A good umbrella can put you in a wonderful mood even in bad weather. However, it is important to learn how to not only properly dry the umbrella, but also how it should be cleaned, washed and stored between rainy seasons. After all, your favorite accessories can be easily ruined without proper care, and then you will have to buy a new one. How are you expected to be in a good mood with all these extra expenses? If you do not want to change the umbrella every season, learn how to protect it from rust, dirt, and leakage in advance. And then your favorite umbrella will serve you for many years.
Dry properly
After a rain, an umbrella should be dried. Surely you have seen the neat rows of open umbrellas in the lobbies of offices and other places. That would be the staff opening their umbrellas to dry, after coming to their favorite office through the raging weather. And do you know that it should not be done? If you constantly dry the umbrella open, the canopy will stretch and begin to sag. But you can’t put it in the case wet, either. So what should you do?
First of all, read about how to dry an umbrella properly. And it is actually very simple: you need to open it a little, and hang it on a hook. This way the canopy dries well and does not stretch. After the fabric is completely dry, you need to close the umbrella, shake it well, and put in its case.
Tips for washing
Unfortunately, the rainwater is not always crystal clear. Sometimes after a rain you will see streaks appearing on the umbrella, so your favorite accessory has to be washed. You can’t help but be glad that all this was left on the canopy, and did not spill onto your head. But how do you wash an umbrella? It’s not like you can put it in the washing machine. Of course not!
To wash it properly:
- slightly open the canopy and apply a lather of laundry soap or any alkaline shampoo to the fabric;
- open the umbrella and rinse it thoroughly with warm water;
- gently shake off excess water and wipe the ribs with a dry rag;
- completely dry the umbrella in a half-open state.
Several ways to clean
If the canopy has traces of rust from the ribs or other dirt, it must be cleaned. Only use safe products which will not spoil a fabric.
Important: do not use kerosene, acetone, gasoline and other solvents for cleaning.
How to clean an umbrella with folk methods:
- a black umbrella that lost its color should be cleaned with a sponge dipped in strong black tea. After that, the fabric should be rinsed and wiped with an acetic solution (2 tbsp acetic acid per one liter of water);
- strong pollution on colored fabric of the canopy can be removed with ammonia (half a cup per 1 liter of water);
- grease stains can be removed with liquid dish soap;
- rust stains are removed perfectly with lemon juice. After that you need to wash the canopy with water and dry the fabric with steam;
- simple dust can be removed with a soft brush dipped in detergent for wool or synthetics.
After wet cleaning, be sure to dry the umbrella in a half-open state.
How and where to store an umbrella
Before you put an umbrella on a shelf after the rainy season, you need to take care of it a little:
- wash the canopy fabric well;
- wipe the ribs dry;
- dry the umbrella half-open;
- carefully rub each rib and the entire sliding mechanism with engine oil;
- wrap all joints in wax paper or plastic wrap;
- put the umbrella into the case and then into the bag.
Keep the umbrella in a dark place at a temperature between -10 and +35 degrees Celsius. Do not keep it at the bottom of a bag or shelf, as heavy things on top could break or bend the ribs and stretchers.
Try to air the umbrella out several times if you do not use it for a long time. If the canopy fabric has worn out, strengthen it on the inside with clear nail polish.
If you follow all the recommendations above, your umbrella will bring you good mood during gloomy rainy days for a long time.