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Old 07-19-2019, 04:57 AM   #1
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What to clean awning with

What is safe to use on the awning to remove mold.
Is there a product I can spray on and just rinse off ?
I don't want to damage the awning but need to remove mold.
The water gets in it while rolled up between trips.
I'm hoping to get a carport soon to prevent this.
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Old 07-19-2019, 06:22 AM   #2
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LA Totally Awesome is available at the Dollar Store.
It does a great job of cleaning tons of surfaces.
But....if the mold is really bad, you will have to scrub awhile. Nothing is strong enough to JUST spray on and fix your problem.
As with a lot of solutions, rinse really really well.
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Old 07-19-2019, 06:23 AM   #3
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Magic eraser
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Old 07-19-2019, 06:39 AM   #4
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Clorox Cleanup. Spray entire underside of awning, I use a pump sprayer, roll awning up, drink a beer or a preferred beverage, unroll awning and spray clean with hose. I usually wet the camper wall down to help keep the chemicals from sitting on it.
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Old 07-19-2019, 06:56 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by Tblt44 View Post
The water gets in it while rolled up between trips.
I'm hoping to get a carport soon to prevent this.
Unless you plan to have the awning open under the carport, you're not going to prevent the awning from getting wet while rolled up. The cause is not so much water getting in from rain as it is condensation.
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Old 07-19-2019, 06:58 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by latner View Post
Clorox Cleanup. Spray entire underside of awning, I use a pump sprayer, roll awning up, drink a beer or a preferred beverage, unroll awning and spray clean with hose. I usually wet the camper wall down to help keep the chemicals from sitting on it.
Roll it up ?
Does this help it stay wet and kill mold ?
A beer or 2 sounds good.
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Old 07-19-2019, 07:59 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Tblt44 View Post
Roll it up ?
Does this help it stay wet and kill mold ?
A beer or 2 sounds good.
Yes... what latner said. I essentially use the same method, but I use Tilex (w/ chlorine). You can spray it directly from the bottle, but your hand's going to get tired and cramp. Like latner, I pour a little in a bug/weed sprayer (diluted with a little water) and apply it to the underside of the awning. I'd also suggest wetting the side of the trailer prior to and after spraying the Tilex. Also, you may consider using some form of respirator and safety glasses as Tilex can mess with you if you inhale it or get it in your eyes.

I generally let the Tilex sit for 20 minutes after rolling up the awning. After the times up, roll out the awning and spray it down with a hose. Most of the mold/mildew will rinse off. For those harder spots... give it a quick scrub with a brush and it should come clean pretty quick. I have a scrub brush mounted to the end of an extendable painters pole which allows me to get to the upper areas without having to climb a step ladder (not a good idea with how wet the area's going to be). Pulling down and locking the awning helps bring things in a littler closer too.

If you only had a mild case of mold/mildew, your awning should look really good after this. However, if your awning was in really bad shape, you may have some staining that remains behind. This stuff works pretty good, but don't expect miracles if your awning is in bad shape. Good luck!
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Old 07-19-2019, 08:07 AM   #8
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I used cleaner with bleach and a swiffer type mop and rinsed well. Did a good job for me. Now I have a black awning and you don't see the mold.

Some say do not use bleach as it rots the threads. YMMV
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Old 07-19-2019, 01:50 PM   #9
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Originally Posted by Tblt44 View Post
What is safe to use on the awning to remove mold.
Is there a product I can spray on and just rinse off ?
I don't want to damage the awning but need to remove mold.
The water gets in it while rolled up between trips.
I'm hoping to get a carport soon to prevent this.
I wanted a bleach free cleaner and bought some CLR Mold & Mildew remover from Walmart. Spray on, give it a minute, and then brush with the soft camper extendable brush I also got at Walmart. I do this for both sides. Does not clean 100% on white awning material but gets most off and I assume kills what's there.

I was concerned about bleach on the material but it seems others don't have an issue. Anyone been using bleach for number of years?
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Old 07-19-2019, 01:59 PM   #10
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I wanted a bleach free cleaner and bought some CLR Mold & Mildew remover from Walmart. Spray on, give it a minute, and then brush with the soft camper extendable brush I also got at Walmart. I do this for both sides. Does not clean 100% on white awning material but gets most off and I assume kills what's there.

