Awnings Washed at the Pressure the Fabric Can Take

Acrylic, Vinyl and Polyester Are Not Washed Alike

Awning fabric comes in a few families, and their makers publish different care steps. The label, or the company that installed the awning, usually tells you which. Trivantage, an awning fabric distributor, advises testing a cleaner on a hidden area before any full cleaning, and a hidden corner is where we start.

Woven acrylic, such as Sunbrella, is the soft, canvas-like fabric on many restaurant and home awnings. Sunbrella says not to use a pressure washer on its fabrics, and its care guidance calls for cold to lukewarm water. Its routine is a soft-bristle brush to knock off loose dirt, a hose to wet the fabric, a mild soap left to soak in and a rinse until no soap remains. For stubborn stains and mildew, Sunbrella's mix is 1 cup of bleach and 1/4 cup of mild soap per gallon of clean water, left on for up to 15 minutes, then scrubbed with a soft brush and rinsed. After a bleach cleaning the maker says the fabric needs retreatment to restore its water and stain resistance, so your estimate says up front whether a bleach step is planned.

Vinyl awnings are PVC-coated or laminated. Trivantage calls for a neutral liquid detergent with soft cloths or brushes. Herculite allows a light-duty washer for mildew on the underside of a vinyl awning, at no more than 1,800 psi with the nozzle at least 12 inches off the fabric, and warns that getting closer will put a hole in the material. Trivantage's vinyl steps rule out solvents such as acetone, turpentine and industrial degreasers, and Herculite warns that harsh chemicals and abrasive cloths damage the fabric's surface.

Polyester awnings take a different mildew step. Trivantage says to avoid undiluted bleach on them and lists hydrogen peroxide in warm water as an option instead. When a fabric's maker can't be identified, the test corner and the mildest method that works decide it.

Five Ways a Cleaning Shortens an Awning's Life

A tight stream close to the fabric. Trivantage's mildew guide says that on acrylic awnings, power washing in many cases leads to damaged fabric, and Herculite warns that a nozzle held too close will put a hole in vinyl. Pressure that strips a stain off concrete can fray or tear an awning, which is why we soft wash awnings at low pressure.

Heat and harsh chemistry. Hot water does good work on greasy concrete, but Sunbrella's guidance for its fabric is cold to lukewarm water. Trivantage's awning guide says to keep strong soaps and solvents away from the fabric, and Sunbrella warns against hard-bristled brushes, excessive scrubbing and anything else that abrades it.

Soap left behind. A rushed rinse leaves cleaner in the weave, and PAMA says that film leaves marks and a chalky residue. Sunbrella's step is to rinse until all soap residue is removed.

Rolled up wet. A retractable awning closed while damp keeps that moisture folded inside the roll. Trivantage says never to roll fabric up wet, damp or cold, and Herculite says to store awning fabric in a dry, well-ventilated place to prevent mildew, so after a wash a retractable awning should stay open until it has dried.

Bleach where it can reach the water. Sunbrella does not advise bleach where a body of water or another sensitive environment could be affected, and it says to protect the area around the fabric whenever a bleach mix is used. On a waterfront property that advice applies, and our rinse water stays out of storm drains, ditches, canals, the river and the lake.

One expectation to set: a wash takes off the film that dulls color, and acrylic awning fabric is slow to fade (Trivantage calls it UV resistant), so on acrylic it is worth seeing what a wash does before anyone decides the color is gone. Cleaning cannot put color back into fabric the sun has bleached, and a split seam or worn-through panel is work for an awning maker. We tell you that at the estimate, not after the wash.