While keeping you cool as it shades you from the sun, your patio awning is vulnerable to dirt and mildew buildup. And think about it: when was the last time you really cleaned your awning? This often-overlooked and forgotten task is important for maintaining the condition of your awning so it lasts for a long time. And if you think the rain can handily take care of any dirt, mildew, or other grime on your awning, the truth is you need to thoroughly clean your awning to keep it working and looking its best. Specifically, cleaning the awning fabric that soaks up mold and mildew into its pores. This then raises the question: What is the best way to clean an awning?
Follow our expert cleaning instructions below to make sure your patio awning is spotless.
- Fill a bucket with cool water and about 3 oz of laundry soap (not detergent). Mix the solution until it’s visibly foamy.
- Using a broom—and climbing up on a ladder, if necessary—remove all of the dirt or debris, including leaves, cobwebs, and twigs, from both sides of the awning.
- Using a hose, spray the awning with water so it’s substantially wet.
- Once wet, scrub your awning with a heavy brush and the cleaning solution you made. Scrub the awning thoroughly in order to get it as clean as possible. A circular motion has been shown most effective when cleaning an awning. However, also make sure you don’t spend too much time in one place because you don’t want the soap to dry on the awning.
- Once you’ve finished thoroughly scrubbing your awning, if there are any remaining visible stains, you can sprinkle a little bit of baking soda over them. Let the baking soda sit for a few minutes but then rinse it off.
- Once you’ve finished scrubbing the awning and treating any specific spots with baking soda, rinse off the soap with the garden hose and allow the awning to dry.
To make sure your awning stays as clean as possible in the future, you can read the service manual to see if your awning is approved to handle a protective coating. This will protect your awning year-round from dirt, debris, mildew, or any type of fungus. However, not all awnings are cleared to use this coating, so don’t just assume you can use it on your awning without checking first.
You can also rinse off your patio awning with your garden hose every month to help keep it clean. However, you should never use detergent or chlorine bleach when scrubbing your awning because they can rot the fabric.
Your retractable awning is an investment that you want to keep safe for years to come. You don’t want to bring out your awning one day and find that it’s caked with mold or mildew. This means you’ll need to replace your awning fabric. By properly maintaining your awning with a thorough cleaning plus washes every couple of months, you’ll definitely help increase its life span.
These steps give you the tools and knowledge to make your awning spotless. With this in mind, there may still be a few questions that need to be answered.
Can you powerwash an awning?
Powerwashing seems like a harmless way for mold and mildew to quickly escape your awnings surface. When in reality this could cause a lot of damage to your awning. Therefore, it is never a good choice to powerwash your awning as this will ruin the material and strip away your awnings ability to protect you from harmful UV rays. If you are looking for a quick and easy way to clean your awning you can call us at Paul Construction and awning as we specialize in awning cleaning and repairs.
How to clean aluminum awnings?
Aluminum awnings have the benefit of not soaking in mold and mildew into the fabric. Although, these certain awnings still need to be cleaned of the dirt that collects on top regularly. An easy way to clean surface dirt off of aluminum awnings would be to spray it with a hose and use a soft-bristled brush to lightly scrub away dirt. If this does not clean it enough the next option would be to follow the steps above with soap that will get the rest of the dirt off of the awning.
Awning cleaning services near me?
The easiest and most efficient way to clean an awning is through Paul Construction and Awning. Our professionals prioritize how to get the job done to your liking. As awning experts, we want the best for our customers promising superior service. We want to give you exactly what you are looking for and the help you need to get your awning looking good as new.
If you’re looking for commercial or residential retractable awning cleaning and maintenance, you can contact Paul Construction LLC or call 610-287-1623.
