Created by: Jim Teller




I’m trying to sell my RV, so I’ve been looking up little things I can do easily myself to get it in tip-top shape. Obviously, getting it nice and clean is a big part of the process. In the midst of my preparations, I came across some good tips on cleaning a pop-up, the better to sell my trailer.

My RV Is Not All Canvas
First, I didn’t even realize that the canvas sides weren’t necessarily all canvas, that a lot of manufacturers use a lot of vinyl as well. Cleaning vinyl requires slightly different tactics than cleaning pure canvas would.

No Silicon
For example, any products that contain silicon are a big no-no. Silicon can harden vinyl, thus making it more likely to *****. Instead, simple multi-purpose spray cleaner like 409 used in conjunction with a clean rag can actually work wonders. If the road tar or tree sap are caked on, you may need to use a bug and tar remover-just make sure you read the label to ensure it’s safe to use on vinyl.

Preventing Mildew
Canvas mildews easily, and vinyl can as well. Be sure you never close and store your pop-up while it’s still wet. Most canvas has been treated to repel water, so brushing off dirt when possible is a good idea. If you have to, use a very small amount of water along with a soft bristle brush. If that still doesn’t get the job done, spray the dirty portion with a hose, but try not to get the whole thing wet. Whatever you do, don’t take it through a car wash!

Treating Canvas to Repel Water
If the canvas has lost its water repellence, look in your owner’s manual to find the manufacturer’s instructions on how to retreat it. If you can’t find the manual, you can typically use a silicon spray product like Scotch Guard — just be sure you use it only on canvas, not on vinyl! Spray it on the inside and the outside of the canvas flaps and walls.

Seam Leaks
For seam leaks — which aren’t fun — you can find seam sealer either online or in most outdoor stores.

New Canvas Tops
If your canvas top is beyond repair, and you think it needs help prior to trying to sell, a wide range of replacement tops are available online, sometimes for less than $1,000.

Be Proud of Your Trailer
Once your trailer is all clean and shiny, you’re ready to start showing it to prospective buyers. Display it proudly; the joy of the time you spent in it will shine through in your efforts to get it ready for the next owners.

Created by: Andrew Nowak




After installing a canvas porch awning on your home, your only thought may be trying to spend as much time under it as possible. However, it will become dirty after a short while, and you will need to clean it to keep it looking beautiful for longer. Your awning will occasionally become a target for animal droppings, collect dust, and become dirty from sun and rain exposure. To keep your awning looking fresh, you must clean it regularly.

If you do not clean your awning properly, it may begin to deteriorate before you know it. Take these tips into consideration before you begin your cleaning.

Awnings can be washed perfectly well with just plain water from your hose. Do not use a high pressure washer because it will be too powerful against the canvas and could weaken the material.

Some stains that have had time to familiarize themselves with your awning may need more than just water to remove. In this case, you should use a detergent to help remove the stain. You should only use a mild detergent, as a heavy duty detergent could easily bleach or discolor your awning. Remember that your canvas awning is not strong and can be easily ruined. A good detergent to use is the kind you use to wash your dishes.

Soft sponges, soft cloths such as chamois, and brushes are all acceptable items to use when cleaning your awning. However, be sure to use a brush with soft bristles, as one with hard bristles could easily scratch your awning or damage its protective coat.

These tips should help you as you clean your awning and keep you from ruining it from being too hard on it. Remember that you should clean your awning regularly so that stains will not have enough time to become a permanent fixture on your porch. A monthly or quarterly basis is a good interval for cleaning. You will appreciate having a clean awning to look at when you are relaxing underneath it, and your neighbors will be impressed.

Created by: autogeek

How to clean and protect a canvas cloth convertible top using RaggTopp Convertible Top Cleaner and Protectant

Created by: Richard P. Ostler




Hello boaters, summer is finally here. Time to get the boat out of storage and give it some TLC before launching it for the boating season. Here are some tips on boat canvas and interior care and maintenance.

Boat canvas is subjected to more severe punishment than practically any other type of canvas or fabric item. Although canvas products adhere to rigid specifications, they should not be neglected for long periods of time, especially during inclement weather. Maintain marine canvas to ensure longevity. The real key to canvas longevity is like all things in life, maintenance. Keep your canvas clean of dust, dirt and environmental residue on a regular basis. Top fabrics should be cleaned of any dirt buildup at regular intervals. The following tips can be used on most fabrics made for outdoors use.

