Care – Porchdrawn Goods

Cleaning & Ironing

Porchdrawn flags are built to last.
Using heavyweight cotton canvas, archival quality (non-toxic) inks, plus an extra layer of all-natural water-resistance, your flag should need very little cleaning or care over its lifetime.

Life happens though. And when it does, read on below!

Spot Cleaning:

We recommend spot-cleaning your flag with a barely damp cloth, lightly dabbing the dirty area until clean.

If wet, allow the flag to air dry.

When drying, avoid direct sun exposure for long periods (unless you're already using it outdoors) as the natural canvas will become sunbleached overtime. More details in the "outdoor" care selection below.

Tip: When dabbing the flag, it can be helpful to change directions (instead of just dabbing from left to right, mix it up!)- because of the textured surface of the canvas, shifting directions can help reach different layers of the surface.

Further cleaning care:

If your flag is beyond cleaning with a spotclean treatment, we recommend:

Soaking your flag in cold / room temp water with a mild detergent
Lightly agitating the dirty area with your hands or a soft bristle brush
Allowing the flag to soak for 5 minutes
Rinsing the flag briefly on both sides with cold water to remove any detergent residue
Air drying

Use any "vessel" large enough for your flag that avoids creasing / folding the flag in on itself (sink, bucket, plastic tub, bath tub, etc.)

Porchdrawn flags are pre-shrunk, so the flag will remain virtually the same size and the print will remain crisp and clean.

Washing by Machine.... Only if Neccessary:

We don't recommend machine-washing your flags simply because most of the time, there is significant after care needed.

Cotton canvas has a tendency to create stubborn creases and "scars" when washed by machine, and those scars can be very difficult to remove completely once the fabric is machine washed (that's why we preshrink by hand!).

Ironing / removing creases:

Your flag may be ironed from the back side to remove creases. Iron should be set to Cotton temperature (high) and may use steam if desired. When ironing, we recommend avoiding the edges of the flag when possible, both to avoid crushing the loosened fibers, or damaging the acrylic-sealed seam along the outer edge.

Continued Care / How Porchdrawn Flags Change Over Time,
Indoors & Out

We use high-quality, heavy weight cotton canvas, archival quality inks and an all-natural water resistant coating to ensure no matter how you use your flag, it will last for years to come.

Indoors: When used indoors, your flag should last you for years without any noticeable changes.

If hung in a location that experiences direct sunlight for long periods of time, the fabric will likely lighten in color over time, as the natural cotton fibers react to UV exposure (your print will remain crisp).

Outdoors: This is where magic starts happening. This flag is made from a 100% natural material (not the oil-derived fabrics your typical garden flag uses), so expect it to change when used outdoors. Over time, The natural cotton canvas begins to sun bleach, the fluffed edge continues to bloom and increase in size, and if exposed to rain, you'll notice subtle textures emerge in the cotton fibers.

Long term care outdoor care: The natural, water-resistant coating we apply to our flags lasts up to 3 years. After 2-3 years, you may reapply this protective layer yourself, or, allow your flag to adapt even more to its surroundings.

Before & After:
2 months of Outdoor Exposure, Uncovered, in the Oregon Summer:

About 1/4" of shrinking occurred, and the canvas lightened significantly, but the rest of the flag remained virtually unchanged.

Tips for Mounting, Hanging & Displaying Your Flag

Hook it. Nail it. Tape it. Whatever. The bottom line: You got options, thanks to uniform grommet sizing on every flag size & finish (3/8" open diameter)

Check out just a few ideas for how your flag can be displayed below:

Indoors:

Nail it.

Hang your flag using nails. I prefer roofing nails for the larger diameter, but even little ones like these work fine!

Thumb Tacks / Pin it.

Even something as small as a thumb tack manages to hold the flag in place well.

Adhesives / Painter's tape it.

Painters tape, command hooks and other adhesives work great to keep your flag in place without any wall damage.

Frame it.

If I do say so myself, these flags look freakin' awesome in a frame (either a shadow-box, or, anything that provides enough room for the grommet thickness).

String a Dowel.

For something a little more DIY, our flags can easily be converted into "pennant style" displays by simply slipping a dowel through and tying either side with string.

Tip: Cut small slits in the dowel to keep the strings in place, and use a small paper clip or clamp behind the grommets to help keep the flag edges in place.

Outdoors:

Hook it.

Hooks like these (open hooks work fine too - as long as they provide some hold against the wind) are my go-to method for displaying the flags outdoors. Hooks can be hung horizontally or vertically.

Garden Flag Pole... it.

The grommets on all our flags are the same regardless of size (3/8" open diameter) and easily slip through most standard garden flag poles.

Tip: Use small clips like these to help keep your flag from sliding!

Rope it.

Rope, especially with a rougher texture, is great for displaying your flag outdoors across doorways, open spaces, or other areas where hooks / poles are tricky. Just make sure your rope isn't larger than 3/8" in thickness, or the grommets won't slip through.

Clips may be helpful behind the flag to keep things from sliding if the rope is too smooth in texture.