Cleaning Vinyl Roof

gus · November 07, 2007, 05:35:44 PM

My 4104 vinyl roof has some spots caused by a combination of coal dust and mildew during the year the PO had it sitting unused. I got most of the black stains off right after I got the bus but there still remain some light grey spots that appear to be the result of the mildew eating through the very thin outer layer of the vinyl and exposing the inner layers..

I wash it twice a year with Murphy's Oil Soap and it does a great job plus leaves the vinyl nice and shiny. The installer told the PO to use saddle soap on the vinyl but I figure the oil soap does the same thing with a lot less work.

The result of this is that the dark stains keep returning. The darkest parts of the stains wash off but I would like to find some product that will stop this reappearance without harming the vinyl.

I thought about Armorall but not sure it will last long enough on a roof. I have latex vinyl paint in the past on a vinyl car roof but it came off the first time I ran it through a car wash

So, anybody know of a really good product to solve my problem?

plyonsMC9 · November 10, 2007, 06:53:41 PM

Hey Gus! Are you having any luck w/this? If not, busnuts, any ideas for Gus? Someone must have a "solution"!

Kind Regards, Phil

gus · November 11, 2007, 07:34:21 PM

Phil,

I put it on "that other board" and got only one response there.

I'm pretty surprised that I didn't even hear from the "I told you so" group!!

tekebird · November 12, 2007, 04:02:57 PM

I told you so! Did I? LOL

gus · November 12, 2007, 06:24:13 PM

Doug,

Yeah, you did, but you told me that it would come off, not that I would have mildew problems!!

Ednj · November 13, 2007, 05:44:00 AM

I cleaned one on a car one time with "Comet" it looked great.
good luck

tekebird · November 13, 2007, 07:56:23 AM

try CLR or some sort of similar product.

regular washing and parking in full sun will also help

JohnEd · November 13, 2007, 10:20:39 AM

I know that clorox in a strong solution(?) will kill that mildew on contact and a pressure washer will remove it afterwards. If you want to PREVENT MILDEW there is only one solution that will do that that I know of. ZINC SULFATE powder is sold in farm supply stores. It is a soil "sweetner" meaning it is a base and is used to decrease the acidity of soil. It is also a "FEED SUPPLIMENT" and is found in MULTIVITAMINS AND MINERAL pills. Is it safe? Well, Duh! No more MOSS either.

In the summer I spray a solution of 1 cup/gallon of water on my composition shingle roof from a ladder I put up against the side of the house. I don't get on the roof. The solution dries and leaves the zinc imbedded in the shingle. Through the winter the rains leach the zink back out and mildew and moss, both lovers of acidic environments, never root and what is already there is KILLED DEAD and washed away. I also spray my sidewalks and tree trunks with the zinc solution and no moss grows on them. If you spray a sidewalk that is heavy black you have to wait a week or so and then a simple garden hose will wash the walk white again. This is ORYGUN!

I pay $17 for a 30 or 40 pound sack, I can't remember, and transfer it to a 5 gallon pail with a lid. I still have 1/3 left of what I bought three years ago so it is spendy and doesn't go far as well. My property is considered a "waste land" for moss and mildew. My nextdoor neighbors could harvest moss but the friends down the street think zinc is great.

Why on earth would you use an "OIL" on vinyl??? When "baby oil", a mineral oil, was applied to vinyl dashboards in the sixties, to make them shine it hardened them and they cracked. Use the chemical that is designed and proven to work on vinyl....McGuires comes readily to mind for any and all cleaning and waxing needs. A guaranteed customer satisfaction product line. The zinc won't get into the plastic any further than the mildew did but then the mildew has micro roots. There are reasonably priced "VINYL AWNING" cleaners and preservatives on the market. Try Camping World as a source of last resort or check the awning mfr.s sites for their recommendation. I have noted in the past that these products had zinc as an ingredient.

I haven't heard of oil on vinyl since I was a teenager but then I have led a sheltered life.

Good luck with this and let the board know.

John

Hartley · November 13, 2007, 03:25:52 PM

Oil Soap?

If it's Murphy Oil soap you are washing with vegetable oil which breaks down into a sugar. Check the ingredients. I don't think that is good for vinyl.. Might be wrong but it wouldn't be the first time or last....

Sounds like the Zinc might be part of the answer....

Dave....

gus · November 13, 2007, 06:00:56 PM

Thanks guys, now I'm getting some good ideas and appreciate them.

I used Murphy's because the label says it is good for vinyl and my wife happened to have a bottle on hand.

The installer said to use saddle soap and it leaves an oily residue based on my experience, so I presumed Murphy's was about the same.

The Murphy's gets it clean but the mildew returns. I do park it in bright sunlight but it doesn't seem to make any difference.

Yesterday I did a section with 303 Protectant so I can compare this with the Murphy sections. This is supposed to be about the only thing safe to use on tires and the label says it is for vinyl also.

I have no idea how baby oil compares, there are thousands of different kinds of oil based substances.

I think Comet has bleach and it is also abrasive, I'm afraid to use an abrasive on vinyl.

I really think the damage was done by the black coal dust from VA, I think it provided a good base for the mildew to grow. I got it all off but the mildew keeps returning. I may not be washing it often enough.

tekebird · November 13, 2007, 06:23:02 PM

the visible mildew will return forever until you kill the stuff that is not visible.

washing off the black stuff (mildew) does not mean it is free of the stuff.

I would get up there and wipe it down with a bleach solotion or something

NewbeeMC9 · November 13, 2007, 07:03:44 PM

I use simple green in strong solution, can't seem to rinse it all off, kills more and roof gets whiter after a couple of days in the sun.

Have you thought about this for prevention?

http://www.hytechsales.com/prod60.html

I have regular clearcoat with the beads on my roof.

DrivingMissLazy · November 14, 2007, 06:33:12 AM

Homes in certain parts of the country have had to be abandoned and destroyed due to mildew infestation that could not be completely removed. (Love Canal seems familiar).

For people that have mildew infestation in their homes the recommended solution is spray well with a strong mixture of bleach. That appears to be one of the few chemicals that will totally kill the mildew and its roots.

There are companies that specialize in removing mildew, but I really do not know who they are. Probably a Google search would reveal some.

Richard

gus · November 14, 2007, 09:07:39 PM

nbMC9,

What is a strong solution of Simple Green? Full strength or diluted somewhat and how much??

Do you put anything like wax on after the SG??

This roof is vinyl, I doubt if clear coat will stick to it.

Thanks.

Dallas · November 15, 2007, 12:59:54 PM

I was just down at Lowes and looked at different products for Mold and Mildew removal.

It seems the active ingredient in most of them is sodium hypochlorite.

Tiles Commecrcial Solutions, from the makers of Clorox, says that it can be used on Vinyl.

Read more about it here: http://www.cloroxprofessional.com/faqs/tilex.shtml#mildew

I don't think you'll ever get rid of your mildew problem unless you kill all of the roots and spores

IHTH

Dallas