Roof cleaning and maintenance

[ViperOne]

My roof appears to be a rubber type. Any recommendations on what products to use for roofing cleaning? Dawn soap? What about uv protection after cleaning? 303 protectant? I used 303 protectant on AC cover, vent covers and skylight.

[TwinDad]

I use this. Seems to work well.

[ultrarider]

Spic & Span, medium bristle brush then Protectant 303

[16WhiteColly]

I use the 303 Aerospace Cleaner and 303 Aerospace Protectant on my TPO Rubber Roof. Has held up well for 5 years. Treat it once a year.

[gunafulltime]

Originally Posted by TwinDad

I use this. Seems to work well.

That product and the Dicor cleaner wreaked havoc on the side walls of our last unit. With both products, we followed the directions to T. We'll never spend the money or risk using them again.

We use Murphy Soap. We don't try to blast it. Just clean the surface a few times each year. Less is more. The membrane is designed to take the elements, mostly. The only protectant we use on the entire coach is 303. The decals love it!

[LuckyDuck]

I use Dawn detergent in a bucket of water and clean with a soft-bristle telescoping pole brush. Usually a couple of times a season.

[Brownie]

I spend the summer under pine & oak trees. so both my roof and awning get really dirty. First, the pine sap drips on it; followed by oak pollen that sticks to the pine sap. Then, the oak pollen starts getting moldy and turns black. Add to that, the really dark green poop from the gypsy moth caterpillars. and both my roof any awning were a MESS!

In the last couple of weeks, I've cleaned both with a mixture of Dawn dish soap, bleach and warm water - applied with a sponge-mop and scrubbed with the bristle-brush on the flip side of the sponge-mop. It really does the trick: cuts through the general gunk, kills the mold, and whitens the entire roof. Works great on the AC and vent covers, too. The only precaution is that bleach likes to eat up vinyl and rubber, so you want to follow the initial cleaning with a second cleaning using JUST Dawn & water, and a good rinsing.

It takes a while, but I've had mobile RV cleaning services ask how I get the roof so clean!

[Scoutmaster253]

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

I use Dawn detergent in a bucket of water and clean with a soft-bristle telescoping pole brush. ...

2x

[Jagiven]

Originally Posted by LuckyDuck

I use Dawn detergent in a bucket of water and clean with a soft-bristle telescoping pole brush. Usually a couple of times a season.

X3, do note, it is said that Dawn dish soap will remove any car wax that is on the side walls. So I clean the roof first than the walls.

[OnTheGo]

Check your owners manual or with the manufacturer, or both. My guess is that it will tell you not to use soaps that contain petroleum distillates. Many brands marketed as RV roof cleaners will have petroleum products in them. Dawn does, but so little it makes no difference. Dawn is probably the most widely used, and for good reason.

Petroleum distillates appear as different chemical names and if your not a chemist, you have to do an internet search for each ingredient.

[LuckyDuck]

Originally Posted by OnTheGo

… Dawn does, but so little it makes no difference. Dawn is probably the most widely used, and for good reason…

I figure if it’s safe for baby ducklings in an oil spill, it’s OK for my TPO roof…

[Jayco 24B]

HaHaHa Amen to that

[ViperOne]

Everyone thanks for sharing! Dawn it is!

[campin]

I use a dish soap solution and medium brush to scrub the TPO roof, rinse, dry and apply Dicor Roof-Gard. And 303 is great (air vent caps, skylight, window trim, plastic, etc.).

[arobinson6]

Originally Posted by ViperOne

My roof appears to be a rubber type. Any recommendations on what products to use for roofing cleaning? Dawn soap? What about uv protection after cleaning? 303 protectant? I used 303 protectant on AC cover, vent covers and skylight.

Is it TPO or EPDM, rubber? Makes a difference