It sounds like a really simple thing to do, but at Lazy Susan we are asked on a regular basis for the best way to clean a garden parasol.
Your garden parasol can also get stained from mould/mildew and cleaning these off can be a little tricky.
But don't worry, help is on hand, with our team's top pointers on how to get your parasol ready for summer...
Our advice would be to always clean your parasol annually before putting it away for the winter. Just give it a good wash with some washing-up liquid and warm water, and then rinse.
Don’t do this on the day you’re putting it away too, you need to leave it open in bright sunshine so that it can fully dry. And do not put it away until it has fully dried, as this will lead to mould/mildew forming.
If your garden parasol is made of vinyl, and it will not come clean with mild detergent, then try a convertible car roof cleaner such as RaggTopp Fabric Vinyl Cleaner or Renovo Vinyl Soft Top Cleaner, they’ll bring it up a treat.
Parasol umbrellas should always be cleaned on the frame and never removed to be washed in a machine.
How to give your parasol a pre-summer clean
To give it a good pre-summer clean:
- Start by brushing off any loose dirt or leaves, and then hose it down with cold water.
- Then using a sponge or soft-bristled brush, give it a good scrub with warm water and a little washing-up liquid or laundry detergent.
- Leave it to soak in for a few mins, then rinse thoroughly with cold water.
- Leave it in the sun to air dry.
Parasols and outdoor chair cushions are not immune to mould and mildew, especially when they’ve been exposed to the elements.
However, you can remove mould and mildew stains from parasols and cushions, just be careful what you use to do this.
You don’t want to damage the fabric so test first on an inconspicuous patch of fabric!
The best way we've found to clean mildew and mould from parasols is with the following non-bleach method.
- Start by giving the canvas a good scrub with a soft-bristle brush to remove any loose dirt from the material.
- Then wipe the fabric with a damp soft cloth to remove any remaining dust and debris.
- With rubber gloves on, mix up 2 litres of cold water and 1 litre of isopropyl rubbing alcohol into a bucket.
- Dip a soft cloth in the alcohol solution, squeeze out the excess, and give the fabric a gentle wipe to break down and remove the mildew and mould stains.
- Fill a bucket with cold water and sponge the solution off the fabric. You might need to do this a couple of times and replace the water but this way you will remove the solution without rinsing it onto your garden or patio.
- Then when you’ve sponged it off, give it a good rinse with a hose and cold water on a light spray/mist setting.
- Leave the parasol to air dry outside or in the sun and it should be looking as good as new.
Just remember that your parasol should always be stored in a dry place with lots of air around it during the colder/damp months of the year and this will help to prevent any future mould and mildew from forming.
You'll find our full range of garden parasols in our Shop.