Mold and Mildew removal Trillium

[heidifella1]

First time camper owners and we need advice....How do I remove mold and mildew from the outside of my camper? Will cleaning products (bleach, degreaser, etc) damage the fiberglass? Can I use a pressure washer?

[Carol H]

I wouldnt use a pressure washer as it could etch & damage the fiberglass gelcoat. I good wash using a micro fiber cloth spong. Some folks swear by Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to get the worst off. To finish it up and take the stubborn stuff off you could try the

3M Restore and Wax

product - its great at taking of black streaks & caulky finish off and gives you a shine. Use a power buffer with a wool bonnet to get it done fast or use a microfiber cloth to put it on and take it off.

[Eddie Longest]

I use a house siding cleaner, Jo-max mixed with bleach. Use a deck sprayer to apply and let it set about 15 min. and wash it off with a rag or brush. Rinse and reapply to spots if needed. Then rinse the trailer really good and let it dry in the sun and it will brighten up.
Eddie

[Perry J]

I use plain old 20 Mule Team Boraxo like you use in the laundry.
I wet an area down, sprinkle the Boraxo on and use the rough side of a scrubby sponge.
It is slightly abrasive and will also remove most of the chalk on the surface and make waxing much easier.
John

[Joe MacDonald]

I do most of my cleaning this way:
1)wash with a good qualty soap and a stiff nylon bristle brush.
2) hose off
3) use nu-finish and lots of elbow grease

Joe

[RRJR]

VIM bathroom and kitchen cleaner is great for cleaning the older trailer. After a good wash and rinse let dry well. Then apply ZEP wet look floor finish. You'll need about 5 coats but if you start at one end the other ends dry and you just keep going. It only takes about 10 mion to do a coat but "BOY WHAT A SHINE". This product is like weater and you just wet the appying cloth and half wring out and wipe it on.
Ron

[RogerDat]

You can use a power washer. Just need to have the spray in a fairly wide fan and avoid the temptation to go really close trying to get stubborn spots off. Coin car wash is one option to get the worst of the gunk off. It's been done several times to my trailer without problems.

Important to rinse before scrubbing, you don't want to rub dirt with you cleaning brush or rag, it leaves scratches (think sand paper).

I used a scrub brush with a handle and trisodium phosphate (tsp) available at big box home improvement or paint stores. Good general cleaner that rinses well and leaves no residue.

Barkeepers Friend (BKF) a powdered bleach that is mildly abrasive (really mild) applied with a wet rag or scrub brush. Think super mild Comet.

Green pot scrubbing pads (3M) be aware that if you bear really hard on them in a small area of fiberglass they can leave scratches, there is a less abrasive pad, I think it is white.

Green scub pad and BKF worked well on aluminum to clean as prep for polishing with Semi-Chrome (online or auto parts store, may have to order) or Nev R Dull. Be aware that aluminum polish creates a black "haze" that will get on your fiberglass if you don't use something like masking tape to protect the fiberglass. Key thing some aluminum polishes leave a protective film, some don't.

Auto Detail scrub brushes available at auto or big box retailers. Think big, stiff tooth brush for nooks and crannies.

Mine looked pretty much like yours when I got it, started with power wash rinse, followed by scrub brush and BKF, followed by rag, scrub brush or scrubbing pad with BKF on stubborn spots. Followed by wash with TSP.

Polished aluminum, rinsed and applied RedMax Pro floor wax there is a whole thread on that subject with pros and cons of these types of wax on fiberglass campers.

I like cleaning, it makes a huge, highly visible improvement :-) Don't forget to post "After" pictures.

Results (yes those are tree reflections on back left edge of roof):

[Francesca Knowles]

My favorite cleaning solution for this kind of thing is a bucket of hot water with powdered dishwashing detergent and a dash of bleach. It will cut right through that mold/dirt/mildew and won't hurt the gelcoat.

Use rags or a sponge- a string mop is handy for the top- and rinse well. Done!

