../sail care/

How We Wash Sails, And Why

Our customers often ask us how we wash sails.   We tell them we use an 800 lb commercial washing machine. Then they sometimes ask how come we don't wash sails by hand, like some other sailmakers, and aren't washing machines hard on sails? Here's what we've learned about cleaning sails over the years, and why we do things the way we do.

We believe the most important reason to wash sails is to get out salt and other soluble microscopic dirt contaminants. Salt crystals in the fibers of sailcloth can abrade and weaken the fabric over time.  They are also hygroscopic, which means they tend to absorb water out of the air, making an excellent growth medium for mold and mildew. We've discovered that the best way to get out salt is to dissolve it, and then rinse away the salt solution. Long soaking and frequently changes water are the keys to successful washing.

Commercial washing machines are excellent for getting salt out. These big machines have no agitator, they don't even tumble - they just slosh the sails gently to and fro.  We have trained the operators very thoroughly over the years (we've been using them for 25 years). The sails are placed in nets to keep them from getting tangled up in their own or other hardware.  They then go through 1 rinse cycle, 2 wash cycles with a mild detergent (similar to Woolite) and, finally, 2 rinse cycles.  They spend enough time in the water to dissolve out absolutely all of the salt. The water is changed 4 times for each batch. In the case of tank washed sails, the same water is used for many sails. Machine washing is actually more expensive than hand washing, but we think the results are worth it.

After washing the sails are hung to dry. We do any final spot removal - for rust, blood, and grease - at the end if needed, using dry cleaning techniques.  There are some stains we can't get out without damaging the sail, but we are very careful that the process of washing does no harm. There are some sails we don't wash for fear of color bleeding, or wash by hand because they are too big for the machines, but not because hand washing does a better job. 

 

Maine Sailing Partners
www.mesailing.com
1-888-788-SAIL