How to clean cotton parasol

[VenusClapTrap]

I have a beautiful cream cotton parasol that is supposed to live in a protective bag in the garage when not in use. After a barbecue in the summer, dh bunged it back in the garage not in its bag, but propped against the wall. It was behind some of his stuff so I had no idea it was out of it’s bag - until I spotted it today .

It has now got filthy dust all over it. The cotton does not come off the wooden frame. I’ve tried brushing it, with limited success. Any ideas how I can clean it? I wondered about sponging it but am worried that getting it wet will just allow the dirt into the fabric.

I had a similar parasol with the same problem, however it wasn't hugely expensive and I thought I had nothing to lose, so I laid it out flat as best I could, and used a nylon-bristled scrubbing brush and scrubbed the material with hot soapy water; tuning the parasol round as I went.

Most of it ended up getting damp, and I squeegeed out any excess soap with a dry white towel, so no water marks were left.

I left it out to dry (it was summer) so you'd have to air it somewhere indoors for a while? Good result though!

Are you sure it doesn't come off for washing if you unscrew all the bits at the top? I only recently discovered that you could do this with one of ours.

It definitely doesn’t come off. I just had a really good try. Plus it’s got shells and beads dangling off the end of each spoke which are all sewn onto the fabric.

I’ll wait for a dry day - could be tricky - and give it a go with soap and a soft brush.

Thank you.

Hairdryer off loose fluff as best as possible, then like a fabric lampshade that is dirty I would use a slice of bread < not a joke > to try to raise the remaining dirt off gently.

Bread! That rings a bell. I think I’ve heard that before. Do you just use it like a sponge?

Have you got a handheld bit of hoover and an upholstery brush you could start with to get the worst of the dust out? I do that with lampshades and it works well.

I fold the bread top crust to bottom crust then cut in thirds, this gives you a long double edge to roll/rock the edge and slide along the dusty section to catch on and lift the dust rather than smooshing it into the fabric iyswim.