Curtains and awnings are truly beneficial for your home. When you have a patio, deck, or porch as your outdoor living area, having an awning installed above does not only provide aesthetic appeal, but also a great deal of functionality. You, your family members, or your guests are provided protection from the elements because of the awning. Also, any material that makes up your set of furniture, flooring, or carpeting in any of these outdoor living areas won’t fade due to the protection that the awning brings. Indeed, it is imperative that you consider awnings as investments that are worth maintaining in order for them to last a long time.
Obviously, when you take good care of your curtains and awnings, you get to enjoy what these attachments can bring for you and your home without any worries. From providing shade from the summer heat, protecting the outdoor living area from rain and wind, reducing your home’s indoor heat, to cutting down electricity costs, the benefits of having awnings in your home are worth preserving if you do preventive maintenance. Indeed, extending the usage of your awnings through maintenance will prevent you from shelling out money to replace hardware and/or canvases.
Here are some of things to do in taking good care of your home awnings:
- In cleaning your awnings, you need to prepare the following: a spray bottle containing a solution of water and dishwashing detergent, a scrub brush that has soft bristles, and a ladder for you to work on. If you have canvas awnings, don’t clean it with bleach as the fabric may deteriorate over time. Spray the solution all over the awning and start brushing any stains off. Rinse the awnings thoroughly and leave it off to dry for a couple hours or so. The cleaning process may be done once a month.
- Leaving rainwater on top of the awnings for a long time may cause the fabric and the frame of the awnings to be strained. Not only that, but stagnant water may be breeding grounds for mildew or molds that may cause damage to your awnings. Thus, after the rain has poured, immediately remove the water off the fabric. Also, any material must be removed from the awnings, such as fallen leaves or twigs.
- Inspections to check any irregularities in the awnings’ mechanisms must be done every month. For instance, if you have a retractable awning, make sure that it can still be adjusted whenever you want to use it. There are instances wherein the hardware, including the joints that are responsible for retracting the awnings when not in use, may get stuck when you try to open it up. Also, if you see that there is dirt or dust accumulating in the frames or fabric of your awnings, remove them immediately. That way, you prevent rust from accumulating in the joints of your awnings. Moreover, see if there are any tears or near-tears on the fabric. Repair them right away.
- If you are planning to use your charcoal grill for your lunch with friends or family members in your outdoor patio or deck, make sure that you are not underneath the canvas of the awnings. Let the smoke coming from the hot charcoal escape upwards; having the smoke pass through underneath your awning and curtain may cause fabric discoloration.
By doing these things, you preserved the life of your awnings and keep it in good working condition. Letting the elements and other deterrents stay in your awnings may actually cause you to spend more money in replacements, which is something that you want to avoid.