mildew on awning

X-3, on the magic eraser!

A 1

A real easy way to clean the outside of the awning, After you have soaked of course. IF you have a manual awning. Unroll it, Unhook it from the side of the RV, let the arm slide under the RV and let it hang straight down. Now you can use the side of the RV to hold the awning steady, and scrub your little heart out. I do mine that way. The underside is tougher.

Of course IF you have a walk on roof. Roll out the awning unhook the arms from the RV, and bring it back over the top, and lay it out. Scrub your little heart out.

SOlvents or scrubbers, both have pros and cons. Magic eraser worked for me, but they are abrasive and it did roughen the surface making it easier for crude to hang-on. I use a 50/50 mixture of Blue Dawn and PEroxide. not as stong as bleach, but good enough to then scrub with a soft towel.gets off about 80-90%.

DSDP Don wrote:
I'm surprised that your coach came with what you call...."a cheap white awning". A few days a go you stated that Thor was the best entry level coach available. What has changed? You vehemently maligned others who differed with your opinion of Thor quality.

Please show me where I said that. I said entry level coaches are all of the same ilk. I never said Thor was the best. And I also said you don't know what you are talking about with respect to entry level coaches. My guess is that hasn't changed. So if you want to grasp at straws and hijack my thread about mildew on awnings for whatever weird reason you have a fascination with me and take jabs, my offer still holds. PM me and I can give you my number and we can talk in person. You kind of walked away from the last one. Sort of figured you liked hiding behind your computer. Otherwise, leave me alone unless you have something constructive to add to the particular thread. These kinds of posts make you look a little desperate and sad and over obvious you want to take jabs.

I'm surprised that your coach came with what you call...."a cheap white awning". A few days a go you stated that Thor was the best entry level coach available. What has changed? You vehemently maligned others who differed with your opinion of Thor quality.

Ok, the Tilex worked, however scrubbing is necessary. Soaking it only removes the easy stuff. You would have to do as others have said and roll up a bit, scrub, roll up a bit more and scrub, repeat until you have scrubbed the whole thing, then rinse.

DutchmenSport wrote:
Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. Make wet, simply wipe a small section at a time (no need to scrub), use a dry cloth and wipe off. Then move to next small section. A little time consuming, yes.But the end results are amazing, and Mr. Clean puts a chemical on the awning that will retard black from coming back for a long time. It won't help when bugs get rolled up, but a little touch-up of Mr. Clean and they come right off. Will not hurt the awning.

To clean the top of mine (since mine is electric retractable), I use a picnic table at the campground and use it for a ladder (I can stand on it safely and it's a nice firm foundation). Put it along the edge of the awning. I then use a long painter's wand (collapsible) with a soft RV brush. I wrap the brush with a wet towel, and put the Mr. Clean between the towel and the awning, use the brush to move it around (up and down). There again, small sections at a time, follow up with a dry cloth.

There again, a little time consuming, but you won't have to touch the awning again for another year.

Edit: I'm reluctant to use any solvents that are designed to remove grease an oil, like dishwashing liquid. It might never happen, but I am paranoid about the cleaning solution cleaning too good, and removing the oils and chemiclas that actually the awning is actually made from. And also do not want to use bleach. First, I don't want the fabric bleached out pale, and second, if the bleach is not rinsed completely, there's a chance the bleach can deteriorate the awning. (Do this test, if you never done it before. Get a little bleach and put an old sock or T-shirt in it. Let it sit over night. Take the item out and rinse it out. I think you'll find the item is now beginning to shred. My awning costs too much, I don't want to take that chance.)

I just re-read this a little closer. Now I may not use bleach but try just spraying with my awning cleaner and rolling it up. Getting up on top of the RV and rolling it out slowly, then scrubbing, roll out some more and scrubbing, continuing till finished, may work or at least as long as I can reach it safely.

I fill a spray bottle about 50/50 with bleach and water and soak it down. Rub it in with a brush to get good coverage. I usually just do the underside but you could do both. Then i let is sit for an hour or so and hose it off. Doesn't get it all off, but I doubt you'll ever get it all off.

OP here - I loaded it up with Tilex. The mildew started turning right away. I sprayed top and bottom as well as I could and rolled it up. I'll wait a while and rinse it down. I suspect this will have a dramatic improvement.