One of the perks of owning an awning is having the ability to enjoy the outside fully—no more worrying about the rain or the glaring sun. If you’ve been traveling a lot and utilizing your awning all the time, then it is not news that they pick up a lot of dirt. Sometimes they tend to get moldy, and it can be a severe issue.
But this doesn’t have to stop you from enjoying your adventure outside while utilizing your camper awning. Cleaning can be a very tiring task that you need to do, but it doesn’t mean it has to take up all your time and energy. Follow these steps, and in just a few minutes, you’ll have a clean and dust-free awning.
6 Steps to effectively clean the underside of your camper awning
Step One: Determine what products you are going to use
There are a lot of products that you can use to clean your awning. It is essential to determine what type of awning you own. Two types of an awning are available in the market: vinyl and acrylic.
If you own a vinyl awning, you might want to use a soft brush to scrub the dirt build-up on your awning. What’s good with vinyl awning is that you don’t have to soak the mixture for a long time. You can start scrubbing right away, but you have to be careful when it comes to scrubbing. Do not use too much force.
With acrylic awnings, you might need to soak the material into the mixture for a long time for it to be effective. Deep cleaning an acrylic awning doesn’t mean you have to scrub it; you mostly have to rely on the cleaning mixture, thus the soaking. If there is still dirt build-up, you can use a brush with stiff bristles to get rid of the remaining dirt.
Once you know what type is your awning and which brush you might need to use, you can now choose the mixture or the cleaner you will use. There are many RV awning cleaners in the market you can choose from, and you can also use your mix.
Bleach is an effective way to clean awning and get rid of the molds. Store-bought anti-microbial cleaners are your best friend when it comes to molds that you can’t remove. If you do not have bleach or a store-bought cleaner, you can mix vinegar and baking soda. This mixture is an effective cleaner if you want to stay away from heavy chemicals. What you need to do is soak your awning into the vinegar and scrub it with baking soda.
Step Two: Gather everything you need
While step might seem like an obvious step in cleaning your awning, some tend to forget to gather everything before cleaning; skipping this step results in RV owners going back and forth to pick the things they need.
Instead of focusing on cleaning, they spend most of their time looking and getting their materials, whether inside the house or their camper van. If you take your time to gather all the things you need before cleaning your camper van, you can focus on cleaning and getting things done.
If you need an extra rug or an extra soap, you can easily reach your arms out and have everything you need. You can stay in your spot! This step will save you time and energy.
Step Three: Lower your awning and remove dirt.
To clean your awning, you must lower it to a position that is comfortable for you. Doing this will make it easier for you to reach out to every corner of your awning. Once you’ve lowered your awning, start the cleaning by removing the debris your awning has accumulated.
You can do this with your hands, but we recommend using a high-pressure hose, especially if there is too much debris. Doing this step might take a few minutes of your time but do not skip it.
Step Four: Pour your mixture on both sides of your awning and let it sit.
Once you’ve removed the debris, you can now pour your mixtures or cleaners. You can use a spray bottle for the underside of your awning. You have to make sure that every spot is cover with the cleaner.
If you are using a handheld spray bottle, reach out for a stool you can step into for you to reach the high places if you can’t reach them. Once you have covered the awning with the cleaner, leave it for at least five minutes to allow the cleaner to penetrate through the material.
Sit back and just let the cleaner do its magic. You can start preparing for your next step or just read a book.
Step Five: Wipe away the cleaning solution.
Now that you’ve let your awning soak into the mixture, you can now wipe the solution away. If there is remaining dirt on the awning, you can scrub it. It would be best if you were very gentle with scrubbing. Remember, you need a soft brush with vinyl awnings, while with acrylic awning, you can use a stiff brush.
Now, scrubbing the underside of your awning can be very numbing; make sure that you don’t strain yourself. Take a few short breaks to relax your arm before scrubbing again.
Step Six: Rinse your awning and let it air dry.
Once the dirt and gunks are out, you can now rinse your awning to remove the remaining cleaners on the awning. Use a pressure hose to remove the cleaners. If you used strong chemicals like bleach, you must be sure that there are no traces left on the awning. If you leave a few traces of the cleaner, this might damage your awning.
Once you are sure that the awning is clean and all the cleaners are gone on both sides, you can now leave it to dry. If you want to add a protective layer to your awning, you can use a fabric protectant to keep your awning away from dirt, and it adds protection. However, if you do not have a fabric protectant, you can skip this step and proceed with air drying.
Conclusion
Cleaning your camper awning can be a very tiring job, but it is a must. If you want your awning to last, you need to clean every once in a while, and honestly, no one wants a dirt awning. It can ruin the overall appearance of your RV.
Cleaning it can also take up a few minutes of your time. Once done with cleaning, you now have a clean awning that is almost as good as new. Do not be afraid to check out products in the market and experiment a little bit to find the perfect cleaner for you. With these easy steps, you can now enjoy your clean awning that will undoubtedly last for a long time!