NewKidInTown

[ZippityDooDah]

Hello y'all in Bob from Taxachusetts. New to TT scene and I'm sure I'll be needing plenty of advice from you seasoned travelers. Bought an older 1991 Layton 2000B diamond in the rough and needs some repairs/ tinkering. Right now looking for the best cleaner for years of dirt and green mold on the siding. I'm hesitant to pull out the power washer...I'm thinking it first needs more elbow grease to get the heavy stuff off. Spot tested with fantastic, awesome, and green, but not much difference between them. Any recommendations? Thx., See ya!

 

[SpencerPJ]

I'm shocked totally awesome cleaner from the dollar stores didn't touch it. That stuff strips most everything. Maybe try some bleach based bathroom cleaner. I see the roof cover, how bad are the leaks inside? Often the leaks can have some very extensive repairs to get TT useable. After a good cleaning, I'd start with roof and evaluation, you need to see how bad, and guess how much$. Many great folks around here with superior knowledge, that love helping others spend money, lol, actually help the best as inexpensively as possible. Keep us informed along your adventure.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

You have a lot of mold & dirt plus what we call "black streaks", basically grimy stains from dirt running down the sides. Use a lot of strong detergent plus bleach to get the surface dirt off, and yes the power washer is OK as long as you use a fairly broad spray head and don't force the jet upward or directly into the seams. There will be leaks if you do that - they are designed to shed rainwater running down, not jets pushing upward. I'd go with low pressure too, maybe 1400-1800 psi. Not 3000!
But I'll bet it's still dingy after that. Probably need to polish it with a gritty compound designed to remove oxidation and restore color. There are numerous auto & marine polishes that will work. Since its a corrugated siding, that will be mostly elbow grease rather than machine-buffing.

I'm gonna guess that tarp on the roof means there are leaks too.

 

[ZippityDooDah]

I'm shocked totally awesome cleaner from the dollar stores didn't touch it. That stuff strips most everything. Maybe try some bleach based bathroom cleaner. I see the roof cover, how bad are the leaks inside? Often the leaks can have some very extensive repairs to get TT useable. After a good cleaning, I'd start with roof and evaluation, you need to see how bad, and guess how much$. Many great folks around here with superior knowledge, that love helping others spend money, lol, actually help the best as inexpensively as possible. Keep us informed along your adventure.

Oh, my bad, I used " tough stuff" degreaser which is made by the same " made in USA" company as awesome. Yeah, I bought it Because the interior was so clean and dry with no odors. Roof needs to be completely resealed, but no leaks and it's covered all the time. I'm going out to get some Awesome today

 

[RNS]

Welcome to the forum from WI. Yup lots o elbow grease. Bleach to kill the green. I am a pressure washer guy, as stated direct stream down. Purple power is my normal cleaner with a brush or no scratch scrubby.

 

[DutchmenSport]

You might try a small area to clean using WD-40. Yes, WD-40. Try a small area, see if it cuts those black streaks and green algae off. If it does, then follow up with a second clean using Dawn Dish Washing solution to remove any WD-40 residue. WD-40 works great on a lot of stuff! After all, it's true nature is not a lubricant, it's a cleaner.

 

[ZippityDooDah]

You have a lot of mold & dirt plus what we call "black streaks", basically grimy stains from dirt running down the sides. Use a lot of strong detergent plus bleach to get the surface dirt off, and yes the power washer is OK as long as you use a fairly broad spray head and don't force the jet upward or directly into the seams. There will be leaks if you do that - they are designed to shed rainwater running down, not jets pushing upward. I'd go with low pressure too, maybe 1400-1800 psi. Not 3000!
But I'll bet it's still dingy after that. Probably need to polish it with a gritty compound designed to remove oxidation and restore color. There are numerous auto & marine polishes that will work. Since its a corrugated siding, that will be mostly elbow grease rather than machine-buffing.

I'm gonna guess that tarp on the roof means there are leaks too.

No leaks at all, and that's what sold this camper. Interior cleaner than some 10 year old campers I looked at. Granted roof needs complete sealing job now but it was always well covered from the elements.