help with tent vinyl spots removal?

[PUPJake]

I've attached a photo of an example spot on my vinyl. These spots are all over and look horrible from the inside, like my tent has a disease. They are average around 1/8" in size. They are from the previous owner so I don't know what the origin is. Looks like maybe sap or bug juice--the red color is suspicious.

Any ideas on how to remove them? I've tried oxyclean (the laundry stain product, can't find a cleaner with oxyclean in it, maybe they aren't the same), leather/vinyl cleaner, detergent, and finally solvents: first mineral spirits (didn't touch them), then acetone. The acetone worked the best but it's bad for vinyl so I don't want to use that (please don't rake me over the coals for using acetone, it was just a test). Even with the acetone which got the major goober off, there is a stain left behind. Am I just SOL?

[BigEyeDuck]

try spraying hydrogen peroxide on it. It worked wonders on our older Fleetwood PUP that had a few items that needed cleaning.


Just your standard 3% you by at a drug store will work.

[itat]

When I had my Roo hybrid, I use a disinfectant/detergent spray product called Swish Miracle Disinfectant Spray 'N Wipe. Swish is a Canadian company so you probably can't get it in the US, but maybe a similar type of product would work for you.

You might also be able to use a product like LA's Totally Awesome from the Dollar Tree.

[RamsFan1]

I have the same type of spots on the canvas of my hybrid. Like you, I have tried Oxyclean and a bunch of canvas, leather, mold cleaners in the past year and a half with no luck.

I haven't tried acetone or anything harsh out of fear to do more damage than it is worth.

I noticed you are in Colorado too. Did you purchase here? I haven't figured out what caused them.
If you find a cleaner that works please let me know!

[PUPJake]

Originally Posted by RamsFan1

I have the same type of spots on the canvas of my hybrid. Like you, I have tried Oxyclean and a bunch of canvas, leather, mold cleaners in the past year and a half with no luck.

I haven't tried acetone or anything harsh out of fear to do more damage than it is worth.

I noticed you are in Colorado too. Did you purchase here? I haven't figured out what caused them.
If you find a cleaner that works please let me know!

Yes, I just bought it used from a guy in Brighton, but I'm in Golden. I took it to Roberts Sales to do a complete system check.

Acetone essentially dissolves plastic so I don't recommend trying it unless you've experienced it's effects before. It makes the vinyl soft and sticky until it evaporates. I'll let you know if something else works.

[HONDAMAN174]

Isopropyl alcohol is what I used to get off sap.

[SidecarFlip]

I'll second H2O2 (Hydrogen Peroxide). If it's organic, Peroxide will break it down. You'll have to let it sit and stay moist with the peroxide but it works.

It also works very well for removing bug guts from your windshield.

[MacDR]

Try soft scrub.. we had a few spots on our ceiling and soft scrub removed them without leaving any marks or rings..

[twoclaws]

On the underside of our awning I used a Majic Eraser and it cleaned it up quite well.
Also wondering abt Spray and Wash for laundry stains but don t know what the label says or its ingredients- just a thought

[rsdata]

Try "Awesome" spray cleaner from Dollar General...

only costs a couple of bucks and it cleans awesome...

follow up with a vinyl protectant with whatever you finally use to clean off the spots

I use 303 Vinyl spray

[JJaxon]

Originally Posted by rsdata

Try "Awesome" spray cleaner from Dollar General...

only costs a couple of bucks and it cleans awesome...

follow up with a vinyl protectant with whatever you finally use to clean off the spots

I use 303 Vinyl spray

This is exactly what I was looking for to use on my Hybrid toy hauler bunks. Great price too - https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[bareftn]

looks like you need to call csi looks bad blood all over the place

[4GotSomething]

This is just a guess, but I have used WD-40 for removing other stains (and adhesives). You may want to check it out.

[RamsFan1]

Per Hondaman's suggestion, I tried 91% isopropyl on a couple of spots as a test. It definitely faded the spots to be about 50% better, but not totally gone. I have tried several products and this is the only one that has had any effect so far.

[HONDAMAN174]

If the isopropyl reduced it, try some clorox cleanup now and sit for a few minutes and see if the combination of the two helps.

[PUPJake]

I ended up using Meguair's convertible top cleaner and rinse with vinegar and dish soap. Left a faded spot that I hope the sun will eliminate. However these spots absorbed through the fabric and I don't know how to remove them from the inside. I didn't know vinyl was so porous.

[PUPJake]

I thought bleach was too harsh for that vinyl?

[jimmoore13]

Any spot is cleanser-specific. The spot is a "chemical," and the solvent to get rid of the spot is also a chemical.

I've had good luck with two products that won't hurt the canvass:

1. Simple Green - good all around cleaner you won't regret buying. Works great on granite counter tops and other surfaces, so if it doesn't do the job on the camper, it's still useful.
2. Dr. Bronner's Peppermint Oil castille soap - the oil is the key, because it disolves any other oil based item, but it's very gentle. You can use this as a body wash in the shower, and it's great for getting grease of your hands and out of clothing in the laundry. Smells great, too.
3. Orange Oil based mechanic's hand cleaner may be worth a try on a discreet spot. It has pumice in the cleaner (an abrasive), so you'd have to use it carefully, but like Dr. Bronners, it has an oil solvent that will cut through any oil-like base. Someone else had mentioned WD-40 as a solvent, and the orange oil may be just as potent.

Ditto on the Magic Eraser (Mr. Clean item). It has good mechanical "traction" on the surface, but it's not harsh like a brush or scrunge pad.

If you are willing to experiment, 3-M makes various "grits" in Scotch Brite schrunge pads - no sponge attached. Blue is gentle. Green is a bit tougher, and there are several commercial grades that are courser. I get green ones to scrub lime scale, etc. As they say, start in an inconspicuous spot and see how they work. Allow the test area to dry and see how much damage the pad does to the finish on the vinyl. As with metals, plastics have varying hardnesses. You can scratch glass with a diamond or carbide, but most steels will not scratch glass. Similarly, one plastic may be harder than the other. I suspect scrunge is harder than the vinyl on the canvass, but that's a hunch.

As with the other recommendations, what works will be specific to the item causing the stains. So just keep experimenting.

I'm in Colorado, and I have not seen that stain from evergreen trees or, say, birds. But, I have seen cases where starlings will invade a grape arbor or similar and then crap purple everywhere...and it stains. If the camper was parked under a fruit or hardwood tree that was dropping stuff onto it, that could be the cause, too.

There is a difference between bleaching (Clorox or peroxide) and removing the deposit. Hopefully you won't have to settle for bleaching, because the residue may darken again over time.

[f5moab]

If it is tree sap, try olive oil. I know, sounds crazy, however, it takes sap out of a dog's coat and this I know for a fact. Many years ago when camping in CO, my Mal got some tree sap all over her coat from sleeping under a pine tree. Olive oil took it right out, and she smelled like a greek salad for a day or two.

Other than that I would recommend Aerospace 303 cleaner.

Or get some popup gizmos to cover them up when opened, and to also protect the ends and keep the trailer cooler.