Our TT is only a little over a year old, and we never roll up the awning when wet. Still, we have a lot of black spots on the white underside of the awning. My wife has tried a few cleaning materials to remove the spots with only limited success. Our best guess is that some are squashed bugs and some are mold, which surprises me because as I said, we haven't put it away wet. One other factor, we live and camp in Arizona, so there are less bugs than in many states.Could anyone please recommend cleaning materials to remove the black spots on the underside of the awning?

I use clorox gel spray and just spray it on and hose off about 5 mins later.

I spray 409 on it, roll it up wet, let it sit in the sun for about 2 beers (30-45 minutes), unroll it, and rinse. Sometimes, if it got particularly dirty, it needs a bit of elbow-bgrease, but for that I just sue more 409 and a scrub brush on a broomstick...

Clorox Clean-Up works GREAT! Spray, lightly brush, rinse, done.

BuckBarker wrote:Clorox Clean-Up works GREAT! Spray, lightly brush, rinse, done.+1

Google "shotgun spores" and see if that resembles what you have. I mention it only because of your wife's unsuccessful attempts at removing them. I've had past problems with the spores and learned to avoid parking or camping on mulch. I wouldn't use it in flower beds around the house either. It doesn't come off.:(

Black Spots on underside of Awning - How to Remove?

25 Replies

doxiemom11
Explorer II
Feb 06, 2014
Mr. Clean eraser works great and is a while lot less of a mess than spraying and wiping with any type of liquid. You also don't have to worry about bleach dripping on anything.
bama2
Explorer II
Feb 06, 2014
We just use the dollar store brand of mold and mildew remover.
works great for us.
eluwak
Explorer
Feb 06, 2014
Our awning needs a cleaning badly... We tried removing the spots last Fall without luck. Is this the stuf you guys are using?

Tilex Mold and Mildew Stain Remover

If so, do you use it straight or mix it half & half with water in a low pressure sprayer?
mosseater
Explorer II
Sep 17, 2013
I had great success with the Tilex roll-up method. Just don't leave it on for very long. I hit mine all over with the spray, rolled it up for about 5 mins., unrolled it and went over it with my long handled soft bristle brush, then rinsed. I had never cleaned it in five years and it looked great.
allen8106
Explorer
Sep 15, 2013
crcr wrote:
My wife just successfully cleaned ALL the black spots off. Tilex did do the trick for us. She did the underside of the awning in small sections, spraying the Tilex on, then scrubbing it, then rinse off with water. Then move to the next section, repeat process.

Thanks to all for all the great suggestions! Be careful with the Tilex if you use it -- it seems to be strong, so wear old clothes plus my wife wore eye protection when working with it over her head.

You should dilute the Tilex in a gallon of water.
Ronandpat
Explorer
Sep 14, 2013
I was told that one of the causes of the black spots on the inside of the awning is outside cooking. The vapors from a grill or outside stove during cooking will deposit on the awning. You cannot see them but the grease is a point from which mold can grow.

I use the same methods other have mentioned. I personally use a awning cleaner that I spray on then roll up the awning wet for 15 minutes. I then open the awning and rinse the residue off.
crcr
Explorer
Sep 13, 2013
My wife just successfully cleaned ALL the black spots off. Tilex did do the trick for us. She did the underside of the awning in small sections, spraying the Tilex on, then scrubbing it, then rinse off with water. Then move to the next section, repeat process.

Thanks to all for all the great suggestions! Be careful with the Tilex if you use it -- it seems to be strong, so wear old clothes plus my wife wore eye protection when working with it over her head.
bukhrn
Explorer III
Sep 13, 2013
I've tried "everything" listed here, except the tilex, none of it worked. Even tried extending the beer method to 6 beers, still no success.
ford_truck_guy
Nomad
Sep 13, 2013
Almost ANY of those sprays will damage your paint or decals if not watched... MOST contain bleach.. That is why they work so well... I have some OLD jeans with SPOTS to prove it!
Homer1
Explorer
Sep 13, 2013
The Mr Clean sponge is the easiest way to clean those spots, no mess at all. However I have sprayed Tilex on my awning rolled it up for 20 minutes. Unroll spray off with hose, works great. Do not get Tilex on your paint.