a good cleaner for vinyl walls

[zoeb nj]

I was just cleaning the walls on our 73 Argosy--and they were disgusting--mold, grease, dirt, fly specks--you name it--the only cleaner that really worked was a combo of bleach and pine sol in water--lots of both.

I wiped it on and let it sit, went back over it a second time, and a third time if necessary--worked like a charm, and no horrible fumes to breathe in.

Zoe

[lovingtahoe]

I used Trader Joe's Cedar and Sage cleaner then wiped again with a wet towel. it worked great. Any sticky stuff went away and the trailer smelled like cedar.

I also found this helpful: Airstream Interiors for $5.00

[klattu]

This is good info...
We have tried lots of strange stuff from under the kitchen sink.
How does the ceilings get so sticky?
From years of cooking I would think.
Went to mount TV bracket in rear beedroom ceiling and it was sticky too!
Behave...

Gonna try your Zoeb mix Saturday.

[lovingtahoe]

I read somewhere that the stuff they infuse in the vinyl to keep it flexible slowly leeches out to the surface over time and causes the surface to get sticky. As a result, the vinyl becomes more brittle and the surface more gooey. yeah.

[sladew]

We use greased lightning, available in AZ at most hardware stores and some grocery stores. It works great on sticky walls.

sw

[Lumatic]

Max Clean- foaming cleaner from an auto parts store.
Simple Green works real good
We got a hand held steam unit from Sears. Also works real good

[klattu]

Originally Posted by lovingtahoe

I read somewhere that the stuff they infuse in the vinyl to keep it flexible slowly leeches out to the surface over time and causes the surface to get sticky. As a result, the vinyl becomes more brittle and the surface more gooey. yeah.

That sounds reasonable...
Every time I clean, at first seems OK, them a few days later the sticky is back.
Have y'all succeded in it never coming back?

[lovingtahoe]

Originally Posted by klattu

That sounds reasonable...
Every time I clean, at first seems OK, them a few days later the sticky is back.
Have y'all succeded in it never coming back?

http://www.tompatterson.com/Digests/v02.n186

Scroll down to see Deborah's explanation. Makes sense to me as well.

[klattu]

That gives lots of good and bad news...
Looks like the sticky is self generating and not going away until another problem arrives...dry cracking vinyl...oh joy.
Good news is that if I cover it, (someday far away) that surface will not collect the sticky from random camping. (not human generated)

I'm just going to stop touching the walls after I clean them.

That link also reminds me how generic DOS really was.

[Silver Threads]

We used Mean Green, can be picked up at Wal-Mart, Dollar Store, etc.. worked great!

[zoeb nj]

I had read all the reports here about different good cleaners , but was too short on time to make a trip to Walmart--had to go with what was at my local A&P--not a very good selection, so when my available everywhere ingredients worked so well it was a happy discovery.

Although I did try Simple Green the last time I worked on the Arg, last summer, and it didn't do the job for me--this trailer had a truly astounding amount of dirt on the walls and ceiling--it doesn't have the degradation problems that others here are talking about--I'm guessing because the dirt protected the vinyl!!!

Zoe

[2airishuman]

Originally Posted by zoeb nj

a combo of bleach and pine sol in water--lots of both.

I wiped it on and let it sit, went back over it a second time, and a third time if necessary--worked like a charm, and no horrible fumes to breathe in.

Zoe

......

i'm sure the chlorox company is happy you selected 2 of their products...

but mixing cleaners is NEVER a good idea.

especially when part of the mix is sodium hypochlorite

these are home recipes for respiratory DISASTER!

'no fumes'...are you kidding me?

in addition it doesn't read like it was all that effective IF 3 applications were needed.

yes bleach may have lightened the walls but also greatly accelerates the deterioration of vinyl...

IF you're fond of pine oil, alcohol and bleach fine, but use them separately...

with maximum ventilation, and wear gloves and eye protection and a top layer that can be tossed.

this IS a public service announcement...
cheers
2air'

[69 Silverback]

Hi all,

I tried a few things, but the most effective was Murphys oil soap and warm rinse water. It's been a couple of years since that but it isn't sticky yet. The other things , it seemed that the sticky came back in a couple of weeks. also ,I used a small scrub brush. The kind that you use for your hands.

[zoeb nj]

well jeez, 2air, you're taking all the fun out of my life!

I was wearing a mask, gloves, coverall clothes and working in a well ventilated area --and there really weren't any fumes at all

I thought it was only ammonia containing products you couldn't mix with bleach, but ok ,I'm well chastened--don't anyone do this--I don't want to steer anyone in the wrong direction.

Next you'll probably want me to stop holding firecrackers in my teeth.....

Zoe

[cosmo9404]

We're dealing with the dirty vinyl walls issue too. At first we sprayed on and wiped Simple Green but they still didn't look as clean as they could be. I diluted some Mr. Clean in warm water then used our electric scrub brush (best invention ever!) to scrub the walls. Some of the stains are permanent but the dirt is definitly gone.

[Auretrvr]

The guy who painted our house swore by it. I saw it recommended on another thread, so I gave it a try on our sticky, vinyl clad walls. Worked great! Give it a try!

[klattu]

ZOEB...
We tried your mix Saturday,

Worked great!
Was a very clean smell...found out it is very common mix in the pro house cleaning circles.

[Wabbiteer]

Behind the built-ins in my rear bath AS was original & never cleaned - I can't comment on anyone elses trailer since the last cleanser used always leaves traces behind that can mutate the surface deposits to take on a life of their own. What best melted away the grime that was scaring me was a 1:4 dilution of Krud Kutter applied and wiped off, then follow with full-strength Goof-Off 2 scrub - the Krud Kutter perfume is pretty noxious but the Goof-Off 2 is unscented and conquers the industrial perfume of the Krud Kutter..

After removing the panels I used a light sprinkle of Bon-Ami scouring powder on dripping wet panels, scrubbing with soft sponge, and then hosed them off & was amazed at the amount of oxidized vinyl that was removed, very much brightened the surfaces from what surface-spray liquid cleaners left behind. A wet soft sponge with a light paste of Bon-Ami suds action will work wonders maintaining in-place liners as long as you have enough towels to wipe surface clean of the Bon-Ami AND then do a wet towel rinse and then towel dry...

[JW84345]

The vinyl surface of our '69 Overlander was sticky when we acquired it 11 years ago. We scrubbed it with house hold cleaners (fantastic or something like that) and have not had a sticky problem since.

So there is hope

[SmokelessJoe]

We found that KRUD KUTTER, made in Georgia, USA, worked better than any other cleaner we tried.

Sergei