Cleaning sails
Saving Sails and Canvas from Mildew It can be a rust stain caused by a loop of chain that spent the winter lying on a sail. Perhaps a bird crawled under the sail cover and built a nest, pooping on the sail for weeks. Laminate sails present a particularly vexing problem, since mildew likes the adhesive that bond the layers, resulting in stain that is sealed between waterproof layers. Some of these just look bad (rust stains), but others can slowly weaken a sail (mildew in the laminate adhesive). But in all cases, overly aggressive cleaning can make things even worse, weakening the sail more than the mildew ever would. Stains can be removed in three general ways. They can be physically removed, dissolved, or bleached (made invisible). Each requires different chemistry and a different mindset, so it helps to understand the stain. Most stains are linked to moisture. Good ventilation prevents condensation, and consider taking sails home for the off-season. Canvas should be water repel