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Ho to clean a sticky awning.

S

Sam Vimes

Moderator
We've been park under a tree for a few days and it's left a sticky residue on the van and awning.

Cleaning the van is ok but any advice on how to clean the awning?

Thanks
 
Not sure. However, sap most likely needs a solvent. This could damage the awnings waterproofing, But you can get spray on re-proofers.

I would be tempted to use hot soapy water at first, perhaps, even a steamer. (try a test area first).

There are products available but I have no experience.



John
 
Several companies produce an awning cleaner spray…..Thetford, Isabella, Fenwicks etc. Otherwise a gentle fabric cleaner such as Autoglym upholstery cleaner, Bissel. Previous awning roofs I’ve had were Tencate which is a polymer fabric so shouldn’t be affected by a gentle cleaning fabrics, but as said above it may need resealing if it shows signs of waterproofing being affected.
 
Just a thought.

At work, carpentry machines, like bench saws, would regularly clog with sap. We tried many things and found WD 40 was the best.

No idea how that would react on an awning.

John
 
Sam ,
Not an uncommon problem. Various remedies , commercially are available.
Granny’s remedy is :-

Remove tree pitch from acrylic or natural materials with a mixture of turpentine and liquid dish soap. To remove sap from vinyl, use a grease remover or rubbing alcohol on a soft cloth. Work it gently into the pitch; you want to soften the sap, not spread it around. Wash the area with mild soap and water.

Fabsil do a reproofer for the fabric. The acrylic roof can be washed clean.
 
We had this in 2020 on our previous Kampa awning. I waited until I got home and put the awning back up in a very hot day and left it in full sun for several hours (fortunately we keep the caravan at home). I then used a pack of kitchen floor wipes and removed 99% of the softened sap with them. It took a while but I did it carefully, only using them on the sap, but the awning was unaffected by the wipes.
 
Whatever method you use to clean the awning, you will need to reproof it. Hard work and may be easier to buy another awning. LOL! 😀
 
Well I got the awning back in its bag which left me covered in sticky stuff as well.

Got home and washed and cleaned the caravan and then unpacked the awning, getting covered in the sticky stuff again. Hung the awning on the off side of the caravan and then with a bucket of hot soapy water washed it down with a soft brush. All the sticky stuff appears to have come off. Now waiting for the proper awning cleaner and reproofing stuff to arrive.

Note to self: Learn what trees drip sticky stuff; Avoid pitches with these trees.
 
Sam Vimes said:
Well I got the awning back in its bag which left me covered in sticky stuff as well.

Got home and washed and cleaned the caravan and then unpacked the awning, getting covered in the sticky stuff again. Hung the awning on the off side of the caravan and then with a bucket of hot soapy water washed it down with a soft brush. All the sticky stuff appears to have come off. Now waiting for the proper awning cleaner and reproofing stuff to arrive.

Note to self: Learn what trees drip sticky stuff; Avoid pitches with these trees.
Click to expand...
I would strongly suggest that after a few days check the caravan again. If there is still some residue left, it will show up where the dust has settled on the caravan.
 
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