mould on sails

[cathyoz]

i keep my sails at home while my boat is not used
i live in sub tropical place.
i rince them well at the end of the saison
so i keep the sails in a room , folded well lose and well ventilated..
i keep them out of they bags .
but mold still seems to still apear on them
sould it be better to keep them on their sail bags?
how do you clean them

thankyou

[boris]

i have always washed my sails be for storing the becouse the salt atracts water and all the s/s seems to rust

[GordMay]

Mildew growth on sails is an ugly problem for sure, particularly with laminated sailcloth featuring mylar films. However, according to North Sails*, mold & mildew are merely a cosmetic problem, and do not damage the sail.

The conditions that promote mold include, moisture, lack of light, and a food source. A clean dry sail, and storage environment, is your best bet against the possibility of mold and mildew.


* North Sails: What Cruising Sailors Need to Know

See the previous CF discussions at:
sails mold - Google Search

[little boat]

Alors, les francaise sont prétentieuse!
Tu te prends pour Paris Hilton, C la chic?
Si les voiles sont trop propres; tous va penser que tu n'as jamais fait de la voile; restes-toi tranquilles avec tes copains et les voiles pourri.
rappelles-toi, il y a une histoire de chaque cicatrice!

[hellosailor]

Cathy, get a vinyl inflatable children's wading pool, fill it will warm water and plain soap (like Ivory flakes aka Ivory Snow) *not* detergent. If you can't find plain soap, use a "no sting" shampoo. Then drag the sails in, let them soak a bot, and scrub with a soft bristled nylon scrubbing brush. If the mold won't come off, you'll need a bit of bleach of oxy cleaner to get the rest of it. Check around online for recommendations but use as little as you can, and wash it out thoroughly, because bleach weakens fabrics.

If the room is well-ventilated and DRY, mold won't grow there. Apparently the mold is coming in with the airflow and the room is neither warm enough nor dry enough to stop it, so throughly cleaning and DRYING the sails, then bagging them for storage, my be better for you. I'd look into putting a mildecide into the storage bags, or getting large plastic bags (or making them up from poly sheeting and duct tape) and then bagging the sails, along with dessicant bags, for storage. Sealed up with dessicant, they just wouldn't be able to grow mold--assuming they were clean and dry to begin with.

[bill good]

I've just had new sails fitted & the sail maker recommended "wet & forget" once or more a year to keep it at bay. Not yet used it but will.

Regards Bill Goodward

[cathyoz]

i did clean them very well and dry them well . my main question is about storage
should i bag them or not .

[hellosailor]

Since keeping them vented isn't working, I'd say absolutely bag them and seal them. Just make Real Damned Sure they are clean and dry (with desicant) or you could find something from a '50's horror movie when you open it up again.