Like any other building fixture or outdoor structure, shade sails become dirty over time, which detracts from their original architectural beauty. Whether dirt, mould, leaves, droppings, sap or insects it can also shorten the life of the sail and threads.
Shade sails are mostly used in summer, so it makes sense to have the sail pulled down and cleaned in winter. The shade cloth is under warranty for ten years, but the thread may last less, so why not have the sail re-sewn whilst it is down to be cleaned?
If the thread is allowed to degrade to a stage where it lets go, it can allow the sail to rip beyond repair.
Although sails need to be cleaned, the cleaning process can help push an old deteriorated sewing thread over the edge. It can save time and money by having the sail sewn and cleaned in the one process so that the sail only needs to be pulled down once. Once the sail has been sewn with a quality thread, the thread should easily last out the sail.
We are a shade sail manufacturer and can evaluate your sail and let you know if it should be cleaned and sewn, or replaced and what the cost will be.
If your fittings are seized, we also have a large range of stainless steel fittings in stock.
We can come to you, or you can save money by bringing your sail to our factory to have it evaluated.
If attempting to clean your own sail, you should take care to avoid chemicals containing bleach, sulphur or halogens which attack the UV stabilisers within the shade cloth and can void your warranty. You should use a mild detergent and a soft scrubbing brush.
When reinstalling your shade sail make sure it is tight to reduce wind flap and avoid damage.
Here is an example of where the stitching which holds the webbing in place has let go before the seam that joins the fabric:
This can easily be sewn and the new thread will outlast the sail.
We have found that some manufacturers use a lighter thread which will not last. When re-sewn with a heavier thread a sail will last much longer.
This sail is a good example of one seam that has gone before the rest of the seams:
The fabric in the sail was still fine, but all the seams will need sewing as they are probably not far off letting go.
Find out more about 1800 Shade U’s repair and cleaning services here, or contact us online to arrange a quote.