Clean awning & impregnate - Remove green coating

• Prevent contamination
• soils
• Clean the awning
  • bird droppings
  • Mold
  • green Growth
  • foxing
• Impregnate awning

An awning provides shade, can be artistically integrated into the garden and functions as a meeting place for family and friends over the summer. There are variants that are waterproof or protected from UV rays, making them effective for relaxing lunchtime, with no risk of being sizzled by the sun. Of course, their cleaning and impregnation must not be forgotten.

Awnings have to go through a lot. Regardless of whether the constructions are a pure awning or a rain-repellent, retractable roof, over time they pollute and moisture penetrates the fabric. Then, in addition to cleaning an impregnation is required, through which the awning cloth again acts water repellent and allow even in bad weather occupations outside the living spaces. There are numerous forms of dirt on an awning, from mildew over green cover to bird droppings, which can be easily removed with little effort and the right preparation.

Prevent contamination

You can save a lot of work by preventing coarse contamination, which is achieved by the regular maintenance of the awning fabric. Since the awnings are fabrics, such as acrylic or canvas, it is unavoidable that they get dirty and get stains. However, this can be limited by preventive measures and this reduces the necessary cleaning effort of the awning. Even green cover, mold and mildew can be prevented by these three methods:

1. Brushing: It is important that you regularly sweep the awning cover to remove dust, pollen, leaves and other dry hardware. These are the main cause of mold or green cover infestation as soon as they come into contact with moisture and can become lodged in the material. For this you need:

• Brush or broom
• ladder
• Telescopic handle, if no ladder is available
• Bucket for cleaning agent

2. Retracting: If the awning is not used, it should be retracted again. Before driving in, you must brush off the fabric so that no dirt gets into the mechanism of the awning. On this occasion, you can check it for possible stubborn dirt such as bird droppings and treat it before retracting. As an alternative, there are cassettes with integrated brush, which sweep the dirt by itself when retracting.

3. Drying: Often forgotten, but extremely important is the drying of the awning fabric after a rainfall. The moister the awning is, the more likely it is for stains and mold to form. For this reason, allow the fabric to dry for as long as possible before catching up with it.

A big advantage of the preventive measures is the small amount of time spent. In itself, you hardly have to worry about the awning and as soon as you check in, clean and retract before entering, you will not be surprised with any stains or stubborn dirt.

Tip: When choosing the awning fabric, it is best to choose synthetics because they are less susceptible to dirt. As an expensive, but especially easy to clean alternative, you will find so-called "lotus effect" cloths, which are provided with a special nano-coating of silicon dioxide, which effectively beads off water and dirt does not adhere.

soils

In order to be able to effectively clean the awning, it is important to know what different types of cleaning are necessary to make the covering shine again. These relate purely to the covering, since the elements required for extending and retracting and the frame that clamps the fabric are easily cleaned with an all-purpose cleaner. The cloth itself is much more sensitive and is in need of cleaning, as it can absorb a lot of dirt within a very short time. Above all, awnings that are fastened near trees or laid out in the direction of roads suffer from it. The following types of dirt are removed:

• light dirt
• bird droppings
• Mold
• green Growth
• foxing

Please note that you should never wash awning cover in the washing machine. Due to the forces acting in the drum, the seams that fix the cloth in the device may come off and thus it is no longer possible to use it. Although you can wash the cloth at a maximum of 40 ° C and without spin, but the result is satisfactory only in the fewest cases. Nevertheless, the smaller the awning fabric, the greater the success.

The best time

Awnings are cleaned either when it has become too dirty due to neglect or at regular intervals specified by the manufacturer of the particular cloth. Depending on the material, these distances vary quite strongly. As a rule of thumb, during the annual spring cleaning the awning should be cleaned to remove the dust accumulated over the winter. Likewise, cleaning just before the winter does not hurt.

Clean the awning

Standard cleaning is the thorough cleaning of the awnings in order to free them from all kinds of dirt particles and to protect them from possible infestation by mold or other organic substances. This "complete cleaning" works best on a dry day so that the awning can then dry quickly. This prevents re-pollution.

