Proper Care and Storage for Your Race Canopy

Your race canopy is a key element of your race-weekend operations. The canopy must protect your equipment, team, and guests from the wind, rain, and blazing heat, represent your team and sponsors across a full season, and perform well through it all. At Eide, we’re dedicated to helping our customers get the most out of their race canopies, and while our high-performance products are built to last, care and storage can make the difference between a canopy that lasts just a couple of seasons or one that lasts for years to come. 

Why Proper Storage And Care Matter for Your Race Canopy

The longevity of your canopy isn’t only determined by frame and fabric durability; instead, it’s impacted by how well the race canopy is cared for in between events. While a regularly deployed canopy can see more wear than one that is used only a few times each season, you can prevent deterioration, fading, tears, or other issues by properly caring for your race canopy. With the right cleaning, folding, and storage habits, you can keep your canopy looking great for many seasons instead of needing a replacement after just a couple of years.

What Does Proper Care And Storage Mean?

Proper canopy care and storage don’t have to be complicated. Ensuring your canopy is well cared-for comes down to a few consistent habits:

• Keep it clean and fold it neatly when storing
• Never pack the canopy away with moisture on it
• Store the canopy somewhere dry, safe, and temperature-stable
• Complete a quick visual inspection before or after each event to catch small issues early
• Get it professionally cleaned once a season
• Utilize professional expertise for repairs, replacement parts, or issues

How To Clean Your Canopy Fabric After Events

For routine cleaning, a mild detergent, a soft-bristle brush, and a low-pressure rinse are the best way to keep your canopy’s fabric and frame clean without damaging the fabric or coatings. Remember to avoid harsh chemicals and high-pressure washing, because these can strip the fabric’s coating over time and shorten the life of your canopy or fade the graphics.

How often your canopy needs to be cleaned depends on the conditions and schedule of your racing season. We recommend a quick clean or rinse every three to four uses, but it’s best to clean the canopy after you’ve been at events in dusty or high-debris environments like desert racing.  

We also recommend professional cleaning for your canopy once per season, as professional cleanings are more thorough and can remove season-long build-ups of debris, dust, air pollution, and more. For more information or recommendations for professional canopy cleaning services, contact the Eide Motorsports team.

Drying Your Canopy Completely Before Packing It Away

One key thing to remember is to never pack up your race canopy when it’s wet or damp. This will trap moisture within the folds of the fabric and cause mold or mildew to set in. Once mold sets into the fabric, it’s extremely difficult to remove, and in most cases, the fabric can’t be fully recovered or remediated. Prevention is the only reliable solution for ensuring mold does not ruin your race canopy.

If your canopy gets rained on during an event and you need to pack up before it has a chance to dry, make sure you take it back out and let it air dry before it is stored for more than a day. Some teams prop their canopies at an angle to get airflow underneath, while others stretch the canopy fabric flat on the ground. Either approach works, as long as the fabric is dried before being stored. 

The other thing to keep an eye out for is extended storage in hot environments. High heat exposure for multiple weeks or months can cause fabric layers to stick together, and while this doesn’t always damage graphics or the canopy, this sticking can slow down your next deployment and eventually break down the protective layers on the fabric. We recommend keeping race canopies in an environment with relatively stable temperatures if they’re going to be stored for extended periods.

How To Fold And Pack Your Canopy Without Causing Damage

At the end of a long race event, it can be tempting to stuff everything into the team trailer so everyone can go home quickly. However, wadding up or folding your canopy fabric carelessly will create creases that can crack or chip the graphics on your canopy over time. Every team has a different process for breaking down their canopy, so we don’t have a one-size-fits-all recommendation. However, the key is to ensure that the fabric is folded neatly so creases don’t interfere with the graphics or fabric longevity. In addition, we recommend keeping your canopy fabric off of pavement during the teardown process; moving it across asphalt or gravel can grind at the fabric’s surface, damage the coating, and tear the graphics or even the material.

Caring For Anodized Aluminum Components

The aluminum frame components are highly durable, corrosion-resistant, and won’t rust, so the frame needs less attention to handle the demands of a full race season. However, keeping the components clean makes inspections easier, prevents debris from getting trapped in the canopy, and keeps your overall setup looking its best at events. If you find dust, dirt, oil, or other substances on the frame, we recommend wiping it down before storing the canopy to prevent damage to the canopy’s fabric. Use a simple cloth with a small amount of acetone, lacquer thinner, or a cleaner like Simple Green to wipe down frame components quickly and efficiently. The small amount of the cleaner will prevent the chemicals from getting on the canopy fabric, too. 

Protecting Your Canopy Graphics From Fading And Wear

The same steps that protect your canopy fabric will also help protect your graphics, but there are a few specifics worth keeping in mind for canopies with heavy or complex graphics applications:

• Fold neatly and carefully to prevent deep creases that cause cracking and chipping over time
• Keep the fabric (especially the sections with graphics) off the ground during teardown, since pavement abrasion degrades graphics quickly
• Avoid high-pressure washing directly on printed areas
• Use mild detergents on the fabric and avoid solvents or harsh chemicals because they can damage graphic surfaces

Inspecting Your Canopy To Catch Problems Early

Inspecting your canopy regularly is the key to catching small concerns before they become large, costly issues. A quick check before or after each event only takes a few minutes and can help you keep an eye out for any changes in your canopy throughout the season. Here’s what to check:

• Stitching on buckles and straps: look for fraying, separation, or tears
• Buckles and hardware: check for cracks or breaks in the metal
• Zippers: check for missing teeth, stiff sections, or damaged pulls
• Fabric: look for holes, tears, or thinning 
• Graphics: check for cracks, chips, scuffs, or surface damage
• Frame welds: visually check joints and connection points (issues here are uncommon, but always worth checking to prevent failures)

When To Repair And When To Call In The Professionals

If you do find something that needs attention, you can perform small field repairs or reach out to the Eide Motorsports team. Every race canopy ships with a kit that includes basic supplies for field repairs or small issue fixes. However, for anything beyond a temporary fix or small repair, reach out to the Eide Motorsports team for help, no matter how small or large your concern is. 

At the end of the season, we recommend scheduling a full professional inspection and cleaning. The Eide Motorsports Canopy team will take care of everything for you, from cleaning to inspecting and reviewing every zipper, buckle, strap, and seam. If we find any issues, we can also work with you to handle any repairs and get your canopy ready for next season.

Ready to get your canopy inspected or cleaned before next season?

Contact the Race Canopies team to discuss your canopy needs, whether it’s a quick repair, a seasonal cleaning, or an upgrade to your current setup.