How to Clean Garden Sail Shades

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Garden sail shades are growing in popularity because they are a stylish, contemporary way to add shade to your garden or yard. They come in many different sizes and can be used to cover patios, seating and play areas, swimming pools, gardens, or pretty much any area where you want to provide shade. Another great feature of garden sail shades is that they are easy to clean.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Leave your garden sail shade hanging and hose it down if there is nothing around it, or under it that you do not want to get wet; and if it is not hung too high for you to reach the top with the spray from the hose. Allow it to air dry.

Step2

Take your garden sail shade down and lay it flat on the ground for hosing, if hosing it where it hangs isn't a good idea. Hose one side and wait for it to dry, then turn it over and hose the second side. You can either hang it wet and let it dry while hanging, or wait for the second side to dry before hanging it back up.

Step3

Use a soft bristled brush to clean your garden sail if it is very dirty, stained or has gotten something like tree sap or bird droppings on it. Wet the shade with water from the hose and then scrub it with the brush. Hose it back off and let it dry.

Step4

Mix a small amount of mild dish or hand soap into warm water and use that for cleaning your shade if plain water is not getting the dirt or stain off. Dip your brush into the soapy water before scrubbing the garden sail. Be sure to rinse all of the soap off with water from the hose when you are done cleaning it.

Tips & Warnings

Garden sail shades are designed to be breathable. They are made from material that lets heat out and allows cool air to pass through; therefore they are usually not completely waterproof. Do not put anything under your garden sail that you do not want to get wet when it rains.
Most garden sail shades block 90 percent, or more, of harmful ultraviolet rays.