How to maintain your awnings

Canvas awnings help tremendously with decreasing the amount of heat that penetrates your home. They also make your home look stylish and improve its appearance. Often people will have awnings installed in Mackay but completely forget about what it takes to keep them maintained.

If your awnings are neglected, they can become unattractive to look at, and this does not make your home look nice. Maintenance is imperative. Maintaining your awnings and keeping them clean does not, however, need to be a momentous task.

DO I REALLY NEED TO CLEAN MY AWNINGS?

It is very important to regularly clean your canvas awnings to get rid of any remains that will stay attached to the canvas causing non-removeable stains. Such stains include mildew, fungus and bird droppings which can cause the sewing threads of the awning to fall apart over time. Such deterioration will give your awning a shorter life and will permanently damage it.

If you do not regularly clean your awnings, contaminants like grime, dirt and other air pollutants can become set into the interwoven fabric of your awning which leads to a dismal appearance. As the canvas flaps up and down in the wind, the debris and dirt can slowly work away and grind through the canvas fabric threads. Over time the fabric gets weaker, and sometimes it can totally tear open which will leave your awning pretty much useless.

CANVAS AWNING MAINTENANCE

• Don’t use insecticides, detergents, soaps and cleaning fluids on your awning.
• You will want to brush your awning fabric on a regular basis both outside and inside with a soft brush (using a hard brush will hurt the fabric). You also need to hose it from time to time with cold, clear water by starting at the bottom edge of the canvas fabric and move upwards.
• It’s important to immediately remove vegetable matter, bird droppings, sand or earth when it comes in contact with your awning fabric. Also, immediately remove mildew spots with your soft brush. These cause damage when they are on the fabric for too long.
• Each time you put your awning away you need to dry the canvas fabric before rolling it up.
• Never let your canvas awning be touched by kerosene, petrol, solvents and other fluids of that nature.
• Over time, after many cleanings, the canvas portion of your awning might need to be reproofed. If the water stops beading off of the awning and starts dripping through the fabric, this can be a sign it needs reproofing. Reproofing products can be purchased from hardware stores. Make sure the fabric of your canvas awning is totally dry after cleaning and then you can reproof it.

INFORMATION ON AWNINGS

To find out more about installing awnings in Mackay for your home or how to maintain them, contact us online or call us on (07) 5492 5288. Deluxe Shutters & Blinds has professionals ready to assist you with your Mackay awning needs.

For more information on shutters, blinds and awnings in Mackay, read our previous blog on How to Find the Perfect Blinds for Your Mackay Home.