Green Roof b

Ianski68

Ianski68

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ladt October I purchased my A4 cab. The roof was quite green with moss etc. I brought a 2 stage roof cleaner which came with a pad. Highly recorded it was. It worked well but now with damp weather the bits of green are coming back.
Not sure how often I can clean the roof without damaging it and also is there any other stuff I could just spray on to kill the green moss/ growth. Some kind of antibacterial spray which doesn't require scrubbing in maybe.

Any suggestions.
 
I have used the Autoglym kit and it works very well, if one follows the instructions and is thorough.

You also need to regularly clean the canvas roof and apply at least 2 coats each time.

Sounds like you need to clean and waterproof again.

Leave it until the weather improves though.

Use a soft nailbrush to clean the roof and a toothbrush to stick into your crevices.
 
I used the autoglym kit. Worked well. Butbjustvwadntbtomsurebhow hard to scrub with the pad they provided. My first cab. New territory.
 
audi upgrades
we've got a navy blue soft top XK8 which suffered very badly from the dreaded green a lot , tried numerous products for years none of which really worked for long to be honest, then went the natural route and the problem is no longer.
Half the battle with soft tops is that you need to let the canvas dry out during the daytime as moss and algae thrive in moist conditions , if you leave your car parked in the shade during the daytime you will never stop it coming back, its the nature of moss/algae to grow in those conditions, and they love it, even after you think you have removed every last bit of green you wont have, small microscopic bits will be left in the seems and other nooks and crannies just waiting to start growing again.
We adpoted the leave it in a s much sunlight as possible approach , and thus far it has been kept under control with very little if any visible signs of it.
What ever you do , DO NOT jet wash the roof as you'll just ruin it and it wont have any long term effect if you are still leaving the car in the shade, and also run the risk of water penatration through the material.
Get a decent moss/algae killing product and apply as directed, then go from there, but the more you get it into the sunshine and it stays dry the better and longer it will stay green free, If you stop the continual moisture retention on the roof and the proplem will stop too, trust me i've been there , done it and i'm green free.
just a note chap, i used a proffesional moss/algae removal liquid mixed in hand sprayer that is for golf course usage , worked very well with no nasty smells or residues and was not visible on the canvas.
if you need more info drop me a line.

rob
 
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When you say a get a moss/ algae treatment. Are we talking for cabs or garden stuff?
 
take your pic, most off the shelf treatments for either are pretty limp frankly, they all use the same basic chemical to kill the moss as moss/algae only really respond to a specific type of chemical but in a much weaker format, and, are only designed for light applications and wont handle long term control over the dreaded green stuff.
the product i used isnt off the shelf on the high street or retail park so it wont be in halfords or homebase etc, but is availbe from specific outlets.
Our blue canvas roof has been green free for 3 years now, so the treatment combined with better access for the canvas to dry properly during the day works.
 
I've got a small amount left in the shed , probably out of date now but i will check the name and spelling to avoid mistakes and drop you a pm tommorow if thats ok chap.
 
dont forget moss will grow on any surface that is damp for long periods of time or in reduced sunlight, canvas softops are ideal even if they are new as it gets into all the small fibres etc, dont forget canvas is porous really but is treated to be water repellant if you use the right product the moss/algae will die off and turn a shade of brown over the course of a week or so for light coverings etc, when its fully dead it will just brush off with a hand brush but not to stiff or you will make the canvas material fluffy, you need firm enough bristles to remove the algae but not so stiff that it agitates the material, anyway you get my drift.
 
So: should I dilute the stuff down as its not going on timber. Also should I just treat the patches/spots using toothbrush.
 
You dilute 1:4 anyway .

I also use it on the lawn to kill just the moss.

Do a small test patch first and leave for a few days .

Just spray on and see what it does first without a brush .
 
Hello Mate,

I posted my own little tutorial on how to do this a while ago under the 'detailing' section of this website. (If you can be bothered to find it)

The long and short of it is, I have the same soft top blue roof and used 'Miltons' sterilising fluid to kill the moss/algae. After leaving for 30 mins I jet sprayed the hell out of my roof. Yes Jet sprayed! ...and at close range. It was the only thing that worked amazingly well. I then applied the protection to my roof to protect it from rain.

Be prepared to repeat the process 2 or 3 times. It WILL eventually go as no ones moss/algae situation was as bad as mine.