The cleaning in detail:

Step 1: Prepare the detergent first. Here is a simple home remedy from 200 grams of soft soap and ten liters of water, which is suitable for a large part of the materials. If you do not have soft soap, you can use other mild soap products. Also recommended is mild detergent.

Step 2: Before tackling the dirt with the soap, another home remedy is recommended. Take an eraser (colorless) and remove small stains that can be found on the material. Erasers work as a preparation to simply rub small stubborn stains out of the awning. In rare cases, the use of an eraser for cleaning completely sufficient.

Step 3: Use only a soft sponge. Scratching or too hard brushes and sponges could damage the material.

Step 4: Place the ladder, dip the sponge in the water and thoroughly clean the awning cover. This includes the holder of the fabric. Scrub with some force, but do not rest on the awning, as this could damage them. In the worst case, they crash completely.

Step 5: Then let the soap soak for about 20 minutes. Then rinse the awning thoroughly with cold water until the soap has been rinsed off. Use only a garden hose, not a high-pressure cleaner.

Step 6: Then the awning is dried. After it has dried completely, it can be retracted first. The sunnier the day, the faster the fabric dries.

Step 7: Do not forget to clean the awning donkey as well. The awning valance is the drooping part of the fabric in the front area of ​​the awning. Finally impregnate and retract.

bird droppings

Bird droppings are a particularly corrosive substance that likes to eat in classic sailcloths and irrevocably damage them. If you have found bird droppings you should either eliminate them after or before cleaning. Once the droppings have dried, a soft brush is used and used from the outside inwards in circular motions so that the stain does not become larger. Then soak a rag in dishwashing liquid, vinegar or sodium chloride (salt) to remove the feces. Wear gloves. Do not forget the cleaning with soap afterwards.

Mold

Mold is persistent and must be removed extremely thoroughly. It forms due to organic matter such as flower pollen, which come in contact with moisture on the awning fabric and then form spores. The following cleaning agents are available:

• vinegar water
• special cleaning agents specially designed for awnings

Vinegar water is a simple way to make an effective detergent yourself. Mix vinegar essence and water in the ratio 1: 1 and dip a rag or a soft brush into the mixture. Then thoroughly remove any mold that has accumulated on the awning fabric. The special cleaners are just as effective. When cleaning, make sure not to touch the rubber or plastic parts of the holder with the vinegar water, so that they do not become porous. Do not use chlorine-containing cleaners, these would only add to the fabric.

Tip: In the case of particularly bad infestation you should disassemble the clothing and clean it on the floor. This facilitates the treatment.

green Growth

Green cover is a microorganism of plants that collects on the awning and can cause damage over time. For the green cover there are numerous cleaners in the trade, which kill the organisms and thus offer an effective treatment option. Dilute the cleaner according to manufacturer's instructions with water and then apply the agent with a brush or a spray bottle on the infestation. Then let the product act according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then remove the green cover with a garden hose and scrubber.

Note: Do not confuse the green covering with the verdigris. The verdigris are not microorganisms but copper salts (copper (II) acetate) bearing the same name.

foxing

Mildews are mainly due to small accumulations of moisture that are not removed in time. They feed properly on the material and create unsightly stains that are difficult to remove. Baking soda and soda have proven to be the only home remedies that are first mixed with water to make them viscous and then applied over a soft brush. Here you must be careful so that you do not damage the material. Soak for 15 to 20 minutes and then rinse thoroughly with a garden hose.

Impregnate awning

The impregnation is extremely easy to implement after cleaning. You have the choice of the following impregnating agents:

• typical impregnating agents
• Means with resistance to mildew and mold
• Impregnating agent on nano-technology
• classic products like wax and paraffin

Impregnation takes place either after cleaning a very dirty awning or every five to ten years, because the impregnation pulls into the fabric and works there for a long time. If you live in a region that has a lot of rainfall, you need to impregnate more often. After cleaning and drying the awning, apply the product over a soft brush, sponge or spray bottle. Allow to act and then the fabric is again weather resistant.