Community Forums

Capt Joe · 05-06-2014, 05:16 PM

Just picked up our motorhome today after having both windshields removed (we were mighty lucky to have a GREAT glass man who got them both out without breaking them), the rusted frames (due to the infamous Winnebago rust problems) repaired and repainted with epoxy paint and reset with urethane sealant. Hopefully my windshield leaks will now be in the past. Soooo, now it is on to cleaning the windshield curtains and removing the water stains we have gotten from the leaks.

I have researched the forums to see how others have handled this task and think my best bet is to use a pre-soak followed by a gentle cycle wash/rinse and delicate setting drying. My curtains use the 1/2" C slide to hang so I drilled out the pop rivets that keep the slides in the track and simply slid the curtains off the track on each side.

My question is regarding the most referenced pre soak solution of Oxi Clean. In looking on the shelf in the store, I see the Oxi Clean is new with detergent added. Is this the recommended product of is there another type I should be looking for. Also, I was planning on soaking the dirty curtains in the bath tub with the Oxi Clean diluted in the water so I can 'slosh' the curtains to work the cleaner into the fabric well and then transfer to the washing machine for a gently cycle wash followed by a delicate dry cycle and then rehang.

Any thoughts of the Oxy Clean, suggestions, comments, etc will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Capt Joe

Capt Joe · 05-07-2014, 06:35 AM

Has anybody used Oxi-Clean to take water stains out of the windshield curtains on their motorhome?
If so, what were your results and do you have any hints, tips, suggestions, etc. on using it. Also, did you use the type that is a detergent?
Thanks,

Kazoo Tom · 05-07-2014, 06:53 AM

I've not used Oxi Clean, so can't comment specifically on that process. We did have similar problems with dirty and apparently stained curtains a few years ago. We simply ran them through a gentle wash cycle with Tide. We then ran through an extra spin cycle or two to get as much water out as possible. We did not put them in a dryer as we were afraid the heat might cause damage. We simply rehung them in the tracks to air dry. Made a big difference, they came out really nice.

paz · 05-07-2014, 10:39 AM

I use a little hydrogen peroxide (3% solution from drug store) mixed with about 2 or 3 parts water in a spray bottle. Spray on stained area soaking it fairly thoroughly and allow to dry. Stubborn stains may take 2 or more applications, but it works for me. Taking the drapes down or rinsing are not necessary.

Also works on water stains on fabric ceilings.

PanJH · 05-08-2014, 06:33 AM

I used Oxiclean to remove water stains in the carpet material on the ceiling. I just sprayed it on, let it sit for a few minutes and then blotted it off with a clean rag. I had to do that 4-5 times, but it worked fine and you couldn't see where the stains were when I finished.

mtaiman · 05-08-2014, 07:54 PM

We had the same issue with our front curtains. My wife soaked them in Oxi Clean stain remover in the bath tub for one hour as directed. Afterward she put them in the washing machine in regular detergent. The water stain was completely gone and looked very nice as they had yellowed over time. We were very pleased with the results.

Stan.Birch · 05-08-2014, 08:12 PM

Oxyclean, along with lots of other similar hydrogen peroxide products selling at half the price do a great job on stains.

They do not work instantly. It takes a while for oxy products to do their thing; often ranging from a half hour to many hours for tough stuff.

Ray,IN · 05-09-2014, 08:42 PM

This is related, but off-topic. Winnebago recommends using spray starch when the folds/pleats lose their shape. (which may happen after washing) The pdf says to spray the fabric with spray starch until thoroughly damp, raise/fold completely up and leave until dry to restore the pleats.

Capt Joe · 05-10-2014, 09:55 PM

UPDATE:

Thanks for the replies to my questions about Oxi-Clean and the stains I had (NOTE: I said HAD) on my windshield curtains.

After reading all of the information I had received, I drilled out the pop rivets that held in the slides on the track and removed the curtains.... easy except for breaking the tip off a 1/8" drill bit in the center of a rivet because a box installed on the front of a cabinet prevented me from a straight in shot at the rivet and having to deal with that! Had considered several options for the actual wash/cleaning of the curtains and finally decided to just use the Oxi-Clean detergent in cold water by putting it in the washer, top load, with the curtains (put both sections, approx. 110" x 41.5" each) and put it on the 'Soak" setting with the action set on "Hand Wash / Fine Delicates" which actually does a very gentle wash on them for a few minutes and then soaked for about an hour and then spun them. Left them in the washer, after pulling them out to take a look, and added another capful of the Oxi-Clean detergent and put the action to "Hand Wash / Casual", set the timer for a normal wash cycle, water level to high, two rinse cycles and cold water.... and then we crossed our fingers and pulled the knob to start it washing. After the last spin cycle, we took them to a coupe of drying racks we have and let them air dry for an hour or so and rehung them.

Well, we were NEARLY amazed at how well they look when we took them from the washer. A GREAT improvement in the stains, softness and general cleanliness of the curtains. About the only thing we had was that the backing seemed to have been bleached in places. Only thing I can figure is that maybe they were somewhat sun bleached... but it is no big deal right now as the backing is an off white anyway and it really isn't too noticeable. We may, however, look at some of the total light blocking material and put some of that on to not only cover the bleached liner but to increase the light blocking properties especially when we have our grandsons with us trying to sleep in the living room on the pull out and the dinette table bed.

Oh yeah, one other thing I did is use a #8 self drilling / self tapping machine screw when putting the stops back in the end of the tracks instead of using pop rivets so it would be easier to take them off next time.

Again, Thanks for all the info and help in making our decision to remove and clean our curtains. I would certainly recommend this project to most anyone.

Kazoo Tom · 05-11-2014, 08:35 AM

Sounds like everything worked out wonderfully.

SarahW · 05-12-2014, 12:46 PM

Glad it worked out for you! I can't believe those curtains don't have simple curtain hooks so you can remove them for cleaning. Ours are just like regular curtains; they can be unfastened from each individual hook, leaving the rod in place.

RV Wizard · 05-13-2014, 03:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarahW

Glad it worked out for you! I can't believe those curtains don't have simple curtain hooks so you can remove them for cleaning. Ours are just like regular curtains; they can be unfastened from each individual hook, leaving the rod in place.

Some do and some don't.