Keep Your Awning Investment Looking Good Year-Round

January 1, 2019

When you invest in awnings for your home or business, you’re making a smart move. Retractable awnings in particular are a great addition to any property because of their versatility — they’re there when you need them, and tucked away when you don’t. But like most anything, it’s important to take care of them. And while that’s not difficult to do, you don’t want to put it off and find yourself trying to deal with problems that could have been avoided! Read on to learn how you can sidestep retractable awning troubleshooting.

Retractable Awning Troubleshooting: Don’t Put Off a Good Clean

When it comes to avoiding retractable awning troubleshooting, one of the very best things you can do for your home or commercial awnings is to keep them clean. Dirty, neglected awnings lead to damage and mildew, two things that will cut the life of your awnings short. For light cleaning, you can take your awnings down and use a broom or dry mop to gently sweep away dust and dirt. You can use a vacuum, too, to get to dust and debris that may have embedded itself. And to remove stubborn dirt or stains, a power washer set at its lowest level should do the trick. If you’re worried about the integrity of older fabric, you can gently scrub your awnings with a mild soap and water mix and a medium to stiff brush, allowing them plenty of time to dry. The point is to make sure to address dirt and dust sooner rather than later, to keep your beautiful awnings looking and performing their best.

Come Rain or Come Shine

Believe it or not, weather — specifically bad weather — can be one of your retractable awning’s worst enemies. Heavy rain and snow, and hard winds, can do real damage to your investment. Puddles that may collect on your awnings can stretch fabric, and wind can compromise the mechanisms that allow your retractable awnings to operate smoothly. So, if you know inclement weather is on the horizon, make sure to retract your awnings to be on the safe side. If your awnings are not retractable, do what you can to keep water or snow from collecting on them. And if you can’t do that in a safe or timely manner, make sure to remove any snow, water, or debris from your awnings as quickly as possible, certainly after the bad weather has moved on.

We Can Clean and Repair Your Awnings

If you find that despite your best efforts, your awnings still need cleaning or repair, don’t despair. Dorchester Awning is not only experts at designing and creating residential and commercial awnings, we also service them. You can leave it to us to take down, store and reinstall your awnings, and we can clean and repair them, too! We really mean it when we say, we’ve got you covered!

If you currently own awnings and would like to learn more about retractable awning troubleshooting, contact the experts at Dorchester Awning today!