This course was tailored for the owners of Zip Dee awnings, and the instructors spent a portion of class time describing the details of this particular brand of awning. However, several of the points raised would be applicable to all makes of awnings.
Clean your awning frequently. Wipe everything you can reach and use silicone spray on those parts you cannot reach. Silicone will help your awning roll more smoothly. At frequent intervals, tighten all the various awning nuts, as traveling will cause them to loosen. Do not tighten them until they will not come loose, just finger tighten them and then back off just a bit.
Every two or three weeks, you should wash your awning. Don’t wait for it to look dirty, or it will be harder to clean. When washing your awning, first brush off the loose dirt and hose the awning down. Then apply natural soap, not detergent or commercial awning cleaners, using a clean soft bristle brush. For stubborn stains, use 1/4 cup chlorine bleach in 1 1/2 gallons of water. Before rinsing, roll the awning up and let it stand for 10-15 minutes. then rinse very, very thoroughly. The air will quickly dry the awning.
Hint: When closing the awning, do not allow the holding strap to roll up in the dead center of the awning, but “spiral” it closed. This will give you a tighter awning roll.
How much wind is too much wind for an awning? The practical guide is: if it is too windy for you to sit outside comfortably under the awning, it is probably too windy for the awning. [Note: experience also teaches one NOT to leave the awning extended if you're going to be away for any length of time. Winds can suddenly arise, and weaken or damage an awning exposed to significant winds.] Do not allow the awning to collect rainwater. Do whatever is needed to make the water run off, even if this means lowering both sides of the awning.
In short, treat your awning as carefully as you would other parts of your coach, and it will stay vibrant looking for a long time.