Posted on May 1, 2024
Updated May 1, 2024
Searching for tips on how to clean your RV?
You’ve come to the right place. RVezy’s cleaning tips will help you create a cleaning routine that works best for your RVing lifestyle.
A word of caution — consult your RV owner’s manual for cleaning recommendations before trying a new cleaning tool or product. You don’t want to scratch your surfaces or destroy your fabric because you tried social media’s latest RV cleaning hack.
Let’s explore the best tools, products, and tips for keeping your home on wheels clean.
The easiest way to keep your RV clean is to promptly remove the dirt, bugs, oils, minerals, and other buildups that make your rig dirty and age your investment. When left untreated:
Do you rent out your RV on RVezy? Instead of cleaning your rig after every rental, consider hiring a professional cleaning service to help simplify the turnover process. Treat your RV as a vacation rental, and use your cleaning fee toward the cost of hiring a professional cleaner. To get started, search for vacation rental cleaning services near you.
Save yourself time and money by keeping your RV stocked with the cleaning supplies you’ll likely need during your road trip. Avoid extra trips to the store and prepare yourself for any cleanup on the road.
The general rule of thumb for RV travel is that less is more. Save yourself storage space and buy multi-surface cleaning products. Make sure you read the labels. Abrasive cleaners can scratch or mar your home on wheels.
RVezy host tip: Are you renting out your RV? Leave scent-free and natural-based products in your rental unit for guests who are sensitive to smells.
Here are some of the top-rated non-abrasive soaps and detergents recommended by RV owners and manufacturers:
Wash the outside of your RV’s exterior from the top down. This method prevents the dirty water from passing over the clean sections. If you have an Airstream or another RV made with a grained surface, make sure you also wash from top to bottom and from side to side to avoid damage or scratches.
Don’t forget to wash the roof of your RV. It’s not necessary to clean the roof every time you bathe your rig, but washing it a few times a year will give you a chance to clean off any dirt and debris and allow you to inspect your seals at the same time. Do you have solar? Make sure to wash your solar panels while you’re up on the roof. Dirt buildup can decrease the sunlight’s absorption rate, making the panels less effective.
Cleaning and ventilating your RV while it’s not in use sounds simple enough. Before you park your RV for more than a week or place it in storage, make sure you wipe down your refrigerator and cupboards and look for any leftover food that might have shifted during travel. If you’re turning off your refrigerator, leave the door open or place a towel over the opening to allow for some ventilation.
The consequences of leaving fruit or meat behind are unforgettable. Rotting food smells terrible and attracts critters like rodents and maggots. While the graphic description might make your skin crawl, imagine what it’s like to come back to your RV with bugs crawling around your refrigerator? Yuck!
Most RV parks prohibit campers from washing their RVs in the campground. If you need to clean the outside of your RV, consider taking it to an RV-friendly truck wash like Blue Beacon Truck Wash. You can specify what kind of wash you want to avoid damaging your RV’s clear coat. If you prefer to wash your RV yourself, look for a DIY car wash with tall truck bays.
Just like cars, RVs should be washed and waxed at least once a year. Detailing your RV protects your clear coat and keeps your RV looking good for longer. If you don’t want to tackle the job yourself, hire a professional mobile detailing service. Mobile RV detailers bring the car wash to you — at home and in the campground. Even though most RV parks and campgrounds prohibit washing, they will allow mobile detailers. If you think you want your rig washed, talk to the people at the office about your options.
Looking for someone to help you clean your RV regularly? Most mobile RV detailers clean only the outside of the RV, and they price their service by foot. The longer the RV, the more expensive the fee. If you’re looking for someone to help you clean the inside of your RV, a professional housekeeping service, similar to the kind you’d use at home, might be a better option.
Microfiber is the best material to clean your RV because it’s soft and doesn’t scratch delicate surfaces. However, if you don’t take care of your microfiber, it will lose effectiveness and break down more quickly. To extend the life of your microfiber, avoid using fabric softener or dryer sheets. Even powdered detergent with fabric softener granules will ruin your microfiber, so it’s best to avoid it altogether.
Did you know? Wool dryer balls remove wrinkles and soften fabrics without chemicals. After placing your wet laundry in the dryer, toss in a set of all-natural wool dryer balls instead of using a dryer sheet. Dryer balls soften fabrics naturally and will keep your microfiber cloths in tip-top shape.
Are you towing a travel trailer, fifth wheel, or a vehicle behind your RV? Don’t forget to clean and care for your towing components. After each trip, wipe down the different parts using a grease rag. If you need to, use a water-soluble cleaner to help degrease and remove dirt and road grime. Once everything is clean and dry, it’s safe to apply a dirt-repelling lubricant.
Periodically inspect your RV’s metal surfaces for rust. If you find rust, clean the rusted area and apply paint or spray, like Rustoleum, to protect and prevent further rusting. The spots on an RV that are most vulnerable to rust are the stabilizers, jacks, the frame, joints, hitch components, and the undercarriage.
After inspecting the undercarriage for rust, were you disgusted by all of the dirt, mud, and road grime you found? If you don’t want to clean the undercarriage yourself, check around to see if any DIY car washes have a setting to clean the undercarriage or take your rig through a Blue Beacon Truck Wash and ask about an undercarriage rinse.
Cleaning your RV awning isn’t as hard as you might think! All you need is some liquid dish soap, a hose, water, bucket, telescoping brush, and a step ladder:
If you have slide toppers, use a broom to lightly brush off any leaves or dirt that might have collected. When the toppers are dirty, clean them the same way you clean your awning, but keep your slides extended the whole time.
Now that you know about the top cleaning tools, products, and tips, and you have a framework for cleaning your RV, it’s time to get to work. Whether you get all the grime off yourself or hire someone to clean for you, cleaning will ultimately increase the longevity of your investment.
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