How to Safely Clean Your Fabric Awnings

Fabric awnings are a beautiful and affordable way to add to your home’s outdoor spaces. For a small investment, they can provide you and your family with protection and shade for many years to come. SBF INTERIORS AND OUTDOOR SOLUTIONS LIMITED quality retractable Sunsetter Awnings are water, mold, and UV resistant, so they require far less cleaning than their stationary counterparts. Occasionally, however, dirt, grease, bird droppings, insects, leaf tannins, or tree sap can collect on the topside or underside. To protect and extend the life of your fabric awning, we recommend that residential retractable awning owners clean their awnings at least once a year. Commercial awnings should be cleaned more frequently. There are professional cleaning services in the area, but if you choose to care for your awning on your own, we have a few tips to help you do this safely.

  1. Always begin your awning cleaning by brushing or sweeping off all the debris and dust that may have settled on the topside. Make sure to clean any rain gutters that are directly above your awning as well.
  2. We recommend using a mild, eco-friendly liquid soap and a soft-bristle brush to cleanse your fabric. If you choose to use a pressure washer, be sure to use the lowest setting possible so that you don’t damage your awning.
  3. When cleaning the top side of your awning, begin at the bottom edge and work your way up using sweeping motions.
  4. When rinsing the topside of your awning, rinse from top to bottom.
  5. The underside of your awning could collect some grease if you frequently use a barbeque grill under it. The same mild grease-cutting soap that you used on the topside should do the trick on any grease residue.
  6. Allow your awning to dry completely before you retract it.

In between cleanings, you can hose the topside of your awning, and use a broom to sweep the underside. It’s also a good idea to inspect your frames from time to time for signs of rusting.

If you are considering adding a beautiful awning to your residential or commercial space, you can count on SBF INTERIORS AND OUTDOOR SOLUTIONS LIMITED to provide you with the best customer service and quality products. For over ten years we have provided retractable awnings to NAIROBI, MOMBASA, NAKURU, KISUMU, NAIVASHA, NANYUKI and the surrounding areas. Contact us today to schedule a free in-home demonstration. We look forward to helping you to become the next happy owner of a Sunsetter Retractable awning!