Snapdragons Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 Ok my kite building studio is in my Garage and somehow one of my kites got stained. How can I clean it without destroying it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 Depends on what substance it is stained with AND how the fabric is coated and or protected.. Step 1 Consider how badly you want the stain removed.. Can you live with it?.. Step 2 Reconsider Step 1. Step 3 If you MUST clean it at all costs, most importantly, be as gentle with your fabrics as possible. You might be in a situation where if it will clean the material it will also strip the coating.. Start with as mild a solution of something like Woolite as possible and work from there. Don't use anything with a fabric softener or similar.. Also, make sure you don't scrub as the friction will remove your coatings faster than it would remove your stains.. Good luck 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exult Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 "Step 1 Consider how badly you want the stain removed.. Can you live with it?.. Step 2 Reconsider Step 1." (as riffclown said above) "Speaking words of wisdom, let it be" ("Let it be" - The Beatles) What type of ripstop fabric is stained in your case @Snapdragons? I assume nylon ripstop and not polyester ripstop (most commonly meant by "ripstop"?)? 10 hours ago, riffclown said: AND how the fabric is coated and or protected.. That kind of raises the question, does anyone know what surface treatment there is on various types of fabric used for kiting and if it is possible to re-apply the surface treatment after a tough cleaning. Other questions if interest could be how high temperatures can the fabric withstand, what cleaning agents would work and which solvents would be OK. (Sorry I can't help out here since my knowledge about kite fabric is much limited) I fully agree with @riffclown here, treatment and possibilities depends on the type of stain and fabric. To dissolve a stain you should (if possible) know what caused it. (B.t.w. what type of cleaning agent is Woolite?) Could any other previous topics be of use here?: http://kitelife.com/forum/topic/6082-cleaning-a-kite/http://kitelife.com/forum/topic/6127-removing-dye-stains-on-icarex/ ( http://kitelife.com/forum/topic/7108-best-way-to-clean-kites-and-lines/ ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riffclown Posted August 21, 2016 Report Share Posted August 21, 2016 Woolite is a mild Surfactant.. I use a very mild solution to clean my powerkites.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfactant As for retreating, I've read recommendations for treating Fluorescent colors with Armour All to deter fading.. I've also read (but not sure I support) Scotch Guard.. I haven't used either method myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snapdragons Posted August 22, 2016 Author Report Share Posted August 22, 2016 Not really sure what stained it or when it happened. It had been broken for quite a while and I just got around to fixing it when I noticed it. I will try the woolite and if that doesn't work I guess I will just "let it be". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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