If you live anywhere between Camden and the coast, you will have seen it. Black speckling along the bottom bar of an outdoor blind, or a grey bloom creeping in from the edges of a clear PVC cafe blind. It is more common through the Illawarra than out west, because the humidity and the salt air give mould everything it needs. The fix is straightforward, but the wrong cleaner will do more damage than the mould did.
Mould needs moisture, still air and something organic to feed on. Outdoor blinds tick all three when they are rolled up wet. Water gets trapped in the rolled fabric, air cannot circulate, and dust and pollen in the weave provide the food. This is why mould almost always appears on blinds that get rolled up straight after rain, and almost never on blinds left down to dry.
The most forgiving to clean, and the easiest to ruin. Wash with warm water and a mild detergent using a soft sponge. Never use methylated spirits, solvents or anything abrasive, all of which will craze the PVC and turn it permanently cloudy. Rinse thoroughly and dry with a soft cloth. For stubborn spotting, a dedicated PVC cleaner is worth the money.
Patience beats pressure here. Brush off loose growth with a dry soft brush first, ideally outdoors and away from open windows. Then wash with warm water and mild detergent, working the solution into the weave with a soft brush. Rinse well and leave fully extended to dry completely in the sun. Sunlight does a lot of the work.
Same approach as mesh, but pay attention to the side channels. Mould loves the track where the zip runs, and cleaning the fabric while ignoring the channel means it is back within a month. Run a damp cloth through the channel and let it dry before retracting. There is more on how these are built in our post on Zipscreen outdoor blinds.
The easiest of the lot. A hose down and a wipe with mild detergent will handle it, then dry off to prevent water spotting on the finish. This is one of the reasons aluminium shutters do so well in coastal and alfresco settings.
Bleach is the instinct and it is the wrong one. It will yellow PVC, strip colour from canvas and mesh, and degrade the stitching that holds the blind together. Pressure washers are equally bad, forcing water into seams and stretching fabric off its keder. High concentration vinegar will attack the coating on most outdoor fabrics. Stick with mild detergent and time.
Most of the prevention is a habit rather than a product.
Leave blinds down after rain until they are dry, then roll them up. If that is not practical, roll them down again on the next dry day for a few hours. Give them a rinse every few months, more often if you are near the coast, because salt holds moisture. Trim back anything overhanging that keeps the area damp and shaded. And check the channels and bottom bar seasonally, since that is where it starts.
Keeping on top of this matters more if you use the space year round. Our post on extending your outdoor living into winter covers how much use a well-maintained set will give you.
Surface mould, yes. If it has been growing in the weave for a season or more it can leave permanent staining even after the growth is killed.
Every three months in coastal areas, twice a year inland. A rinse is usually enough between proper cleans.
It is outdoors and generally low risk, but disturbing it releases spores, so brush it dry outdoors rather than inside an enclosed alfresco.
No. Indoor fabrics and timber need a gentler approach, covered in our guide on how to clean blinds.
If the fabric is brittle, the stitching is failing, or the staining remains after a thorough clean, replacement is the better spend.
If yours are past cleaning, we make and install Zipscreens, aluminium shutters and folding arm awnings across Macarthur and the Illawarra. Our Illawarra sales rep is based in Albion Park and can bring the mobile showcase straight to you. See our outdoor blinds and awnings range or contact us for a free measure and quote.