Exterior Cleaning Question - Montana Owners Club

RKassl · 02-15-2006, 01:18 AM

On our new Monty there is an accumulation of dirt around most things that have a sealant around it, light, vents, doors. What is the best way to clean this sticky dirt?

Thank you

stiles watson · 02-15-2006, 02:45 AM

Kassi,

You have a beautiful new unit. That picture is pristine. But, hecky darn, you will drive yourself nuts trying to keep it spotless. You should do a search on the topic "Roof Freckles". It is a spoof on my discovery of tiny mildew specks all over my white roof. I pretended to throw a hissy fit about it. I still enjoy the Monty and the roof freckles are still there in spite of all my efforts to remove them. Some of this stuff hits a point of diminishing returns.

Perhaps someone more fastidious than I have become will be able to really offer you some sound cleaning advice and counsel. Happy RVing.....

Montana Sky · 02-15-2006, 11:30 AM

RKassl,
I have used some good old fashion dish soap and a Q-tip to get around all that clear silicone caulking. Seems to really do the trick but be ready it is a long and tedious job.

Wordsmith · 02-15-2006, 12:40 PM

The other really troublesome item is the rubber molding all around the sides and both ends. Brillo pads and a healthy dose of elbow grease for that one!

mobilrvn · 02-17-2006, 05:53 AM

There is a cheap cleaner that we get at "dollar" stores called Awesome. Spray some on the affected areas and let stand for a few minutes--most of the mildew and dirt just rolls off. Works in place of black streak cleaner, too.

joe2speed · 02-17-2006, 11:50 AM

try goo-gone. can be bought any most hardward stores. works great. squirt a little of a rag and rub with your finger around the areas you mentioned. wipe with a dry cloth and all the goop you mentioned will be gone. have been using this product since i've had the monty.

djdecock · 02-17-2006, 02:38 PM

We found a very quick and easy way to wash down our RV, and to also remove the road grime around the sealant and moldings. We bought two small round brushes with a clear plastic top on them to hold liquid at Camping World. They remind you of the old fashioned shaving brushes. Put whatever cleaner you like in them and just run them along the moldings and rinse. We use "Car Wash" cleaner, which lasts forever and worked on our steel-siding on our home--still have 3/4 of a gal. left. It took bug spots off and doesn't contain harsh chemicals. This is what we did:
*Rinse an area with warm water first.
*Mix "Car Wash" in a bucket mixed with warm water and scrub an area of the RV down with a soft bristled mop and then rinse it off.
*Fasten a used Bounce dryer sheet on a sponge-mop and wipe it down and all the bug spots will come off and it won't streak.
The whole job was done in no time at all! We were amazed how quickly we finished.
Joan and Dick DeCock
Forsyth MT
2005 F350 Ford Power-Stroke Diesel Dually
2005 3475RL Montana Fifth Wheel

harleyrider · 02-17-2006, 11:08 PM

Awesome-at the dollar srore is great stuff.And you can`t beat that price.I picked up 10 bottles of it.You would think I am a dealer for Awesome.Had some stains in my carpet at home that have been their for 2 years.Nothing i used seemed to remove it until I tryed some Awesome.The stains are gone.On the Montana I use it for the bottom portion where its of a tin material.I never could get that protion spotless until I sprayed some Awesome on it.

richfaa · 02-18-2006, 07:06 AM

Re the Awesome..There are two different kinds. One comes in a Orange bottle and the other is in a clear bottle I think the clear bottle is concentrated..Which kind are you talking about. I got BOTH kinds and did some experimenting on "stuff" out in the garage..both kinds are truly awesome.

harleyrider · 02-23-2006, 02:34 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by richfaa

Re the Awesome..There are two different kinds. One comes in a Orange bottle and the other is in a clear bottle I think the clear bottle is concentrated..Which kind are you talking about. I got BOTH kinds and did some experimenting on "stuff" out in the garage..both kinds are truly awesome.

Since I take just about every thing out of the Montana for winter I just went down in the basement and I have 10 clear bottles of awesome.They are all in a milk crate.i probably carry 7 or 8 milk crates with all kinds of stuff in them.they fit really nice in the out side storage compartments.I thought when I bought just one bottle that if it was junk I would only be out a buck-no big deal.OOO how I was wrong.

VanMan · 03-27-2006, 03:08 AM

richfaa and harleyrider - Are you diluting this stuff or using it straight? The bottle talks about 10 to 1 and 5 to 1 dilutions but comes with a sprayer on the bottle. Do I need to be afraid of full strength on some surfaces (decals, rubber molding, painted aluminum, etc)? I decided to use oven cleaner on something once and boy was that a mistake!!! I guess it runs in the family because my daughter used oven cleaner on a stainless steel sink and turned it black!! I had to buff it out with a steel brush in a drill motor - lots of work but cheaper and easier than a new sink!

fulltimedreamer · 03-27-2006, 02:06 PM

I recently used Awesome when cleaning our Montana. I used it on the vinyl screw cover that runs around the bottom and it did a pretty good job. It also cleaned the wheels and tires very well. I did not dilute it. I sprayed wiped and rinsed all in short order. It also did a pretty good job cleaning around lights, trim, etc. where the silicone caulking has been used.

Parrothead · 03-27-2006, 03:13 PM

So where can you get this awesome stuff "Awesome" except at the $ store? Does anyone know the anwser to this question?
Happy trails..................

OntMont · 03-27-2006, 03:45 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by joe2speed

try goo-gone.

Just don't forget that Goo-Gone is one of those citrus-based cleaners, that Dicor warn against using on the rubber roof. Other places, it probably would work well.

campbud · 03-28-2006, 12:55 PM

We too have been using Awesome for quite sometime....it really is very good at removing black streaks and other marks....I just use it straight out of the bottle ..spray on them wipe off...I have never harmed anything with it.

VanMan · 03-29-2006, 05:50 AM

Parrothead, I just sent my better half out with instructions to "get awesome at the Dollar Store". She said she went to a Dollar Tree store - I don't know if they all (Dollar Store, Family Dollar, .99 store, etc) have it or not.

Parrothead · 03-30-2006, 05:43 AM

Okay I went to the 99 cents store yesterday (in my big dually) and they didn't have awesome. Now what? Any other place this is available?
Happy trails.......................

jpkelpe · 03-31-2006, 04:32 PM

I found it at Dollar Tree. They had it in orange bottles and clear bottles--i bought one of each so i could figure out which I like best. Now I have to wait for some warm dry weather so i can try it out. our 5er is parked at our son's acerage and he had a lot of rain there yesterday so.. on second thought maybe I could see how it works on mud as there is a lot of that out there now.

VanMan · 04-01-2006, 09:53 AM

Parrothead - now you have an excuse to get out of town. You can go on an RVin' trip to find a Dollar Tree !!!

Parrothead · 04-01-2006, 01:44 PM

Good thinking Larry. Will give me something to do while Ed is napping or watching a movie. If that doesn't work, I send out an SOS for someone to send me some.
Happy trails...........................

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