Rubber roof cleaning and treatment

[icysmooth]

Looking for input of results of keeping the camper roof in good condition.

I spent over 3 hours today scrubbing the white rubber down,and the wash bucket water was turning white after 4 or 5 dunks of the brush.

I want to clean and treat it so it lasts,but am I spending too much time scrubbing....or will the cleaner make it easier,or will I burn up more rags??

Any one have any good ideas?

Thanks in advance!!

[Evil Eye]

The cleaner helps immensely. There are also some that helps to protect it from UV damage.

[MikeThompson]

The best (and cheapest) thing I've found is 409. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy a gallon jug. Mix it with water, get a long handle brush, apply it to the roof and let it set for a few minutes, but don't let it dry, then brush good, then rinse. The only thing I'd buy from an RV dealer or supplier is the conditioner, cause it does help cut down on the oxidation and chalking. Have fun.

[icysmooth]

Yeah,after I brushed it down,it still looked dirty,so I rubbed it with my finger and the dirt just balled up under it

It's a 2004,and I'm guessing this is the first cleaning,maybe?

The surface is VERY chalky

[Evil Eye]

That's the UV breaking down the membrane. Do you let it sit out in the sun? You need to apply UV protectant each year if the roof is exposed to sunlight all the time.

Thanks for the tip, Mike. I haven't ever considered 409. I just use the roof cleaner since I was concerned about anything else breaking down the membrane. Is it petroleum based?

[MikeThompson]

I've used 409 on all of my campers with no problems. I was a boat mechanic at a boat & rv dealership and the rv techs used 409 when they did a roof treatment, then followed up with the conditioner, so I figured it must work. The conditioner is a UV protectant, so it keeps the chalking down to a minimum.

[Evil Eye]

Good deal. I just hadn't heard of that and it's WAY cheaper than the stuff I have been buying...

[SuperCrutyPS]

Thanks all for the info. Just took an RV trip this weekend. We washed the walls and front cap down so it would look clean at the RV Park, but I definitely need to get the roof cleaned. I, too, have used the roof cleaner from Camping World. I'll give the 409 a try and get some conditioner. Always looking for a better way.

[icysmooth]

Worked late today,forgot to hit the store on the way home,but scrubbed a while,took a couple small spots and was using spray-9..only 1/3 off from Mike's recommendation,is this safe,or will it ruin the membrane

It did pretty good,still have some small dark dots everywhere,it did take all the mold out of the tight spots and silicone seams where the roof met the sides...that impressed me,but I want to do no damage though

What about Simple Green?

[Evil Eye]

So long as it contains NO petroleum products, I would expect that it would be OK.