Clean Black Streaks on an Aluminum Camper with Bio-Kleen Black Streak Remover

Recently my wife`s nephew asked if I would clean his 27` aluminum-clad camper that he was going to sell in the future. His camper was badly streaked with black streaks from the rubber EPDM-type roof. My first attempt was to use just car wash soap, but to no avail. Then I tried Meg`s Detailer Line APC (D101); again, no success. I was reluctant to try Castrol Super Clean (the purple stuff) , as this can cause aluminum etching or "bloom" and I did not want to risk it. I told him I would have to find a soap specifically designed for removing black streaks and I would come back next weekend, where the camper was parked.


After some internet research, I came across Bio-Kleen Black Streak Remover on a local RV dealer`s website. They has it in stock and highly recommended it, so I bought the 32-ounce bottle for $16.75. I was not sure that this would be enough to clean an entire 27` camper, but I was more interested in finding something that would work and did not want to invest $26.00 on a gallon of the Black Streak Remover.

When I got "up nort`" to where the camper was parked, I found that my wife`s nephew has purchased the same product and size from the internet. He said he bought it because Amazon said it was the "most popular product" for that type of cleaning. When we tried it, we were both blown away at how easily and completely tough black streaks were removed. The internet videos I had watched used long-handled brushes by spraying the B-K Black Streak Remover on to the brush (NOT the siding), scrubbing from the BOTTOM-UP on a 5-6 foot section, then washing with a soap by with the same brush from the TOP-DOWN, and final rinsing from the TOP-DOWN. Worked well in the video, But it was fiberglass and the black streaks were not that bad.

I did not have a brush and I doubted it would have worked well, so I did it by hand using an old chenille cotton wash pad for the black streak remover, a microfiber cloth for the car soap, and a waffle-weave towel for the drying. I did a half-section at a time, BUT used my car-wash technique of the TOP-DOWN. I also had a platform step ladder, which made getting to the top sections much easier and efficient than using a ladder or step stool.

Three things about cleaning with Bio-Kleen Black Streak Remover:
1) Let the product do its cleaning on the black streaks. DO NOT DILUTE IT. The pad needed to be damp and rung out completely and THEN apply the product to the pad and wipe it onto the streaks. Yes, elbow grease (AKA pressure) is required, but not excessively. If the streaks do not some out, they may be etched in, since this was painted aluminum, so using more product for a second application may remove some, but not all.
2) Cleaning sealer and caulking around windows and lights/side markers required spraying the product directly on sealer or caulk and then brushing with an old stiff-bristled tooth brush to remove the black streaks effectively. Yes, it`s very time-consuming and labor-intensive. (The directions on the bottle say to use a bronze wire brush, but I would think this is much too stiff and abrasive and would scratch or tear caulking)
3) Do not clean in direct sunlight on hot days; it just dries too quickly and streaks. If you can move it to a shaded area OR do it early morning or late evening

I used three different buckets: 1) for rinsing the pad out after each half-section (you`ll see a lot of dark grey in the water, because you removing both black streaks and faded paint) 2) for the car-soap and microfiber cloth or pad, 3) for the waffle weave towel. You can make your own judgment when to change out the water. I did mine every 4-half sections (a section being about 5-6 feet wide; the half being the top and the other half being the bottom), but this camper was dirty. I took about 4 hours total. The roof gutters were the worst; a lot of crud and mold built up into it.

I did use the entire 32-ounce bottle for the 27` camper, but I also was very meticulous and generous with the spray around the seals and going over some parts twice to thoroughly clean it. Was it perfect? NO, but the owner stated it looked like it did when he bought it new from the dealer, so he was more than happy.

Bottom line? If you have an RV and you are looking to clean those nasty, hard-to-remove black streaks from fiberglass or aluminum, I highly recommend Bio-Kleen Black Streak Remover and buy the gallon jug and your own spray bottle. It works as stated, it`s eco-friendly (wouldn`t dry-out or chemically burn your hands), is easy to use, and try to use it often before those black streaks etch your paint or gel-coat.

Not much works in black streaks so it’s nice to hear of something that actually works.

For fiberglass/paint I use a cleaner wax, hasn`t failed in 20 years. Aluminum another story.