Yachting Monthly – May 2018

IOSSO MOLD & MILDEW

STAIN REMOVER

Iosso is a non-chlorine based

cleaner that claims to tackle stains

as well as mould and mildew.

The instructions specified applying

with a sponge, leaving to soak for

15 minutes before giving the canvas

a light brush and rinsing.

Most of the green colouring

was removed, but the darker

stains were not removed. It

is possible that this cleaner is

kinder to the fabric than other

products and may well be better

at removing mildew if left to soak.

SPECIFICATIONS

340g

ACTIVE INGREDIENT

Pentasodium

tripolyphosphate

USE Dissolve 1 scoop

per litre of water

Before setting about cleaning,

I sought the advice of some

experts. Gosport-based Tecsew

specialise in canvas for boats,

from cushions to cockpit tents.

Director John Bland shared his

advice for caring for canvas:

■ Clean your canvas in situ.

It’ll be an easier job so is more

likely to happen. Even just a

quick brush with some water

will keep organic matter off

and prevent growth.

■ Avoid bleach-based products

where possible as bleach weakens

fibres, particularly stitching,

shortening the life of your

covers. Bleach is effective,

however, as it kills the spores

that cause mildew.

■ Keep your canvas as dry as

possible because mould and

algae thrive on damp cloth.

Turning your boat occasionally

will help dry out both sides: the

north side will have worse growth.

■ On the hard, keep your boat

away from trees: the shade,

moisture and organic matter

from plants and animals makes

growth much worse.

■ Canvas is permeable to

prevent condensation and is not

meant to be fully waterproof.

Reproof it with acrylic canvas

proofer once you’ve cleaned

it to help water bead up and

run off, and to stop dirt sticking.

■ Don’t get these products on

the vinyl windows as they will

mark and damage them. If you

do, wash off quickly.

CARE FOR CANVAS

GROUP TESTGROUP TEST

Most of the green staining was

removed, but darker stains

remained

£24.95

The powder requires a
thorough mixing before use

WESSEX SAIL CLEANER

Wessex Sail Cleaner is sprayed
on and wiped clean and does
not need rinsing. It is a non-bleach-
based product so is entirely safe
on your stitching and is also
biodegradable. Having given
a generous spray, this scented
cleaner smells like school corridors
the world over. Having left it to soak

for a few minutes, we gave it a wipe

and a good amount of grime came

away with it, but it needed a bit of

a scrub for the tougher stains and

did not leave the fabric looking

particularly clean. This might be

more effective on more waterproof

sail cloth; it tackled the worst of the

dirt but did not wipe totally clean.

SPECIFICATIONS

750ml

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

Tetrasodium ethylene

diamine tetraacetate,

alcohol ethoxylate

USE Spray on

Tackled the worst of the

staining, but didn’t leave

it totally clean

£11.95

Tackled the worst of the

dirt, but not all of it

Try to turn your boat

occasionally, the north-facing

side will suffer worse growth