Roof Cleaning

Ah, Spring! A time when most of us take our Cat's out of storage in prep for the upcoming camping season.

One thing that was always at the top of my dreaded list is the cleaning of the roof. Various forums report that a roof can be cleaned by an outside vendor for between $350 to $800. Personally, I would rather by a new TV for my Cat than pay someone to clean my roof so I did a little research on better products to clean my 5 year old Cat's roof.

Normally I would use the typical Protectall Rubber Roof Cleaner but I have never been happy with the results and at almost $30 a gallon, why pay for something that does not work very well. I recently came across a forum entry which stated that Soft Scub cleanser was a good choice and was listed as safe by EPDM roof manfacturers. So, with the stamp of approval from the manfacturer, I decided to give it a shot.

As a normally use a scub brush attached to a painter's wand, the procedure is the same as using the ProtectAll. Wet the roof, squirt so Soft Scrub in a small area and scrub. Allow a little time to set and scrub a little more depending on the dirt buildup. What you willl discover is a roof that will be as bright and clean as a brand new roof and this will eliminate most black streaks from developing.

Yes the work is hard and safety is a must on the rooftop but the results are well worth the effort. The cleaner is also great at cleaning the putty used to seal vents and such and the various vinyl trim pieces on the trailer.

Of course there is always a downside with using something so great and that is the cleanser deposits which develop along the sides of the trailer. It is essential to thoroughly rinse the trailer sides as you go to lessen the buildup of cleanser deposits and it is best to follow the roof cleaning with a good washing and waxing of the trailer sides and some staining of the black rubber trim on windows is possible but again, the results of the clean roof are well worth the elbow grease required.

Let me know if you have thoughts or questions!

Thanks for the info. This might be a good two person job. One on the roof, and one on the ground to rinse the residue before it gets a chance to dry.

Great tip, I will defintley give a it a try. Did you use it full strength?

Yes, a very helpful process for spring time preparation.

I've used this before and it worked good.

Last year I used Tilex on the roof, washed it with Spic & Span, then used Tilex, then used Spic & Span again to make sure all the Tilex was washed off. My roof was the cleanest I've ever seen it.

And yes, a 2 person job, 1 cleaning the roof, the other cleaning the sides as the roof person goes.

Also, do it on a cloudy day, the sun will dry the roof real fast and you have to keep wetting it.

Dave:
Great to hear from you and thanks for the info as that is on my "to do" list. Drop me an email and let's get caught up in case we will be camping in same spots this summer. Time to wet a line...

Tight Lines,

Keith

I will give this a try, I just used the rubber roof cleaner and was not happy with the results. Thanks again for the tip.

It's good to be back and thanks for the Welcome!
Last few years have seen many changes for me and few outings but hopefully that will change!

As far as the questions go, absolutely use the Soft Scrub at full strength and I found that one 36oz bottle was enough to do the roof on our 29' Cat. The great thing about the Soft Scrub is that it is not a detergent so it does not make the roof slippery but that does not forego the need for extreme caution when working on the roof with liquid.

Do you need to use a conditioner on the roof after using soft scrub or just wash it and your done?

Nope, just wash it and your done..... But make sure you rinse it all off, and from the sides of the camper too.

But, if it makes you feel better, you can get a conditioner and use it.

Last year was the first time I used Tilex on my roof, and I bought some Dicor conditioner and put it on.

I use ZIP car wash made by Turtle Wax. It is safe and does a great job. I do use it twice a year, in the spring and fall. I put the turtle wax in a bucket and apply to the roof with a brush used for washing cars, on a pole. Then I let the washed area sit alittle while before rinsing. You can see the wax lift the dirt fron the roof. If your roof is heavily soiled this might not be the product for you. I have had very good luck with this product washing everything I own. Hope you like it as much as I. Happy Camping!!

