Serving Cuyahoga County, Geauga County, Cleveland Ohio
Your place of business is a very important asset. How it looks plays a vital part in how your customers and potential customers feel about you and your business. “You never get a second chance at a first impression” is a well known maxim. What is that first impression people get when they see your establishment? Does it encourage them to walk in the door? Does it help put them in a positive buying mood? If you can’t answer these questions with a resounding, “Yes”, you need SparkleWash®.
Three Concerns in Cleaning Vinyl
The first concern when cleaning vinyl is protecting the integrity of the vinyl. The correct name for vinyl is polyvinylchloride (PVC). The key to remember is that PVC is petroleum derivative and, as such, can be damaged when cleaned with a powerful degreaser. Solvents can also harm the vinyl. It is also wise to stay away from abrasives, such as Ajax or other gritty powders, or brushes, or other tools that are likely to scratch and damage the surface.
Heat and excessive pressuse can stretch vinyl. High pressure can blow off letters and graphics, damage stitching, and blast dirt deep into the vinyl layers. \
The second concern with vinyl awnings is when the natural oils and solvents vent from the vinyl, we call this plasticizer migration. These plasticizers are what keep the vinyl soft and supple. A good example of plasticizer migration is that film on the bottom of the inside of your windshield. The film looks like nicotine and is the evidence of this out-gassing. Plasticizer out-gassing or migration is a normal part of the life of vinyl. We can’t stop it. Less expensive grades of vinyl will out-gas more rapidly and the build-up of this film on the outer layer will attract soiling at an accelerated rate. Treating vinyl with new plasticizers keeps the vinyl supple, making it more resistant to tearing, cracking, stretching, and peeling and thus increases its useful life span.
The third concern with vinyl maintenance is UV (ultra violet) degradation. This is a natural degradation of the vinyl that we can slow down, but we cannot stop. However, a regular application of a UV blocker will greatly slow down color loss and oxidation on awnings. Certain colors, usually red and blue, seem to oxidize and fade quicker than most other colors. However the use of a UV blocker will help protect and maintain all colors of vinyl. It is not unusual for a well-maintained awning to last twice their warranty period.
If you are going to have your awning cleaned, it is wise to have it sealed at the same time or you will be doing more harm than good.
Awning Maintenance - Woven Fabric
True canvas duck, polypropylene, or acrylic can be cleaned in the same general way. Unfortunately, woven fabrics are much more difficult to clean than vinyl. Soils, molds, mildew, and even moss can grow on these woven surfaces and get into the weave itself. So to clean these surfaces you must get into the weave and lift the soil out. This is especially difficult with molds and mildew.
Fortunately, fabric awnings are generally able to take more aggressive scrubbing than their vinyl counterparts. However, like vinyl, avoid using harsh degreasers and solvents for cleaning. People frequently use bleach to kill mold and mildew, and on acrylic and synthetic fabrics that is okay, however, on canvas and other natural fibers the bleach will destroy the fabric. Also, strong chemicals or bleach can cause color bleeding and can also cause stitching failure on the natural fabrics. Older synthetics and natural fibers, like cotton, are very easy to ruin by the use of aggressive chemicals.
The real secret to the maintenance of woven fabrics is the application of the proper type of waterproofing on an annual basis. Most major fabric manufacturers suggest that you use an air dryable, solvent base, fluorocarbon type of waterproofer/sealer. Do NOT use silicone water repellents, because these counteract the factory repellents and cause the awning to leak. Not only will the annual application of the waterproofing agent keep the fabric from leaking; it will also prevent soil, and mold, and mildew from growing into the fabric weave. Regular waterproofing will also make future cleanups much faster and easier.
SparkleWash has the knowledge, experience, training and technical support to insure you get the results you expect and more. Our trained, experienced staff and specialized equipment assure you get your money’s worth each and every time. We are adequately insured to meet every eventuality.
