Submitted on March 6, 2006 by Alvina Klass

Question: Hi: Just a question about cleaning our North Sails bimini, dodger & connector - What is recommended to clean and remove mildew from our canvas before we put it back on again for the spring (cleaning products & method)?

Alvina Klass

Answer: Alvina -

Here is a quick guide to cleaning. Part of this excerpt is taken from the Sunbrella™ care and cleaning statement.

Your dodger, bimini, and sailcover should be cleaned on a regular basis. If you get to the spot or stain quick enough you will have more luck getting the stain out. If you let the dirt/stain sit on the fabric it will become embedded in the cloth. You can simply clean the fabric without even taken the item off the boat. Just brush or rinse any dirt off initially. If that doesn't do the trick use a very mild soap and a sponge to clean the area. Please keep in mind that you don't want to use any abrasives when cleaning canvas. You can damage the finish which the cloth has.

If that doesn't work you will need to remove the item from the boat and take more thorough action. Soak the area for a short time, Sunbrella reccomends 20 minute. Use a non-clorine bleach. the mix should be about a 1/4 cup to a gallon. Use warm water, not boiling water. Scrub lightly again using only a sponge and not a brush. I see people using hard brushes to clean the canvas and this will definitely affect the water repellency. While on this subject; if the canvas is a few years old it would probably be a good idea to spray the canvas with some type of waterproofing treatment. Be careful not to spray this on any clear vinyl (glass) sections as it may damge the vinyl.

Make sure the canvas is thoroughly dried before storing.

Hopefully this helps,

Rob Pennington
North Sails Canvas Department

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