This is from RV Basic web site:


Rubber Roofs:


If your motor home, travel trailer or fifthwheel was made in the last few years, chances are it has a rubber roof. It's not the natural latex rubber we normally think of though. It's a material called Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer (EPDM) which is specially made for roofing. EPDM rubber roofing membrane is made to last 20 years or longer and usually has a 10 to 12 year guarantee, depending on the brand.
EPDM manufacturers advise that rubber roof membranes do not require the use of any protective roof treatment or roof protector product. The only maintenance recommended is cleaning the roof four times a year.
If you have owned a rig with an EPDM roof for a few years, you've no doubt noticed that the roof surface is chalky. Manufacturers say not to worry, this is a normal process of age and, and that even after 10 years, only 10 percent of the material is lost due to chalking. Plenty of roof is left.
Regular cleaning will reduce chalk buildup and minimize white streaks on the sides of your RV. The correct cleaning product is of great importance for your EPDM rubber roof. Never use cleaners or conditioners containing petroleum solvents, harsh abrasives or citric based cleaners on your EPDM roof. Using such solvents will cause irreparable damage and will most likely void your warranty. If you are uncertain about what is in the product, don't use it. Of course each EPDM manufacturer recommends using their own brand of cleaner, but all approve the use of mild laundry detergent.
While EPDM rubber roofing does not need to be protected from ultra violet rays (UV ) and ozone, the manufacturers do approve 303 Aerospace Protectant as a safe way to resist staining and make future cleaning easier.
To reduce the expense, you may want to treat the whole roof once a year and do only the part of the roof that can be seen from the ground the rest of the time.
After the roof is clean and before you climb down, be sure to inspect all the roof seams, around vents, etc., to make sure the caulking is still in good condition. While you1re up there you might as well check the condition of all vent covers, the air conditioner cover and the TV/satellite antenna, etc.

Hi Frank, with all that said, do you like the Turtle Wax Car Wash idea? It really cleans and I have used that product on the last three trailers. It doesn't remove all the sap stains on the roof but does a pretty good job. I usually continue washing the rest of the trailer and so far haven't had and streaking. Thanks !

Hi All -

I am thinking about using softScrub this year. I went to pick some up this afternoon and noticed there are a couple different versions. One is a lemon based version and the other contained bleach. Frank's post above says to stay away from citrus based cleaners, so I am not sure if the Soft Scrub with lemon falls in that category. How about the version with bleach? Is this safe?

I've always used the "standard" rubber roof cleaner so as not to harm the roof, but I too have not been too happy with the results.

Thanks for the input.

Jonc, I was wondering the same thing. I bought some of the lemon type, but haven't used it yet. Thought that might be better than bleach, but after re-reading the post I wasn't sure.

I would think that the Lemon version is out after reading Franks post. Bleach seems too harsh also, but I could be wrong. I have always used the standard roof cleaner on the 3 campers we have owned.

Well, it was time to get the Cat all cleaned up and get ready for a long winter. The roof was pretty nasty. I think we parked under trees every where we went this year. Ha. After many hours of research on cleaning rubber roofs, I thought that Tom (Oldelmer1) had the best and proven technique. The Spic & Span and Tilex sounded the best. Since, most of the cleaners that you buy that are made for cleaning roofs from camco and the other brands are almost like using water. I went to seven different stores looking for Spic & Span, and could not believe that stuff does not exist. Our family grew up with Spic & Span. It is an excellent cleaner. But no such luck. Just had to use Dawn, Tilex, Camco's roof cleaner, Soft Scrub, and a lot of elbow grease. Man, what a task. But it is white again. But it would have been better if Oldelmer1 would just start selling Spic and Span to N.C. Thanks for all the advice!! Tomorrow will be the awning and the rest of the exterior.

I honestly can't tell you where we found it, but I have 3 boxes of it in the basement. I almost want to say i got it from a little store in Lancaster PA, but it IS very hard to find.

But, the Tilex really makes the roof white....

The only problem I've found when cleaning the roof is, the oxidation runs down the coach walls, and it will stain the decals if left on to dry. When I do the roof, DW does the sides of the coach at the same time.

Spic & Span is available in most Dollar Stores, Dollar Trees, etc. At least it is where I live in the Florida Panhandle. It comes in different sizes and scents.

Oh, DW reminded me that we found Spic & Span in the powder form at Sears Hardware Store in Newark, Delaware.

So, if you have a Sears Hardware around, try there...