All the best with it
 
You Jetvwashed it! Now that I have been told is a huge no no. Hmmmm. Will check out the thread

Cheers
 
jet washing it, its your choice chap, i used that method first time round and it isnt a method i'd use again or recommend full stop on a canvas top, just my choice after ruining a 2" square of softtop roof on very nice XK8 , but its down to personal choice on what method you use, also depends on what sort of pressure washer you use and at what PSI your blasting the living daylights out of a thin piece of fabric.
 
many people also mention the milton method, but like i said aswell , the best plan is to get the car out off the shade so the roof can dry out properly, moss/algae cant survive without moisture or on a moisture rententive surface, if you stop the cause of the problem you , then you wont have the problem .
The product i used is called greens clear, but think its been renamed now but only comes in 10 litre units , so unless your doing a lot of car roof cleaning you wont need that much , also not cheap either at £70 for 10 litres, its a proffesional product and i used it a fair bit for other jobs so worked out free for the car usage.
I have some left if you cant shift the problem with milton etc, be carefull with any product that conatins high levels of sodium hypochlorite (bleach) as it will stain it and rot the material , milton has it but only at 2% so not to drastic but some other treatments have a much higher concentration.
jet wash if you must but keep the nozzle a good distance away from the canvas and not directly at it, try angled spray.
good luck chap.
 
Indeed the active ingredient here is sodium hypochlorite.

Weak in most of the shelf uses and won't bleach, Fence and Deck Magic included.

I use a Red Lable concentrate diluted 50:50 for any concrete driveway , stone or brick wall, masonary or patio slab cleaning .
 
I'm pretty sure the product i have is very similar to this one , but this company sell a very similar product in smaller quantities.
Bat3
 
The book says not to jet wash but I ignore it.
After scrubbing it with the rough sponge I always rinsed off with the jet wash but was very careful where I pointed the jet and didn't get too close. The roof didn't stay looking clean for long though so last year I eventually gave it a right good blast. My car is silver so it was easy to see how dirty the water coming from the roof was, even though I had just cleaned it. I kept the jet wash on it, from front to back, until the water ran clear. Took a few minutes.
When it had dried off I used Autoglym proofer but used a paint brush, much more even application than the trigger pack and no wastage. Roof looks much better for it.
 
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I've had nothing but soft tops for last ten year and jet washing is no problem, especially with a decent fabric like on the Audi. If you ever need a replacement hood and go for a cheapo one then I'd advise against it but giving a decent jet blast will shift the surface grass good style.
 
Very strong Red Lable Hypochlorite will create many many litres , dilution rate for various jobs best experiment.

20L £10.
 
So I have ordered the stuff. So I know top dilute 1-4 water.

Should I just apply to the actual area or do the whole roof.
 
Do a test patch , needs it not to rain for 5 hours, it can take 2 days for the green to disappear .
 
Cool.. When it comes I will do a test and take a few posts before and after the teast.

Thanks to everyone for all the advice.
 
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This is what I really like about this forum. Essentially a 'band of brothers' coming together sharing experiences with lots of VERY helpful info.
*sheds a small tear* haha.

Yes of course, my Jet spraying antics was employed using the same method of when spray painting a car. Like DanielSun, up and down strokes not too close to the hood but not far. The PSI (whilst im not sure) was not too strong for the hood as I 'wide angled' the nozzle head too. I was literally seeing the green algae move from the hood. It took forever though as I had so much on the hood.

The Miltons Fluid really helped breakdown the stubborn moss/algea so I was happy.

Worked a treat.

Your hood will be fine :)
 
DrStrange said:
This is what I really like about this forum. Essentially a 'band of brothers' coming together sharing experiences with lots of VERY helpful info.
*sheds a small tear* haha.

Yes of course, my Jet spraying antics was employed using the same method of when spray painting a car. Like DanielSun, up and down strokes not too close to the hood but not far. The PSI (whilst im not sure) was not too strong for the hood as I 'wide angled' the nozzle head too. I was literally seeing the green algae move from the hood. It took forever though as I had so much on the hood.

The Miltons Fluid really helped breakdown the stubborn moss/algea so I was happy.

Worked a treat.

Your hood will be fine :)
Click to expand...
It's a strangely satisfying feeling watching all that grass and crud in the wash away water innit. Especially later on when roof looks clean but still filthy water pours off. Really helps my OCD.
 
moorzy said:
It's a strangely satisfying feeling watching all that grass and crud in the wash away water innit. Especially later on when roof looks clean but still filthy water pours off. Really helps my OCD.
Click to expand...

Haha very true and mine too. We certainly cant have our roofs looking anything other than spotless!
 
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