Fabric awnings look great until the elements and birds attack; a professional cleaning service can revive them

Those fabric awnings out above the door and windows of your store really add to the curb-side appeal of your business. And, for the money that they cost, they darn-well ought to.

As is often the case, the awnings in your shopping district are uniform in style and color. Individually, or as a whole, they give a sense that forethought and care went into planning for the area. As a community, they say that city planners were quite intentional about the kind of ambiance that would give the area the best branding.

For an individual store, those fabric awnings show that a storeowner hasn’t approached a business lackadaisically. Shoppers can safely assume that the kind of attention given to the awnings carries through the rest of the business right down to the level of customer service they can expect. But, what if those awnings don’t look so good?

Are those fabric awnings beyond hope?

Inevitably, if left to the elements, and wishful thinking, those fabric awnings will turn on you and your business. They’ll turn from making a positive statement about your business to making quite the opposite kind of statement. How does that happen?

Smog, soot, auto exhaust, sap from trees, insects, and even acid rain: they all take their toll on those once-pristine fabric awnings. The fabric is dirtied. It’s stained. Mold begins to grow. And then you can add the bird droppings.

Often, the birds like to perch on the ledge of the building above the fabric awnings. Those poor fabric awnings become a favorite target.

What all those elements, and the birds, can do to a fabric awning is disgraceful and appalling. And when enough damage is done, there’s no coming back, right? Not so fast.

Yes, you can save those fabric awnings

Actually, there is hope for fabric awnings in even some of the worst instances. As long as the fabric isn’t too threadbare, a professional cleaning service can often revive a fabric awning and bring it back to its prior glory, or very close, anyhow.

Using special water-based and eco-friendly cleaners, a professional can delicately remove some of the worst that nature, man and our feathered friends can throw at an awning. Watching a professional cleaning service bring a fabric awning back to life is amazing. Though it may seem that droppings, mold and dirt cover every inch of fabric, properly done, and in a short time, the awnings come around. You may find yourself commenting, “So that’s what color they used to be.”

Once cleaned, you should also consider sealing the awnings to protect them from further assaults. In the process, you’ll extend the life of the awnings significantly. There are sealants professionals can apply that will even protect the fabric from fading from the sun’s UV rays.

Fabric manufacturers recommend that their materials are maintained in order to extend their useful lives. This applies to fabric awnings, too. A little maintenance can go a long way.