The fabric itself will not support the growth of mildew, but if dirt or moisture is allowed to remain on the fabric for any length of time, it will support mildew growth. Dirt can create a starting point for mildew when moisture is present. Cleaning periodically with a recommended mild cleaner and water will extend the life of the canvas and provide a better appearance. Using too a strong cleaner will damage delicate surfaces like fabric and plastics. As you know it is expensive to have them replaced. You should only use a cleaner that is designed specifically for marine fabrics to ensure you do not wash away your water repellent coating.

Start with a bucket of warm water (if possible) and the recommended amount of cleaner. Apply the cleaner with a dense, soft brush. Don’t let the soap dry! Rinse well, repeat steps again if you don’t get the results you wanted the first time. Stitching around windows seems to be a place where dark stains and mildew take hold. It is especially important to let the cleaner have a chance to loosen the dirt; don’t be in a hurry to rinse the area. After the cleaner has had a chance to lift the dirt it is time to scrub around all the stitching. Rinse well!

Created by: JakeKav1

Using Renovo products to clean, re-colour and reproof the canvas material of your convertible soft top or boat cover. Also looks at removing the fogging in acrylic windows.

Created by: Damien Clarke




Canvas tents are made by various companies and each of these companies supply the new tent owner with cleaning instructions for their specific make of tent. However, there are some basic care instructions that work equally well with any brand of canvas tent on the market.

Immediately after purchasing

As soon as you purchase your new tent, or at least before that first camping trip you should assemble the tent in your yard. This not only allows you to have a dry run through of pitching the tent but allows you to check and make sure all the necessary pieces and parts are there. If you have any missing parts, contact the store you purchased your tent from and ask what they are going to do about it.

Once your tent is assembled, give it a complete and thorough soaking with water. Canvas tents are made a little larger than the frame to allow for shrinkage the first time they are wet. Shrinking them now will tighten the canvas the way it should be.

Allow your tent to thoroughly dry before putting it away.

Cleaning Your Tent

The best way to clean a canvas tent is to give it a thorough sweeping both inside and out, making sure all dust and dirt is cleaned off it. If it is necessary to wash part of your tent to remove soiled areas then use clear water and a brush.

Most canvas tents are specially treated and using detergents can damage these treatments that add protection to your tent.

Storing Your Tent

Make sure your tent is completely dry before storing it even for a short period of time. It doesn’t take long for a damp tent to start to mold and mildew and then your tent may be permanently damaged.

You will also want to store your tent in an area free from mice and other small rodents. Rodents will chew on anything and your canvas tent might seem like an ideal snack or even breeding area for mice, chipmunks, and squirrels that manage to make their way into your storage shed or garage.

If you are storing your tent in an area that might be exposed to small rodents, it might be wise to invest in a metal trunk that will provide your tent additional protection.

Dos

Do purchase a tarp or rainfly to place over your tent. This rainfly will help shield your tent from the ultraviolet rays, and help guard the roof against rain and snow. It will also extend the drip line of your roof keeping the outside of tent walls dryer.

Most canvas tents will not ever need to be retreated but, if yours does make sure you use camp dri or some other product made especially for tents.

Don’t

You should never spray insecticides or bug sprays directly on your canvas. Doing so may eat away the protective coating on the canvas.

Following these and the manufacturer’s care instructions and your canvas tent will increase its life and give you many more happy camping memories.

Created by: Josh Hakston




Having been installed at the exterior portion of the house, canvas porch awnings and canopies are normally exposed to varied weather elements such as rain and extreme heat. Not only that, exposure to some other elements such as dust and bird droppings will more often lead to some visible stains on the canvas material. If these stains are not removed, the canvas material of the porch awning would somehow look old and dull which might not be a good thing to look at.

The good thing is that something can be done about this. While solutions for eternal longevity of the material is quite impossible to achieve, at least a much longer service lifespan of the awnings will be very much possible. One good way is to simply just clean the canvas material in a regular fashion and in a proper manner. Doing it improperly might result into faster deterioration of the canvas material which might surprise you someway or another. In this similar vein, outlined below are a few very simple tips relative to proper awning and canopy cleaning:

1) Generally, awnings can be washed with plain water alone. More often than not, a good continuous splash from your garden hose will do the job in removing those pesky dusts that settled on your porch awning. Usage of high pressure washers are usually dissuaded for the reason that the high pressure water coming out from the power washer nozzles might weaken the tensile strength of the canvas material. It has also been noted that some power washers produce pressurized water sprays which are powerful enough to create some form of damage.

