Do not let the sun and the frost deteriorate the natural and synthetic fibers of your hammock. Stop mold harmful to health. Here is a handy guide that will help you clean your hammock easily.
Steps to take
Protect your hammock from dirt and humidity by following these few preventive measures.
- Before inaugurating, spray a textile stain remover spray on the fabric following the manufacturer’s instructions. Treat it every 3 to 5 months.
- Do not hang it in direct sunlight: ultraviolet rays discolor synthetic fibers and damage cotton.
- Put it away as soon as it rains and when the good weather is over.
Fabric hammock
- Mix 30 milliliters (2 tablespoons) of dishwashing liquid with eight liters (2 gallons) of lukewarm water.
- Lay out your hammock on a large, clean area – for example, a patio or a tiled floor.
- Rub each side of the fabric with a cloth or sponge soaked in the cleaner, taking care not to wet the wooden tension bars.
- Scrub the stains with a soft brush.
- Rinse and hang the hammock in the open air to dry it, if possible in a draft of dry air; do not expose it to direct sunlight.
- Quick drying (ideally in 2 days) strengthens the fibers and prevents mold from settling.
White cotton (or cotton and polyester) hammock
- Rub the stains with a solution composed of one part liquid detergent for woolens and delicate textiles diluted in 8 parts water.
- If there are traces of mold, pour a capful of bleach and 4 liters (one gallon) of lukewarm water into the tub and let the hammock soak for 30 minutes.
- For an express cleaning, bathe it in the swimming pool. Let the ropes soak for a few minutes (making sure that the wooden tension bars stay out of the water): the chlorine in the water will whiten them. Rinse it thoroughly under running water, then hang it up to dry.
Synthetic hammock
- Make sure that your synthetic hammock (polyester or acrylic) without tension bars does not get tangled. To do this, fold it in half in the middle (the two rings must be superimposed), then tie it with string, under the rings, at the fold and finally in the middle.
- Enclose the hammock thus tied in a pillowcase. Put it in the washing machine, add 50 milliliters (1/4 cup) of detergent for woollens and delicate fabrics and select a delicate cycle. After washing, remove all ties and lay it outside to dry.
- You can also wash it by hand in a large volume of lukewarm water with a detergent for woolens and delicate textiles.
- If the synthetic fibers have been dyed in the mass (i.e. the dye was incorporated while the synthetic material was still in the liquid state, and not after its solidification), you can remove stains and mold by hand washing the hammock in the weak bleach solution used for white cotton hammocks (see above).
- Put on household gloves and test the color resistance on a small, inconspicuous area.
- Or, you can soak a colored hammock in a bath of lukewarm water with liquid detergent (test the resistance of the colors beforehand) and scrub the dirt with a soft brush dipped in a mixture of 30 milliliters (2 tablespoons) of dishwashing liquid and 8 liters (2 gallons) of lukewarm water.
So, it is not that complicated to keep your hammock in good condition. Follow these few tips and you could keep it and enjoy it for a lot longer.