Sooner or later an awning becomes dirty when it is exposed to various environmental influences. Dust accumulates on it, birds leave behind and pollen settles. Mold and moss can also build up on the awning. Luckily, these messes can be easily cleaned if you’re quick. Here are helpful tips for cleaning your awning.
The decisive factor for cleaning your awning is the type and severity of the dirt. Home remedies are environmentally friendly and sufficient for most stains. Because the awning is more difficult to reach, telescopic poles or a ladder can also be used as an aid. Good basic equipment for cleaning the awning is:
Bird droppings are a classic on awnings. Not only does it look ugly, but it is also stubborn. The sun’s UV rays can cause fecal stains to become lodged deep in the tissue and become difficult to remove. Therefore, you should wipe off bird droppings directly and not allow them to dry.
Mold, verdigris and algae are also common types of dirt on awnings. They affect the awning fabric, as well as (flower) dust, leaves and other plant parts or sand. If you also grill or cook under the sun protection, you risk getting soot and grease stains on the underside of the awning.
The difficulty of cleaning an awning is that you cannot remove the fabric and simply put it in a washing machine. It is better to be safe than sorry here and therefore light dirt should be removed early so that it does not become more stubborn. A brush and sponge, cleaning products and lukewarm water are usually sufficient. Bile soap or soft soap are ideal cleaning agents. Both reliably remove dirt and are gentle.
Tip: The cleaning brush should not be too hard so that it leaves the awning fabric intact.
Stubborn dirt requires more time and, if necessary, stronger cleaners. Before using it on a large area, check whether the cleaner is suitable for the material of your awning. If the agent is too strong, it could attack the color of the fabric or the impregnated protective layer. You can generously soak particularly stubborn stains. This way you can pre-treat the dirt and make subsequent scrubbing easier. If necessary, you can soak the material several times and brush it again and again. If soaking doesn’t help, you can use special spot cleaners, such as algae and green deposit removers.
If possible, always remove stains immediately. This way you avoid stubborn, dried-on dirt. Grilling or cooking underneath the awning can cause rising fumes to cause soot and grease to settle on the fabric. Therefore, consider retracting the awning beforehand to avoid this contamination. If your awning gets wet, allow it to dry completely. Otherwise, you risk mold growth.
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