Sooner or later an awning will get dirty if it is exposed to various environmental influences. Dust settles on it, birds leave their legacy and pollen settles. Mold and moss can also build up on the awning. Luckily, this dirt is easy to clean up if you’re quick. Here are helpful tips for cleaning your awning.
The type and degree of soiling are decisive for cleaning your awning. 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. He not only looks ugly, but is also stubborn. The sun’s UV rays can cause fecal stains to become embedded deep in tissue and become difficult to remove. You should therefore wipe off bird droppings directly and not allow them to dry.
Mould, verdigris and algae are also common types of dirt on awnings. They affect the awning fabric, as do (blossom) dust, leaves and other parts of plants or sand. If you also grill or cook under the sun protection, there is a risk of soot and grease stains on the underside of the awning.
The difficulty of cleaning an awning is that you can’t take the fabric off and just pop it in a washing machine. It’s better to be safe than sorry here, and that’s why light soiling should be removed in good time so that it doesn’t become more stubborn. A brush and sponge, cleaning agent and lukewarm water are usually sufficient here. Gall soap or soft soap are suitable cleaning agents. Both reliably remove dirt and are gentle.
Tip: The cleaning brush should not be too hard so that it does not damage the fabric of the awning.
Stubborn dirt needs more time and, if necessary, stronger cleaning agents. Before using it over 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 is how you treat the dirt beforehand and make it easier to scrub afterwards. If necessary, you can soak the material several times and brush it again and again. If soaking doesn’t help, you can use special stain removers, such as algae and green growth remover.
If possible, always remove stains immediately. In this way you avoid stubborn, dried-in dirt. Grilling or cooking underneath the awning can cause soot and fat to settle on the fabric due to rising vapors. Therefore, consider whether you retract the awning beforehand to avoid this soiling. Once your awning gets wet, let it dry completely. Otherwise you risk mold growth.
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