I was concerned about bleach on the material but it seems others don't have an issue. Anyone been using bleach for number of years?
LOL years? I don't think most people keep them for MONTHS not years... 2 footitis and upgrade it itus.
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Old 07-19-2019, 02:06 PM   #11
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I have tried several methods I have seen on YouTube and such. All of them seem to have worked well but with various degrees of personal discomfort from working over my head or squeezing a spray bottle. Most recently, I found just using a bucket of water with a mild bleach solution and a foam mop works well. I dip the mop and wring it until it won't drip as I work overhead. Simply mop the whole surface and let it dry. The mold and mildew disappear as it dries. The smell also goes away after the air and sun get to work their magic. I might stress the bleach solution should be mild as I don't want to mess with all the rinsing. The mop will pick up the dirt quite well as you work your way along the awning and you don't have to worry about the secondary mess created by other methods.
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Old 07-19-2019, 02:19 PM   #12
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Magic eraser

Stop with the Magic Eraser already. No one cleans their entire awning with a Magic Eraser.
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Old 07-19-2019, 02:40 PM   #13
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Originally Posted by Tblt44 View Post
What is safe to use on the awning to remove mold.
Is there a product I can spray on and just rinse off ?
I don't want to damage the awning but need to remove mold.
The water gets in it while rolled up between trips.
I'm hoping to get a carport soon to prevent this.
I use a cup of bleach and a cup of liquid laundry detergent in a garden sprayer with 2 gallons of water to dilute it. I un-roll the awning one turn at a time and wet then soft brush both sides. I let it sit until I finish the whole awning, then I rinse with my electric pressure washer (1650 psi max) as I roll it back up. Last year I made a cover for the awning by using 2 inverted sections of vinyl rain gutter. It fits nicely into the RV rain gutter and can be removed easily from the ground. This spring, there was no water trapped inside and the awning was nearly clean (no mold or mildew spots) before I started. Plus, the sun damage I had repaired last year was not deteriorating any more.

Caution with working overhead with the solution of bleach and detergent ... be sure to wear some protective glasses as the solution will burn your eyes like over chlorinated pool water. Also, set your pressure washer for a fan like spray so that you don't blow a hole in the awning fabric.

Good Camping ... Swampy
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Old 07-19-2019, 04:03 PM   #14
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I have good results with the Totally Awesome from Dollar Tree. Spray it on the white underside with a bottle sprayer, rub a little with a synthetic sponge (like you wash your car with). Then get a 1/2 bucket of water and use the same sponge to wipe the awning down. There are only a couple of places that don't clean 100% but even those become very light and you can't see those places unless standing directly beneath them.
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Old 07-19-2019, 04:44 PM   #15
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Originally Posted by latner View Post
Clorox Cleanup. Spray entire underside of awning, I use a pump sprayer, roll awning up, drink a beer or a preferred beverage, unroll awning and spray clean with hose. I usually wet the camper wall down to help keep the chemicals from sitting on it.
x2 but i go just straight bleach in a pump sprayer.
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Old 07-19-2019, 05:12 PM   #16
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I use a pump sprayer filled with a 50/50 solution of Clorox and simple green. I spray it on and hose it off usually just once a year in the spring.
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Old 07-19-2019, 05:36 PM   #17
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Originally Posted by Oafdawg View Post
Stop with the Magic Eraser already. No one cleans their entire awning with a Magic Eraser.
I'm sorry but I did so don't be rude. There is a mop magic eraser that can be used. Yes it was time consuming with the handheld one but it worked and I didn't get bleach over everything.
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Old 07-19-2019, 07:38 PM   #18
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Originally Posted by Electra glide View Post
I'm sorry but I did so don't be rude. There is a mop magic eraser that can be used. Yes it was time consuming with the handheld one but it worked and I didn't get bleach over everything.
X2

I’ve also had good success with the Magic Eraser on the underside of my awnings. I do the diluted bleach and soap treatment first and then use the Magic Eraser for the more stubborn stains. I’ve had some tuff stains from leaves that accidentally got rolled up in the awning and they took 2 or 3 cleanings to get rid of them.
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Old 07-20-2019, 07:49 AM   #19
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Awesome is good stuff and I have used it but be careful. It may discolor metal trim
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Old 07-20-2019, 07:53 AM   #20
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this product removes mold within a minute...
yes it is bleach so wear old clothes...
find it at Home Depot
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