How to Clean Your Home or Business Awning
January 1, 2019
Today’s awnings are made from highly resilient, antimicrobial fabrics so that your awning can continue to look great years after purchase.
Over time, though, you still might find leaves and other debris making its way onto the surface of your awning.
Brushing Off Debris
The first thing that you’re probably going to want to do to keep your awning looking fresh is brush off any dirt or debris that you come across.
Put your safety first and make sure that you’re standing on a secure ladder before beginning the process.
Use a Cleaning Solution
If you’re finding that after a quick sweep there’s still dirt or residue on your awning, then you might want to consider using a homemade, safe solution.
Mixing water and Dawn or another everyday cleaner like Woolite in a bowl and using that as your DIY scrubbing solution can work wonders.
For more stubborn stains you might want to consider using an outdoor cleaner. This can get the job done whether you have a home awning or a business awning that you need to stay immaculately clean to send the right message to future customers.
Although a home or business awning purchased from The New Dorchester Awning Company will come with antimicrobial fabrics designed to repel mildew and mold, you can use these kinds of outdoor cleaning agents (with gloves!) to remove stains or debris that have fallen on your awning.
How to Go About It
With most outdoor cleaners, you simply spray it onto the awning or gently rub it in, wait about a minute, then wash everything off with a hose.
You want to make sure that you don’t over scrub, though, because doing so could cause the fabric to fade or the water-repellent coating to prematurely fade.
In this step-by-step guide on how to clean your awning, it’s advised that you scrub your awning with a stiff brush that’s first been dipped into your own DIY cleaning solution of water and Dawn or, for more serious jobs, a store-bought outdoor cleaning agent.
Gently hose off your home or business awning after gently scrubbing with your brush. Then wait for your awning to dry before determining whether you need to scrub a bit more to get out all of the grime. Remember to be gentle.
Unfortunately, even business awnings built with antimicrobial fabrics can suffer their fair share of abuse when put into an urban environment filled with diesel trucks, birds, and weather that can turn surprisingly harsh at a moment’s notice.
Awnings from The New Dorchester Awning Company are designed from solution-dyed acrylic, which is used to lend your home or business awning incredibly vibrant coloration, long-lasting dependability, and easy cleaning.
Because the fabric is so tough to begin with, many homeowners and business owners find that a monthly clean with cool or warm (never hot) water is all that it takes to keep their awning looking as clean and vibrant as the day that they had it installed.
Cautionary Advice for Power Washing
Simply spraying your home or business awning with a hose once a month is a good general maintenance practice to keep things looking fresh. For more intensive cleaning, consider using a cleaning solution or a low-pressure setting on a pressure washer (low PSI setting) that has a dispersed output. With a pressure washer, you really want to be careful and avoid any concentrated settings or using a PSI strong enough to damage your awning’s fabric.
If you’re really concerned about more year-round awning protection, then ask Dorchester Awning how a UV sealant could further improve your awning’s durability.
