- Avoid flying your flags during periods of inclement weather especially in high winds coupled with rain the very worst of conditions! It is recommended not to fly large flags in strong gales. Winds over 40km/hr and or extended period will reduce the life of a flag.Ships at sea always fly a small flag known as a ‘storm flag’ during rough weather. This storm flag offers less resisting area to the velocity of the wind and will save wear and lengthen the life of your regular flag.
- It is preferable not to fly a wet flag. Having a wet flag makes it heavy in the wind puts excessive strain on the fabric and stitching and will greatly reduce the life of your flag. Should the flag become wet, it should be spread out and allowed to dry completely. Never place your flags in storage when wet or even damp.
- When lowering a flag at sunset always roll up your flag and store in a dry place to prevent creasing.
- When there is evidence of wear and tear or as soon as any fraying is clear on any part of a flag, replace it with a spare and have the damaged flag back to our company for professional repairs
- A business should include as part of their compliance a process to regularly inspect the flag locker for any form of fatigue to ensure the bunting and sewn components, header tape, rope and the assorted styles of sister clips are in good order.Once a month or after storms inspect the flagpole, halyards, stay rod, clips and cleat. Should any problems be clear take urgent action to remedy the faults by completing repairs or contacting our company.
- Inspection of the halyard regularly is especially important and if needed it is quite and straightforward process to replace the frayed halyard. This can be done joining the new halyard to the old with needle and waxed thread and by pulling the old halyard, it in turn, threads the new halyard through the pulley at the top of the flagpole. This method does save an otherwise labourious, unnecessary extra costs and safety hazards. Alternately you can contact our company to discuss options.
- Flying a flag where the wind will whip it against rough surfaces, tree branches, gutters, roof edges, wires, cables with cause tears resulting in tattered flag.
- Keep your flag clean of dust, dirt, stains by regularly laundering them. Ideally this should be conducted at once prior to mending if the flag is showing any sign of wear. Remember grit grinds away at the fibres of material and a clean flag looks impressive. This is a matter of flag etiquette as well as good housekeeping.
- All flags will need to be cleaned at some stage due to particles from the atmosphere that naturally accumulate in the fibre of the bunting. This causes it to become grey and to lose its lustre. If left unaddressed, these trapped particles will start to eat away at the flag.
- When washing a flag soak the flag first then wash either by hand or in the washing machine using cold water with a mild liquid detergent. If you prefer you can make use of our professionally run laundering and repair service.
- When a flag is reaching the end of its life cycle and needs to be retired you may need to order a new flag, so you have a spare flag on hand for that special celebration or commemoration. Our company also offers a textile recycling service to convert bunting into fibre and then yarn.
- Remember your flags are you, your country, your city, your company. The care and attention you show your “colours” reflects directly on the image created.