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Old 08-01-2023, 09:01 PM   #21
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Maybe slather strawberry jam on the sap and go away for a couple days. Come back to a clean trailer?
Yes I know the strength of bears. It’s considerable less than a 25-06.
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Pretty funny. We do have a bear in the neighborhood.
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Old 08-01-2023, 09:05 PM   #22
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Have you tried hot water with a good car was soap like Meguiars Gold? Scrub with a car wash mitt.
Iowa Dave



Thanks. Today we started this little project and just used water from the hose, but tomorrow we'll use hot water and I'll look for that soap and a mitt.
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Old 08-01-2023, 10:04 PM   #23
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[QUOTE=Ruthe;451017]
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Originally Posted by Ron in BC View Post
Whatever it is it looks like it's just sitting on the gelcoat and not very firmly bonded.

It looks like some of the blobs have just popped off, maybe with some help from you.


Thanks Ron. It seems pretty bonded to me. I worked on one small area -- maybe less than two feet square -- for about half an hour and got some up but I needed a lot of elbow grease
I was going by the area mid-height in the photo towards the right. It looks like several blobs came off and left a circle marking where they were. Or maybe that's not the case.

If you have some small bits that have been removed you could do a little experiment and try putting different solvents on them.

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Old 08-01-2023, 10:41 PM   #24
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Sap

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Thanks. Today we started this little project and just used water from the hose, but tomorrow we'll use hot water and I'll look for that soap and a mitt.
When we were in central Illinois in early June, tree sap from the oaks and Hickories covered the Escape, the awning and the tow rig. We have a hot water tap in the garage and a hot water rated hose and though it was real fresh, the hot water and soap took it off pretty easily.
Worth a try.
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Old 08-02-2023, 04:40 AM   #25
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I would try Goo Gone right away.

This stuff is non toxic, citrus in nature and a great grease cutter. It worked on pine sap on a glass table like a champ. It is very gentle. Get it at your local supermarket or Amazon.

I use it in the tire wells to get that hard to get grease off.

Highly Recommended! Safe!
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Old 08-02-2023, 06:20 AM   #26
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[QUOTE=Ron in BC;451021]
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I was going by the area mid-height in the photo towards the right. It looks like several blobs came off and left a circle marking where they were. Or maybe that's not the case.

If you have some small bits that have been removed you could do a little experiment and try putting different solvents on them.

Ron

You are right -- I did remove some and those circles do mark where they were. It's a good idea to experiment with the blobs. I keep trying to figure out what it is.
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Old 08-02-2023, 09:26 AM   #27
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Based in the photo, the 'blobs' look like lichen, same stuff grows on roofs, rocks, fences, etc. Maybe try some lichen roof cleaner in a small patch. Lichen usually grows in shady areas.
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Old 08-02-2023, 10:58 AM   #28
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Based in the photo, the 'blobs' look like lichen, same stuff grows on roofs, rocks, fences, etc. Maybe try some lichen roof cleaner in a small patch. Lichen usually grows in shady areas.
Yep, I had that same stuff on my roof that sat in the shade part of the day. It's in the realm of lichen/moss/mold/possibly a combination.

It took mostly a lot of elbow grease to clean it up.
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Old 08-02-2023, 11:14 AM   #29
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Based in the photo, the 'blobs' look like lichen, same stuff grows on roofs, rocks, fences, etc. Maybe try some lichen roof cleaner in a small patch. Lichen usually grows in shady areas.

That makes sense. The trailer sits on the side of the house that doesn't get much sun. Today I'm using warm water with detergent, soaking a rag and letting the rag sit on top of the blobs for several minutes. Then I use a scotch-brite sponge to get it off and it's coming a lot easier than yesterday. The trickiest part is going to be the center of the roof. I started scrubbing and felt a lot more give, so I can't scrub hard. Also it's hard to reach.
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Old 08-02-2023, 11:48 AM   #30
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If it's lichen, and you're not likin' the lichen, maybe try a bit of bleach in water or some Tilex. That's what I use on the green mildew that tries to grow on the north side of the house.

Or you could just leave it on there, let it grow to cover the entire trailer, and you'd have a one-of-a-kind-decorated Escape. Plus, the stuff would keep UV off the gelcoat.
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Old 08-02-2023, 12:15 PM   #31
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If it's lichen, and you're not likin' the lichen, maybe try a bit of bleach in water or some Tilex. That's what I use on the green mildew that tries to grow on the north side of the house.

Or you could just leave it on there, let it grow to cover the entire trailer, and you'd have a one-of-a-kind-decorated Escape. Plus, the stuff would keep UV off the gelcoat.
Well, "green" roofs are the in thing these days.

I have more of a algae problem on a chronically wet sundeck wall. I use "30 second mold and algae remover". Spray on, let sit for, well, 30 seconds or so and then it's easy to wipe off the algae, no hard scrubbing involved.

