How To Keep Your Carport Looking Like New

How to Keep Your Carport Looking Like New

A portable, fabric carport from Mytee Products is a great tool for protecting your car or household equipment from the elements. We sell carports and storage buildings in a variety of styles and sizes that can accommodate everything from the family minivan to a full-sized RV. We encourage you to browse our inventory while you are here.

Like anything else, taking good care of your carport will keep it looking like new for years. Just a few, simple  maintenance practices will add years to the life of your carport by minimizing the damage caused by weather and time. Below are some helpful tips that we generally recommend to our customers.

storage-maintenance

Cleaning the Canopy

The fabric used for manufacturing portable carports is usually either polyethylene (PE) or polyester. We prefer PE because of its strength, durability, and weather resistance. In either case, you are going to want to keep the canopy clean if you want your carport to look like new for as long as you own it.

Routine cleaning can be accomplished with warm, soapy water and a light detergent. Good detergent choices include things like laundry and dish soap. A gentle car wash detergent will also work well. The one thing you do not want to use on your canopy is bleach. Bleach damages all sorts of canopy fabrics along with stitching material.

Also make a point to stick with nonabrasive cleaning solutions. You should reserve abrasive scrubbing for persistent stains and mold or fungus growth.

Cleaning the Frame

Our carport frames are made of heavy-duty, galvanized steel for maximum strength and weather resistance. But even galvanized steel needs to be cleaned from time to time. Thankfully, doing so is simple.

Surface dirt can be washed away with a mild detergent and some warm water. You could clean the frame the same way you wash your car: gently wipe dirt with the soapy rag then spray everything off with a garden hose. If your cleaning has to take into account more aggressive stains or things like oil and grease, you will need more than just soapy water.

You can purchase commercial steel cleaners normally used in the kitchen. These can be applied with an old rag and gently wiped away. As an alternative, you can use distilled white vinegar and boiling water. Just be sure to use protective gloves so you do not burn yourself.

When you’re done cleaning, be sure to wipe away any remaining water so as to prevent rust or water stains. A thick, dry cloth is all you need. Vinegar can be used to remove water stains should you miss any water during the drying process.

Additional Carport Maintenance

The steel frame is the skeleton of your portable carport. You should be addressing general maintenance in addition to just cleaning the frame. This includes regularly inspecting all the fasteners and joints. Make sure to tighten any loose fasteners right away. You also want to check whatever means are employed to fix the canopy to the frame. Make sure all of them are secure.

Should the fabric of your canopy tear or develop a hole, don’t panic. PE fabric can be repaired with a commercially available patch kit. Just clean the area around the hole or tear and apply the patch according to the instructions on the packaging. It is fairly simple.

You have invested a significant amount of money in your carport. Do not let that money go to waste by not taking good care of your investment. By cleaning and maintaining your carport on a regular schedule, you will keep it looking and working like new for years.