To clean your RV exterior, start by spraying it with water to remove dust. Next, use an abundant amount of clean water and a car-washing mitt or sponge to wash your RV from top to bottom. Use mild car-washing soap and rinse thoroughly. Wipe dry with a soft cloth. Park your RV in a place not in direct sunlight and work in smaller sections rather than trying to wash the entire RV at once.
If your unit has an aluminum skin, you can clean it with a mild detergent and water. You can also use a marine grade wax or polish. If your RV is made of metal, use a soft bristled brush to avoid damaging the rig. A basic exterior rinse and wash should cost roughly $5 per foot, while a premium interior/outside cleaning can cost up to $30 per foot. Many RVers save money by having the exterior professionally detailed.
Work in smaller sections rather than trying to wash the entire RV at once. Diluted in a bucket of water, it cuts mold, stains, and gunk on contact. Rub the mud around with a sponge mop and hosing it down. If you want a new plastic look, wipe it down with turtle wax brand. Wear goggles or safety glasses, clean out as much grime as possible, then spray with 409, Fantastic, or your favorite spray cleaner.
A rule of thumb is to wash your RV after coming back from every trip. Use a mild soap that works well with the RV’s surface, such as automotive soap or automotive soap. Avoid using Dawn dish washing liquid, which is too concentrated and will remove the wax finish. Use a bleach and water mix on the awning.
Park your RV in a place not in direct sunlight and first spray it with water to remove dust. If your RV has an aluminum skin, clean it with a mild detergent and water.
📹 RV Rubber Roof Cleaner that cleans with ease – 30 Seconds Outdoor Cleaner
Best RV Roof Cleaner for organic growth, in my opinion. This is how I clean my RV roof with little to no scrubbing! 30 Seconds …
📹 How to Wash A 5th Wheel Camper | RV Life | RV Detailing Business
This video is for anyone wondering how to properly wash a fifth wheel camper. This video will be great for Diy’er and professional …
One of the best DIY YouTube’s ever! Nice quick intro; No wannabe Hollywood trailer; Respect for people’s time; Quick mention of subscribe and like, and even a point near the end “If you’re done perusal…you can leave now..” I wish this was required reading for all the others.. Well done! What do you think of the Dewalt power washer? Enough GPM?
I’ve used this product on my house before but never my camper. I know that product is like a super concentrated bleach, and now that this article is about 8 months old, how did all the seals and other parts hold up to that cleaner? I would assume by rinsing off afterwards it wouldn’t cause any damages, just want to verify before I wash mine. Thanks and great article 👌🏻
Just wanna let you know I had the same problem on my 35 foot Coachmen travel trailer. It’s on the oak trees. I use the whole gallon of simple green port straight on the roof and added simple green mixture in a bucket and scrubbed it for 2 1/2 hours what a waste of time, picked up that 30 second cleaner that you talked about and boy oh boy I was done in probably 35 minutes 45 minutes. Tops roof looks brand new thank you a ton. Take care.
Very good article. I just tried this on my moms RV which is year round in a wooded area. She told me that the person she pays does it in an hour but does not give her before/after photos. After cleaning it, I doubt it is actually cleaned. I did use this product and after removing all debris and doing it once it looks like your before . Some areas did come clean and the awnings look fantastic. I did not have the time to leave it on and to see better results as I had to remove algae, moss in some areas. I have great hope for this product and will let it set longer when I have another go in the fall. So appreciate the article as there are so many strange product suggestions ie ‘campfire advice’ which are such a waste of time/money.
I tried this cleaner on my minor stained TPO roof (gets cleaned 2-3x /year). Last cleaning was Nov 2023. Looked perfect. But I tried to clean such in June 2024 using 30-Sec Outdoor Cleaner, but after 3 intense scrubbings, got nada. Zip. Dawn alone did better, albeit not sufficient, cleaning job. I even scrubbed on hands & knees with my hands in the 3–Sec cleaner solution straight out of the bottle. Nothing. Worse product I ever used. Returned and gave this product 1-star (should have been 0) on Amazon.
Awesome article Drake! I follow the same steps you took in your article when I am washing campers for clients here in Virginia. For a camper your size it will probably take you a solid 8-10hrs to complete an oxidation removal and wax from my experience. I sometimes break those jobs up in to two days, just a suggestion. Anyways, thanks for another phenomenal article brother and yes we want to see a article of you removing the oxidation from your camper lol. Thanks, Joe
Really am enjoying and learning a lot from your articles! I live in Pensacola and am getting ready to remove oxidation from my 38 foot fifth wheel toy hauler. I would definitely appreciate a article on how to correct gel coated campers! I know you have a local company just down the road from me. If you want to follow a DIY project just let me know and I’ll use all your recommended tools and products and show the results. Many thanks. You rock!
I wouldn’t use a pressure washer for anything other than awnings on an RV. Low power ones like you have aren’t good for cleaning or you wouldn’t need to scrub things. They aren’t good for rinsing because of their low flow rate so you can rinse much faster with a garden hose. High power ones that can actually clean without much scrubbing damage surfaces on RVs so they’re best left to things with finishes you don’t care much about.
Great article, 👍 I do 20 RVs in SW Florida, everything you said is spot on. There are cleaners for rubberized roofs that allow for a full cleaning and if you get a water Ionizer for you hose it will help reduce water spotting! Love you vids, said you moved from Florida. Would have loved to meet up and pic your brain.
I follow the same steps. Good article. I have a customer that bought a trailer that the previous owner used ZEP floor polish or Acurlic to provide a shine to the outside of the trailer. In the arizona sun. No one has washed it in 3 yrs or a really good wash. Now there is streaking from the stuff they put on and its turning a light brown. Just wondering your thoughts on this and have you dealt with it yet?