Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

by purdyhorse Tue Jul 16, 2024 9:23 pm

Am struggling to get rid of tree sap and other stains (?mould?) on the 5 years old awning on my Warwick XL. The tree sap (?bird droppings?) stains are on the upper surface, the blotchy (?mould?) stains on the underside.
Have contacted Thule who were very helpful and recommended their own proprietory cleaning product which got rid of the superficial 'dirt' but did nothing to the ingrained stains.
Have also tried the Fenwick awning cleaning products but to no avail.
Would welcome any Forum members suggestions as to how to restore the awning to its former glory.

by Caraman Wed Jul 17, 2024 7:36 am

purdyhorse wrote:Am struggling to get rid of tree sap and other stains (?mould?) on the 5 years old awning on my Warwick XL. The tree sap (?bird droppings?) stains are on the upper surface, the blotchy (?mould?) stains on the underside.
Have contacted Thule who were very helpful and recommended their own proprietory cleaning product which got rid of the superficial 'dirt' but did nothing to the ingrained stains.
Have also tried the Fenwick awning cleaning products but to no avail.
Would welcome any Forum members suggestions as to how to restore the awning to its former glory.

In the past I have used a solution of bleach to good effect but it needs time to work. Perhaps roll up the awning whilst its still wet with the solution and leave it for an hour or so before unrolling and rinsing. I will be interested to hear what others do.

by Monty-Plym Wed Jul 17, 2024 10:03 am

I remove any tree sap from paintwork or awning with isopropyl alcohol on a bit of rag and then immediately wash with a "Muc-Off Nano-Tech Bike Cleaner" solution followed by a good rinse with plain water. I picked up quite a bit in Spain as some of the pitches were under pine trees, I never knew they dropped sap, I do now fedup

by Suppersready Wed Jul 17, 2024 10:18 am

Same as Caraman 2 parts water 1 part bleach, once applied agitate it with a brush to foam then leave for about 15 mins and rinse off. However as all things are not equal I would try a small inconspicuous area first if possible. Most of the propriety cleaners contain sodium hypochlorite which is just the active ingredient in common household bleach.
Do not allow to dry before rinsing off, spray more solution on to keep wet. Obviously best to do on a overcast day.

by Jarjar Wed Jul 17, 2024 9:19 pm

Stardrops in warm water - it’s my go to Motorhome cleaner.

by purdyhorse Thu Jul 18, 2024 8:05 am

Thank you all for your suggestions, I will try each in turn and hopefully will resolve the problem. Btw I cannot speak too highly of the Belgium based Thor Omnistor customer service webchat facility. A real person responds to you and he was incredibly responsive. After we’d discussed the cleaning issue I mentioned that the Thor decal on my awning had partially peeled off. Five days later I received a new decal, sent from Belgium and completely free of charge. Brilliant!

by purdyhorse Thu Jul 18, 2024 8:11 am

Jarjar wrote:Stardrops in warm water - it’s my go to Motorhome cleaner.

Which Stardrops product do you use - is it the Original All Purpose cleaner? Thanks.

by Bad Penny Fri Jul 19, 2024 10:28 am

Tooth paste will also remove stubborn stains.

by purdyhorse Fri Jul 19, 2024 10:58 am

Hi Badpenny. Thanks for your toothpaste idea. I just tried it but sadly it won’t remove the tree sap. Shame because it seemed like a quick fix.Will wait for a cloudy day and try the bleach solution.

by Caraman Fri Jul 19, 2024 3:29 pm

purdyhorse wrote:Hi Badpenny. Thanks for your toothpaste idea. I just tried it but sadly it won’t remove the tree sap. Shame because it seemed like a quick fix.Will wait for a cloudy day and try the bleach solution.

When you put it on make sure it doesn't go anywhere near your clothes. Best to wear old clothes or non at all! confused0

by purdyhorse Fri Jul 19, 2024 4:55 pm

Helpful suggestion but I think it would frighten the horses!
Have done an internet search and it seems that tar remover will also remove tree sap and as I’ve already got some Autoglym Intensive Tar Remover I thought I’d try that next rather than risk the bleach and its inherent indecency prosecution risk

Have also discovered that ‘Flash Spray Wipe Done’ household cleaner does a very good general clean of the awning and it’s much cheaper than proprietary awning cleaning products.

by burlingtonboaby Fri Jul 19, 2024 7:53 pm

Our last van ,a 16 Warwick duo the awning fabric turned out really dirty last year, tree sap, leaves etc, ( didn’t clean it properly back last time, I used CIF toilet cleaner, and rinsed well, came up a treat. Try a small area first.
Boaby

by Jarjar Fri Jul 19, 2024 10:15 pm

purdyhorse wrote:
Jarjar wrote:Stardrops in warm water - it’s my go to Motorhome cleaner.
Which Stardrops product do you use - is it the Original All Purpose cleaner? Thanks.

Yes it is, the orange one. I use it to clean the interior of car and van, we had a very grubby awning and used the car cleaning brush with Stardrops - came up a treat.

by purdyhorse Sat Jul 20, 2024 8:03 am

Thank you.

by purdyhorse Sat Jul 20, 2024 8:04 am

burlingtonboaby wrote:Our last van ,a 16 Warwick duo the awning fabric turned out really dirty last year, tree sap, leaves etc, ( didn’t clean it properly back last time, I used CIF toilet cleaner, and rinsed well, came up a treat. Try a small area first.
Boaby

by Clubman Mon Jul 29, 2024 3:32 pm

Try elbow grease great results for me.

Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

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Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Thank you

Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning

Thank you

Re: Cleaning a Thor Omnistor awning