Black streak question

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Peggyy

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 5, 2016
Posts
957
Location
Winter springs fl
So we took some Awesome cleaner and magic erase pads and went to try and get the black streaks off our camper.  The cleaner works great but it is a big job and lots of elbow grease required.  We did not get it all done today.  My question is, how can we prevent a build up of these so that it is easier to clean next time?  I am exhausted tonight.
 
Depending on which streaks, clean the roof. A lot of black streaks are from the buildup on the roof running down the sides when it rains, so an occasional roof cleaning can minimize that source.
 
I just looked up magic erasers and am not sure if they might scratch the paintwork. They are brilliant though....

https://www.wired.com/2015/09/whats-inside-mr-clean-magic-eraser/
 
As Larry said, black streaks are a combination of dirt and chalk from the roof, basically dirty water than ran down and left a residue behind.  It is particularly a problem with EPDM rubber roofs that have a chalky residue that carries dirt well and makes for a nice adhesive.  Wash the roof regularly to minimize the dirt build-up and apply a liquid floor wax or "RV rubber roof treatment" to help reduce the chalking.

A good coat of wax on the RV sidewalls helps as well, but the dirty water runoff can and does still stain the wax.  However, better to have the stain on the wax than embedded in the fiberglass or painted sides.

As far as cleaning off the streaks, the composition of the black streaks depends on the type of dirt that collected on the roof. The dirt from a forest is different than industrial dirt from smokestacks or acid rain.  Different cleaners yield different results depending on nature of the dirtiness.  A cleanser that works easily on one may fail utterly on a different type of dirt, so experiment with different cleaners and methods. Sometimes only car/boar rubbing compounds will work.
 
409 cleaner and paper towels took the black streaks off my 18 year old Bounder.  Took a bit of elbow grease as well.
 
We tried washing our rv when we get to those nasty black streaks we could never find anything to get rid of them until now. Bio-Kleen M00509 Black Streak Remover is so easy to use and is so amazing how it takes those black streaks right off with out even scrubbing
 
Walmart sells Black Streak remover.  It's amazing, couple squirts, sit, rinse.  Works extra well with a slight scrub with soft scrubrush. 

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Camco-41008-32-oz-Pro-Strength-RV-Black-Streak-Remover-for-Removing-Stubborn-Black-Streaks-on-Your-RV/45832009
 
WD40 works with no scrubbing also. Spray some on a rag and gently rub right off.
 
There is no single answer to cleaning black streaks because there is no single composition of the streak itself. The streaks are runoff from the roof, so differences in the roof material (e.g. rubber vs fiberglass or metal) as well as differences in the dirty residue on the roof make for much different streaking. The type of wax (or lack thereof) on the sidewalls probably makes a difference too.  You have to experiment to see what works for your rig. Sometimes nothing less than a rubbing compound or oxidation removal polish will work. Coupled with a lot of elbow grease!
 
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