Cleaning an Old Sail Cover

[ChockFullOnuts22]

Does anyone have any good tips for cleaning an old mainsail cover? Mine is just as old as the boat, and I've got some black mold starting to grow in the material. I've heard that you have to be careful with what you use to clean sail covers, but no one has ever told me the right way to do it. I just want to make sure that it's clean and all of the mold is removed/killed, because I just got a brand new mailsail...wouldn't want it to get contaminated...

Thanks!

[kmclemore]

From the Sunbrella website, you should scrub clean with 90% water and 10% bleach, rinse with clear water and allow to completely dry.

In another place on their website they recommend "bleach (1 cup) / Dawn® dishwashing liquid (2 oz.) / 1 gallon water".

Both methods, of course, will probably affect the color of the product.

I have also heard folks say that exposing the product to direct sunlight and dry air will help considerably.

[JoeVacs]

Be very careful mixing Dawn and bleach ! It causes a chemical reaction that gives off toxic fumes. People have died from this while cleaning bathrooms. NOT JOKING ! I almost destroyed my lungs 20 years ago cleaning a bathroom in an old rental house, with that mixture. I will say it will do the job very well, but make sure and use a mask.

[rgranger]

There are enzyme cleaners I have used. I think it was called sporicedin but I'm not sure about that. I've seen similar products at Lowes and Home Despot. The enzyme cleaners will breakdown the proteins that constitute the mold "body" and also destroys any fat/oil/protein residues that serve as "food" for the mold/mildew (so it won't grow back so soon). The stuff is non-toxic and won't bleach out the color of your fabric. Also bleach is a strong oxidizing agent and will weaken any fabric it comes in contact with. Before I found the enzyme cleaners I once cleaned mildew off of a sail by soaking it in a trashcan (new) full of water and a bottle of woolite. I let is soak for a week and then hosed it off. It worked fairly well (not as well as the enzyme cleaners). Good luck.