Cleaning trailer exterior

[jgallentine]

I have a white Haulmark enclosed car hauler. After a few periods of rain, I end up with dark stains down the side of the trailer where the water runs off. These stains will not wash off with soap. i even bought some industrial bus clearner that does not work.



Anybody know of anything to try short of having it buffed? If I do have it buffed, anybody know anything that will keep the stains from returning?



Any input is appreciated. It sucks to have a trailer that is always dirty and I don't want to have to keep having it buffed. BTW, in-door storage is not an option right now.



Thanks

 

[Bob Wagner]

Trailer Glitter RV Wash works great for me



Maybe you could try one of CCMillers magic cloths too



Also try a solution of bleach and water

 

[boonsur]

THE MAGIC FORMULA

Through a LOT of experimentation:



Pre-spray area with Star-Brite black-streak remover (available from RV/marine supply & most hardware stores). Scrub with sponge containing Soft Scrub w/Bleach (the full strength kind - the gel doesn't work, I tried). Smear around, let sit, and rinse off.



Neither does a good job by itself, but there is a magical chemical reaction that will break-up the worst stains. (one key is to let it sit a minute for the reaction to take place).



Disclaimer: This works fine on my aluminum sided trailer. You may want to, as they say, "test in an inconspicous area first".



Also, I'm pretty sure there won't be any kind of protectant left on the finish. You must follow-up with a wax/polish to prevent future stains.





Really, when nothing else works, try it!

 

[KPhillips]

Oxyclean (echo), Oxyclean (echo), Oxyclean (echo)... ... that guy on the commercial says it cleans anything..... ... . actually you may want to try some Wd-40,,,my dad uses that stuff to clean all kinds of stuff off from bug guts to tar and it seems to work well,,, I would definately suggest checking a small portion somewhere first to make sure it works and doesn't have adverse reactions... ... my grandfather used to use the stuff on his hands, said it helped his arthritis..... WD-40 the magical multi-purpose liquid



kerryp

 

[claymike]

I use simple green to get the black streaks off. Just remember to rince well. Also it does take off any wax that was on the trailer.



Mike

 

[boonsur]

I agree about the wonders of WD-40 as a cleaner, but it wouldn't touch the black streaks. I also tried Goo-Gone (citrus breaks up most oils & greases), and many other lethal cleaners/solvents, to no avail. (oh yea, Simple Green, too).



Maybe mine was just really bad since it sat over the winter (indoor storage) with some black streaks on it.



The mystery of the black streak is elusive. I'm pretty convinced it is organic, like an algee or a mold, and "grows" in the paint.



Anybody know where I can get a government grant to research???

 

[Steve M]

Boat cleaner and polish from Walmart made cleaning our 5th wheel so easy it was pitiful. It's about $8. 00 a bottle but well worth it. Clean and wax in one round. It removes the black streaks like they where dust. Try it, you'll like it.

 

[**ICEMAN**]

10-4 on the boat cleaner

i too had that dark film // oxidation that would not budge with any black streak remover, oxyclean,,simple green etc. ,etc.

i had a can of turtle wax hull cleaner(paste/gel) that removed it down to brite white as soon as i rubbed it on.

i searched everywhere for more and finally called turtlewax and they said they no longer make marine products

i tried the liguid hull cleaner but it didn't work.

the t wax can i had said it contained petroleum distilates and terpintine.

 

[jgallentine]

Sounds like you have the closest problem to mine boonsur

I'm sorry about that too. Like you, in addition to industrial soap I have tried Simple Green and the Meguiar's equivalent. NO CHANGE.



I will try your suggestion as well as the stuff from Waly World.



Are you using this solution on bare aluminum or painted aluminum? The Haulmark is aluminum painted with a baked-on enamel. Either way I will try a small spot first.



Thanks to everyone for all of the great advice!

 

[boonsur]

My trailer is painted aluminum siding, but I have no idea what kind of paint. It is whatever Keystone RV uses. Sorry.



Let us know how/what works. It's always good to find proven products in a search.

 

[Texasdeere]

My Travel Trailer has a grey film all over and dark water streaks down the sides. I decided to try some Aircraft Cleaning Soap, I brought some home from work to try it out. It did absolutely nothing. I sprayed a spot with Simple Green, full strength, just to see what happened, and Wow! Now I know what color it really is!



Anyway I'm not going to clean the whole thing with Simple Green.

So I sure hope that Boat Cleaner works.



What is the name or brand of this Boat Cleaner from Wally World?

 

[CRuD]

???

I am not sure if this applies to your trailer but ... . I have clip on type clothes pins on my drain spouts on the camper we have. This makes the water travel farther from the trailer and prevents it from running down the side.

I hope it helps you out.

See Ya

Chris

 

[Deezul1]

I believe that the streaks come from the aluminuim molding running along the length of the trailer at the roof line(drip ledge,rain gutter). On my closed trailer I painted the gutters with clear polyurathane and it helped quite a bit but it still got some streaking. The guy that can eliminate black streaks completely will get rich.

 

[Driftwood Ram]

petroleum distilates and terpintine.

Beware for products that containe petroleum distilates and terpintine. They will make short life of your decals causing them to crack.

 

[Steve M]

The boat cleaner wax from Walmart is called Rain-X Marine Cleaner Wax. It says it removes oxidation ( that's what the streaks are from), gives a long lasting high gloss shine, adds UV protection, and it's for fiberglass and other finished surfaces.

We did our 5th wheel a almost a year ago and it still has a nice shine to it. The streaks are coming back from the rubber roof oxidizing and we'll give it another cleaning with the same stuff the next time I can't think of anything more fun to do. This stuff made it alot easier than anything I've tried before. The streaks just wipe off with the wax film. I don't know what's in it but our decals seem to be ok so far. Can't make any premature promises there.

http://www.rainx.com

 

[jpolston]

Try Voom from Camping World... ... works for me.

 

[RedRamer]

Get some Mean Green from Walmart.

Takes everything off undiluted, wax, dirt, roof stains and alluminum stains.

You'll need to re-wax though.

Use 50% diluted and watch the bugs on the front end just melt off.

If that don't work, get a geiger counter and test that stuff

 

[GLASMITHS]

Make Your RV Shine

Some time back this same subject came up. Barry (the Moderator) told us about NYALIC. Its kinda pricy, 175. 00 per gallon; however, how much is your time worth? If you really want a shine and protection you do it with NYALIC(just type that in your search). It lasts for up to 10 years; three on fiberglass.



I took my 5er to the dealer last week for service and he couldn't believe it when i pulled in. The decals are like new and the white is still glossy white, not yellow. There was another one in for service, which is the same year and model, manufactor, everything the same except for the looks Thanks Barry.

 

[Loren]

Has anyone tried bathtub and tile cleaner on a fiberglass trailer? I haven't yet, but since it is made to remove mildew, etc. , I thought it might work on the black streaks and other stains.



Any experiences?



Loren

 

[98rammer]

www.nyalic.com

my dad's looking into this to put on the diamond plate aluminum for his new welding truck.



Castrol Super Clean is all i can say. that's about the strongest stuff i know (just don't leave it on paint for too long--rinse with a hose obviously). wear some rubber gloves too cause it'll dry out and can burn your skin. i use that to get (most of) the soot off the back of my crappy diamand plated on rubber mudflaps (still trying to find some new ones). it gets most of it off where soap wont even touch it.