I absolutely love this awning so I bought more for my other windows in the back of my house which has a lot of sun. I bought the first one to cover my side door. It is very stylish and looks very elegant. I really like the iron side poles because it adds a little class to it. I bought them in black. I do not have a lot of wind on the side of my house so I have not had a problem but i will take them down in the winter. The cloth you can wipe down or hose lightly if you need to. I would not scrub or use anything too powerful to clean them though. I have had neighbors ask where I got them and they have said it looked very nice on the house and adds a little something to a flat surface.