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Old 08-02-2023, 12:24 PM   #32
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We have used Pine Sol to easily remove tree sap. But then, wash right after with soap and water.
Tangential story: We just got back from a trip to Idaho, and traversed the ION Highway (US-95 in NV, OR, and ID). We encountered the swarm/invasion of "Mormon Crickets" (actually katydids!) that is slowly moving west across NV. The resultant critter carcass mess on portions of the tow and trailer was on all lower forward facing surfaces and up to 3/4" thick on wheel wells and mudflaps.
Removal was accomplished using 2 applications of hot water, Dawn Ultra dishwashing detrergent, and a scoop of Biz enzyme cleaner. Apply, let the chemicals work, rinse with jet nozzle, repeat.




Edit: by the way, re-paving crews are working north of Winnemucca right where the swarm is crossing east-to-west. The crews are using an additional sweeper between the oil application truck and the paving machine, but the mass of critters is such that the new macadam on US-95 now consists of a considerable percentage of critter carcasses in the mix!!!
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Old 08-02-2023, 06:19 PM   #33
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Not sure if that on the roof of your trailer is mold, algae or whatever. However if it is mold or algae Concrobium mold remover might work. I had some mold in my roof top tent. Tried everything to get rid of it, vinegar, lemon juice, pine sol everything under the sun and nothing worked. Tried the Concrobium and it worked like magic. It did take two applications as the instructions said it might need. Best part is you spray it on and leave it. No rubbing or scrubbing. Simply leave it on for 24 hours. If it is still there do another application. It is also safe to use on tent fabrics etc. Used by boaters for their sails etc.
May not work with what you have on your trailer, but might be worth a try

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Old 08-02-2023, 08:27 PM   #34
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Hull Cleaner - Gel Spray

This stuff has never failed to clean anything on my boats with almost zero elbow grease. Spray on, let sit 2 minutes, wipe off with a sponge, rinse well. I used it on my Escape 17 wheel wells before selling it recently, and they looked brand new.
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Old 08-03-2023, 11:39 AM   #35
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I had some sap stuck to my couch back in college. I finally had enough and kicked him out of my apartment.
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Old 08-03-2023, 02:13 PM   #36
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TR3 Resin Glaze, been using it for 40 years on my vehicles getting off sap and road tar.

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Old 08-03-2023, 06:43 PM   #37
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Test results,
I decided I would conduct a little test so that if my trailer ever needs to have sap, algae or Lichen cleaned off I’ll know how.

We have an old scrap dump truck at work that is covered with lichen, green algae and moss. It’s been sitting for over 10 yrs.
I spent a little time trying different stuff to clean it up. Wax, rubbing compound, rubbing alcohol, Dawn soap, simple green, Murphy oil soap, purple Zip industrial cleaner (nasty stuff), baby oil, Windex, and a few really caustic chemicals.

Sorry I didn’t take a picture before pressure washing.
The side of the truck was worse then your trailer. Interesting the lichen was heavier on the side that gets sun all the time.

First thing I did was used a Harbor Freight inexpensive pressure washer (the green one).
Used the pressure washer to remove the major debris.
Next I tried the different products, a few required gloves and a vapor breather.
Most did not remove the black marks and the ones that did required a lot of scrubbing and finger nails picking at it.
The toxic one worked but also bubbled the paint.

The one that worked the best was plan “Windex” it took some elbow grease. But took less effort then any of the others. I was actually very surprised and it did not hurt the finish.
After cleaning an area about 12 by 12, I got lazy and sprayed the Windex on a Mr. Clean eraser. It took very little effort to remove the black residue.

Mr. Clean eraser is a mild abrasion so Undecided if I would use it on my trailer. But it can’t be any worse then using a wax with rubbing compound in it.

First picture is of the black marks left after power washing, the second is after Windex and Mr. Clean eraser.
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Old 08-03-2023, 08:57 PM   #38
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Thank you. I wouldn't have thought of Windex. i've been putting towels soaked in hot water with dish detergent on top of (what I think is) the lichen and it loosens it enough to mostly clean it, but now I'm going to try Windex. The major issue I face now is being able to reach the middle of the roof. I will report back tomorrow.
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Old 08-04-2023, 04:33 PM   #39
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Black Dots

The windex works. I am amazed. I spray it and wipe it off with a sponge with a kind of serrated back. I'm posting a picture of the black dots that are harder to get off -- as in, they mostly don't come off with anything I've tried.
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Old 08-04-2023, 04:43 PM   #40
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T

The toxic one worked but also bubbled the paint.

.
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The windex works. I am amazed. I spray it and wipe it off with a sponge with a kind of serrated back. I'm posting a picture of the black dots that are harder to get off -- as in, they mostly don't come off with anything I've tried.
The saving grace for cleaning off problems on gelcoat is that it's pretty hard to damage it with various cleaning products. Some might bubble paint but not damage gelcoat. There's only one product that I know of that's capable of damaging gelcoat, oven cleaner, but fortunately I've never seen anyone suggest using it.

Glad the windex worked. Since it's ammonia based it's a pretty good solvent. Soak those remaining spots and try again, it looks like you've got the problem beaten.

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