Francesca

[alan in alberta]

i have had good success with tilex mold and mildew remover.

put it on wait and while for it to penetrate and rub off with a softcloth

rinse well

[Harvey]

Originally Posted by alan in alberta

i have had good success with tilex mold and mildew remover.

put it on wait and while for it to penetrate and rub off with a softcloth

rinse well

YEP! Works well for cleaning mold/mildew off the older model FGRVs with the 'elephant skin' interiors too. Just make sure you have plenty of ventilation. That stuff is STRONG...

[Francesca Knowles]

I think that the active ingredient in Tilex's (and others) mold-and-mildew product is bleach, which is why it's effective to kill mold and mildew.

Bleach has no equal in that department, and a cleaning solution as effective as Tilex can easily be made by adding household bleach to a cleaning solution.

Do not add to ammonia solutions, of course!

Francesca

[rapunzellle]

Success cleaning ours with a ton of muscle power and about 8 Mr. Clean magic erasers. Inside cleaning on that elephant skin done with another ton of muscle power, a 2-inch potato scrubby brush and Tilex (wear safety goggles so when you look up to clean the ceiling you don't have Tilex sprayed in your eyes!). The textured skin was horribly dirty and the only thing I could come up with was the small, stiff brush. Rags did nothing. Alot of hard work, but great results. And not a really terrible thing to do on a warm, sunny day!

[Nightwing]

I'm wondering if it's okay to use a gloss over the ghosting left from mold mildew. ....or does that ghosting mean it's really not clean yet? I've been working hard to get the black spots off, but they've been there awhile I think and even after scrubbing and rinsing there's still a faint image of the spots left. Looks a lot better but I don't want to seal it up if it can get even cleaner. Suggestions? Thanks.

[Carol H]

Originally Posted by Nightwing

I'm wondering if it's okay to use a gloss over the ghosting left from mold mildew. ....or does that ghosting mean it's really not clean yet? I've been working hard to get the black spots off, but they've been there awhile I think and even after scrubbing and rinsing there's still a faint image of the spots left. Looks a lot better but I don't want to seal it up if it can get even cleaner. Suggestions? Thanks.

You should be able to buff the ghosting out.

Have you tried using any of the 3M Marine products to remove it yet? The 3M Restorer and Wax is probable all you need. Its $19 a bottle and bottle will do the whole trailer. If that doesnt work one of their slightly heavier compounds will.

[Nightwing]

I decided I'd better clean it up a bit more first to help keep it from growing back. So I got some mold mildew remover and used that. Wow! I wish I'd used that yesterday. It's looking BEAUTIFUL! 😊 I just need to climb up there and get around the vents now, which are still extremely black. Ugh. I got some marine polish and wax too, but I'm thinking I won't need the polish after this it's looking so good. I'm SO happy!! Thanks for your help!

[Gardnpondr]

This is the before and after pix of mine. I am STILL working on the outside of it so I'm not done yet. Also tires will be replaced they are dry rotted needless to say. It sit under a tree for 4 years that we know of. It's taken us a few weeks just to get the stuff growing on it off and then the stuff under that off. LOTS of elbow grease as my Gma used to say.

I started out with just a scrub brush and dawn dishwashing liquid. It had old moss that grows on trees growing on it in layers. We had to get the top layer off before we could get to the bottom layer of it. Then someone told me about Clorox cleaner so I tried that since I had some and it worked wonnnnderful. I'd spray it and let it sit and then scrub and rinse well. I just ordered some protect all oxidation remover and color restorer to put on her next. We're going to take the windows out and reseal all of them with the butyl tape and all of anything that is coming through the camper will be resealed and fixed so there will be no leaks. A project but we're going to do it if our health will hold out.

[Badger]

Looks great Gardnpondr.

[Gardnpondr]

Originally Posted by Badger

Looks great Gardnpondr.

Thanx

[Denece]

One other thought for mildew remover is Oxy-Clean. It does a great job and no stink or residue. I have been amazed at what you can clean up with this stuff!


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