How to wash our awning

[Big Steve]

Is there anything special? Pressure washer and mild soap?

[LuckyDuck]

I use a bucket of water with Dawn detergent and a soft brush on a telescoping pole. Then rinse with gentle flow of water. Personally I wouldn’t use a power washer on it. Be sure to let it dry well before retracting.

[cbeers]

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

I use a bucket of water with Dawn detergent and a soft brush on a telescoping pole. Then rinse with gentle flow of water. Personally I wouldn’t use a power washer on it. Be sure to let it dry well before retracting.

I do exactly the same unless it has mold or mildew on it then I add a small amount of bleach, apply solution, roll it up, let stand for a bit, unroll and clean off bleach solution.

[Marcm157]

Originally Posted by cbeers

I do exactly the same unless it has mold or mildew on it then I add a small amount of bleach, apply solution, roll it up, let stand for a bit, unroll and clean off bleach solution.

I use this method as well. Just be sure and wear old clothes AND a hat. Feel free to ask me how I know...

[Lake Huron]

I agree with all the rest of the responses. No power washer, I use the same brush on it that I use on the side of the trailer, same with the soap. If there's any hard to clean spots I use a bathroom mold and mildew w/bleach cleaner. Spray on, let it soak, hand brush scrub if necessary and thoroughly rinse. Make sure its dry when you roll it up otherwise you'll end up with mold spots on it.

[Jagiven]

When I wash mine, the awning defiantly has mildew on it. There is no way to keep them dry.

I tend to spray a soap call "Spray Power" by Crown on the awning, full strength. Roll it up, and let it sit at least 30 minutes. Unroll, use my extended reach car wash brush, a bucket of soapy water, to give it a scrub. Rinse thoroughly (multiple times). Looks good for being 8 years old. Last summer I tried some type of mildew resistant spray. Don't recall what the awning looked like when it went into storage.

[THE MEEKER]

NEVER use a power washer.

My brother used one on his awning years ago and it put thousands of tiny pin holes in it.

His awning then became a nice sun shade.

[TCNashville]

Wash it with a soft bristled brush and what won't come off spot clean it with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Works wonders. Although I let my awning air dry before rolling it up, as stated above it's gonna get wet inside just from the rain.

[WeRJuliian]

I agree with the advice to avoid high pressure water...

However, you can use a power washer if you are careful to use a spray head that disperses the spray... I have a "foamer" attachment which lets you spray soap/cleaning agent or just plain water, at low overall pressure, and also a soft rotating brush which is useful for both awning and bodywork.

[EA37TS]

My class c a number of years ago had a Dometic awning. Their instructions for cleaning were to mix 1/4 cup bleach and 1/4 cup of dish soap to five gallons of water. Open the awning and spray the awning with the mixture. Close the awning an let it sit for 5 minutes. Open the awning and rinse it off. Repeat if necessary.

Been doing this for years with no issues. I do recommend that you test to make sure your awning material does not fade using the bleach. Test by spaying the mixture on a small spot and letting it sit for 5 minutes and then spray it off.

The key to this is to not let the mixture dry completely before rinsing and to saturate the awning so that when it is rolled up the mixture gets on the top and bottom of the fabric.

Also, I suggest wearing an old shirt and safety glasses when spraying the mixture because it will get on you.

[sirrealone]

Originally Posted by THE MEEKER

NEVER use a power washer.

My brother used one on his awning years ago and it put thousands of tiny pin holes in it.

His awning then became a nice sun shade.

On the awning for my last camper, I didn't even use a power washer, just blasted it with the highest jet on the hose, and it ended up taking out a few of the stitches, of course right above the door and right above the table that we keep under the awning. I ended up putting a couple of dabs of silicone which took care of it, but it was still a PITA.

So yeah, no high pressure jets of water.

[JimD]

Well, I guess I am the only one to use a pressure washer on top and bottom. It hasn't damaged the fabric at all. When using a pressure washer I always use a fan pattern rather than a spot stream. As long as you are not extremely close to the fabric and exercise caution, I don't see a problem using a pressure washer. Also, you get less rained on while cleaning.

[Woodworker]

Originally Posted by JimD

Well, I guess I am the only one to use a pressure washer on top and bottom. It hasn't damaged the fabric at all. When using a pressure washer I always use a fan pattern rather than a spot stream. As long as you are not extremely close to the fabric and exercise caution, I don't see a problem using a pressure washer. Also, you get less rained on while cleaning.

X2, not all the time but more times than not

[spoon059]

30 Seconds Cleaner... buy it at your local hardware store. Mix it, spray it on your awning, rinse it off. Really stubborn spots, treat a second time. Works GREAT!

[Thomson]

We use Tilex spray. Spray it on and wait until the original color apppears; usually about a cup of coffee. Then rinse it off. Other choices are about 10-20% bleach with a squirt of Dawn,

[kdduke]

Never use a power washer on it- too harsh. Use Dawn or TSP and a soft extendable brush. Not a fan of using any Bleach as it can weaken and destroy your awning. Use milder and safer alternatives.

[GraftonGuns]

WOW. Don't use a pressure washer. Be careful of using bleach as it CAN damage the threads in the awning fabric. I use blue Dawn dish liquid and telescoping pole as the other guy's do. I have used the Camco Black Streak remover on "rusty" looking spots. I did one a while back that was so filthy We actually had to lay a 3' square piece of Coroplast on top of the awning while the guy underneath pushed up on the awning to really scrub the darn thing.

[kdduke]

Totally agree with you! My buddy uses a lot of the Bug/tar remover and black residue remover? Not sure the brand but he has no decals left any more. I was at our acreage to check both units, big pieces of decal on the ground. Have to be very careful with these cleaners. All his awning sewing is coming apart as well. I put the slide topper aluminium covers on mine to protect them. Weather, sun and ice are hard on them. Going to invest in a full RV cover this winter!

[Thomson]

Good luck with the rv cover. It is heavy and big. I am cripple, so it's not an option for me. However my friends that have tried it say they wouldn't do it again. It's too hard just to get it onto the roof, let alone distributing it over the rv. Then try to get it off. About the bleach, awnings don't last forever. The bleach dawn or tilex didn't kill my awnings as much as hail storms while they were rolled up.

[Lbrown]

I used the magic eraser. You may have to clean it twice, but mine tuned out great.