Care and feeding.

Care and feeding of your banner.

First off, these are not indestructible. But with proper care they will remain bright for years. Eventually exposure to sun and the elements though will make even the brightest fabric fade. You can prolong the life of your banner though by doing several things.

Store in a dry place. It is silk and can mildew and discolor. They don't take up much space so put them some place safe.

Keep dry when possible. If you can keep them out of the rain it will give them a longer lifespan. Every banner is heat treated to set the dyes so they won't run, but getting soaked repeatedly will still remove dye, just like from any dyed fabric. Make sure you don't allow them to rest on a flat or porous surface like the soggy top of your pavilion because the color will leech out. (This was the fate of my last batch of brand new banners.) If they do get wet, hang them up to dry. Don't put them in the dryer wet. I have noticed that you get some color leeching from it being tumbled around. They are dryer safe though on even a hot setting if you want to get the wrinkles out. I wouldn't recommend ironing because the resist can come off on the iron.

If they get dirty you can gently hand wash them in cold water and hang them up to dry. The shower curtain rod makes a convenient place for this. As long as they don't get really soiled or stained regular dirt from dusty events and such should wash off.

Don't hang near pointy things.

I do the hoist edge and ties with bias tape. If you need to repair yours, you can just carefully use a seam ripper to remove the bias tape and replace the old stuff with a pole fastening system of your choosing.