Yachting Monthly – May 2018

There is a wide range of
products on the market. In
general, targeted products
that are designed for the job
perform better than generic
cleaning products, although
we were surprised by how well
sugar soap performed. At under
£4 per bottle, this was our best
budget buy.
A number of the products
contained bleach, which kills
the mildew and algae spores
but risks weakening stitching,
so we would prefer not to use
bleach-based cleaners on canvas.
Most products contained
some form of surfactants and
also biocides. Clearly these
need to be kept out of
the water and off the
skin where possible,
particularly the more
aggressive products
such as Patio Magic,
though this is effective
over a long period
of time.
Fabsil Universal Cleaner
worked quickly, easily and
effectively with a minimum
amount of fuss, without visibly
fading or harming the canvas at
all. It was also fairly inexpensive
and as a result of this, it became
our favourite product. A close
second was Star brite’s Fabric
Cleaner & Protectant with PTEF.
This seemed to work better than
the company’s simpler Sail &

CONCLUSION

Canvas Cleaner.

With a spray bottle

it was easy to use, left

the canvas clean without having

to scrub too hard, and had the

added benefit of protecting the

fabric in one product.

Whatever product you use,

it is definitely worth reproofing

the fabric. It won’t make it totally

waterproof, but it’ll help keep

your canvas in the best possible

condition throughout the

entire season.

WATER

Perhaps unsurprisingly, water is a key element

for most the cleaning methods we tried. A good

old-fashioned spray-down, scrub and rinse

coupled with a stiff brush did a good job of

tackling the surface mould and algae. Good

enough for

government

work,

although it

didn’t do

much to

tackle the

deeper stains.

It shows that

a regular

wash-down

and brush

helps keep

things in good

condition.

GROUP TEST

A surprise result, Domestic

sugar soap performed well

Our favourite, Fabsil,

was easy to use and

worked as it should The Star brite fabric cleaner

worked well without too

much scrubbing

FAIRY LIQUID
Washing-up liquid did not have as good a result
as we had hoped. When scrubbing, the amount
of lather produced was a nuisance and it took
a huge amount of rinsing. If you get grease on
your canvaswork,
this is probably a
good bet but it was
not successful
against tougher
mould stains.

...OTHER HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS

SPECIFICATIONS

433ml

£1.31

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS

15-30% anionic

surfactants, 5-15%

non-ionic surfactants

USE Mix in water

PERSIL NONBIOLOGICAL WASHING

POWDER

Non-bio washing

powder is meant

to be used at

higher temper-

atures, but on a

pontoon we were

limited to cold

water. Biological

powder might

work better. It

lathered up and

removed the first

layer of grime

quickly. Despite

some extensive

scrubbing, it

didn’t do a great

job with the

underlying dirt.

SPECIFICATIONS

700g

£3.50

ACTIVE INGREDIENTS 5-15%

anionic surfactants, <5%

non-ionic surfactants, oxygen-

based bleaching agents, soap

USE Dissolve one scoop

in 5 litres of water