanks Tom this was very helpful I will try some of the suggestions!
Ron

for those of us not in the usa, who can't find branded products on the shelves i think this means we want to use "colour" bleach

more than you need to know on oxygenated bleach here

http://oxygenbleach.homestead.com/files/

In the past I have used Oxalic Acid (Wood Bleach at Home Depot). Make sure you dilute it well. Just leave it on, every once in a while you can agitate it with a soft brush or sponge to see how it is coming along. Then rinse off when you are happy with results.

I have Pentex Sails now so I have not done this since I owned old dacrons.

Dan,

I'm sure that works on sails,

but, the late Randy Urinak,-Houston,Galveston, would rave about that stuff to return the bright finish to fiberglass hulls!! Same stuff?

Oxalic acid will bleach the hulls and give you a "white" finish, but it will not give you a "bright" finish. It actually makes it easier for the hulls to discolor again. It does a great job removing stains but you must wax the hulls immediatly after using it.

there are lots of options besided "wax" on the hulls. 303... liquid glass.... white-out (kidding). etc...

I used FSR on the hulls to remove various stains before polishing/waxing, to decent success... Worked best on tannic acid / leaves...

FSR is Oxalic acid.

Yes it is, just that it is suspended in a gel. I do not think the gel would help with the cleaning of sails.

If you use the Oxalic Acid you can make it as mild as you think it should be.

I do agree that you should post prepare the hulls after using the Oxalic acid. You can use wax if you like, after all that is what the boat comes with, release wax. Some other, and I think better, choices are to use something with PTFE (teflon) in it.

Come to think of it I think it may be time to do my boat for the year. Thank you for the reminder.

Later,
Dan