2) In many cases, there are just some stains which cannot be removed by plain water washing alone. Hence, the use of detergents to remove such stains may be necessary. However, it must be noted that mild detergents should only be used in washing your canvas awning. Using heavy duty detergents such as powerful bleaching solutions are a big no-no. These bleaching solutions may create discoloration on the awning material and ruin its appearance. Examples of mild detergents are those that are commonly used in dish washing applications.

3) Using brushes to clean the canvas porch awning materials can also be great aside from using the regular soft sponges and soft cloths such as chamois and flannel. However though, brushes with soft bristles must be used. Hard bristled brushes might create some ugly scratches and might also damage the clear protective coating of the canvas material.

With the above tips, it is important to keep in mind that cleaning the awning must be done on a regular basis. It can be done on a monthly basis or a quarterly basis depending on the location of the household. Porch awnings installed at urban households tend to get stained and dirty more often. The above tips are just plain and simple and some individuals might find them trivial. But in any case, these tips have been adopted over and over by many households and have made quite a lot or porch awnings and canopies last for a long time and look like new.

Created by: Lance Winslow




Cleaning boat canvas covers is difficult unless you know the secrets. Here are some tips to assist your so you can get out on the water where you belong.

Dodgers, cockpit cushions, sail covers and sails must be cleaned because salt water leaves a residue on fabric that attracts and holds moisture on the surface. Caring for canvas when cleaning boat canvas, they key is to be gentle. Never use detergents to clean canvas. Using a soft- bristled brush to prevent damage, apply a mild solution of Lux, Ivory soap or Borateem in water no hotter than 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The soap Boat Books recommend is Sudbury Boat Zoap. It works great on Sunbrella materials. Starbrite makes two products: Vinyl Shampoo for cleaning and Vinyl Polish for cleaning pre-coated canvas. After light scrubbing, rinse thoroughly with cold water.

For more stubborn cases, soak the canvas in a solution of one-quarter cup Clorox, one-quarter cup Ivory soap and one gallon of warm water for about 20 minutes. Again, rinse with cold water to remove all soap. After you’ve washed the canvas, let it line-dry in a well-ventilated area. The material will shrink if heat-related drying methods are used. Never try to fold or store canvas while it’s still wet; this can lead to premature wear and damage. Keep in mind that washing canvas may remove its ability to repel water. Be sure to reapply a water-repellent after. There are several canvas coatings you can buy and they can be easily bought as over the counter canvas coatings or as exclusive marine products. Never use a brush on clear vinyl windows. Use Meguiar’s Mirror Glaze in the white bottle to remove cloudiness and fine scratches. Never roll up canvas covers while they are wet. To remove soda stains use water with 70% isopropyl alcohol.

Created by: ehowauto

In order to clean canvas car accessories, a canvas cleaner can be purchased at a local auto parts store. Find out how a brush can be used to get stains out of a car canvas with help from the owner of a car detailing business in this free video on cleaning canvas. Expert: Diesel Contact: www.4u2cdetailing.com Bio: Diesel is the owner and operator of 4U2C Detailing. He has owned his own business since 1998, and has been detailing cars for over 20 years. Filmmaker: Michael Burton

Created by: Pinky Savika




Canvas window awnings have been in use from as early as 50 BC. To date, they are the best way to provide shade from sunlight and protection from harsh weather. Cleaning them is a tough job. They should be cleaned at least twice in a year. There are cleaning companies to do the task for you but, in case, you want to yourself, the following ways are useful.

Firstly, if there are plants or open pipes below the window awnings, cover it with piece of cloth to prevent the dust and grime to collect over them. In open pipes, dust leaves will rot and dust will clog the drain. Therefore, cover them completely.

Secondly, remove dust on the canvas and the underside too. Dusting with broom will remove the initial layer of dust.

Thirdly, make soap solution with detergent powder. Remember never to use chlorine bleach in the solution as it will rot the canvas.

Fourthly, wet the outer and inner side completely with water pipe.

Fifthly, target small areas at a time. This means that scrub over smaller areas one at a time. Don’t try cleaning the whole area at once because by the time you will wash the soap, it will have dried out. This will make the window awnings stiff and you have to repeat the whole procedure once again.

Sixthly, make sure to completely remove all soap. Scrub the area. As soon as the scrubber turns dirty, wash the area fully with water. Begin from lower side and move up. After cleaning all the outer area, clean once more just with water.

Seventh, begin with the canvas inner side. The inner side or valance accumulates the maximum amount of dirt. Use cloth to clean the place and scrub with soap. Since there is a lot of time gap between cleaning, it will take some time to restore the original color.

Eighth, let it dry and coat it with water repellent.