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Can you erect it at the side of the house or garage and leave it for several days?   A good airing is probably all it needs.  We had that problem with our old awning and we put it up at the side of the shed left it there for a week and hey presto, musty horrible smell gone.

Good luck

Thanks, Jan - another one to try - fingers crossed!

We over-wintered our folding camper with an old pillowcase full of lavender from the garden! (We only bought the F.C. in October, and it smelt "musty" as it hadnt been used for ages. On our first trip out this year - at Easter- the camper was lovely and fresh. We know what to do with next years lavender now!

Thank you, Tioola, we have got a lovely lavender hedge in the front garden so that will be a good way of using it.

Another suggestion if you have the room is to erect is as normal, when I had a caravan I rigged up an awning rail around the back patio doors which I put the awning up (idael for parties) otherwise erect where you can and lightly spray effected area with water and allow to dry naturally in this weather shoudn't take too long

Andy

Thanks everyone for your interest and suggestions. We have had it hanging in the garden in all this lovely sunshine and it is improving considerably. So hopefully the problem will soon be solved.

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It's worth remembering that that mildew smell is the result of a fungus. Fungal spores are some of the hardiest micro organisms around. Don't be fooled into thinking that a little air and warmth will eradicate the problem. All it does is shut down the fungal infection. Any moisture will set it off and running again.

For more than you will ever want to know about mildew, use the link below. It gives advice on fabrics at the end, including use of fungicides, but I'd consult your awning supplier b4 using any of the prescribed methods.

http://extension.missouri.edu/xplor/hesguide/housing/gh5928.htm

And in future, bear in mind that prevention is so much better than an attempted cure.