Find even, solid ground: You’ll probably be up on a ladder to reach the roof and upper portion of your RV. Make sure the ground around it can support your weight on a ladder without sinking into the mud.
Note: If you’re using a pressure washer, be sure to use extra caution. Keep a safe distance away and be careful when spraying around gaskets, seals, and decals. Strong water pressure can loosen these. When in doubt, just use a hose and sponge or soft bristle brush.
Before you get started, make sure all of your doors, vents, and windows are closed. You don’t want to accidentally soak your interior! Next, follow these steps.
Once everything is secured, begin by rinsing away any loose dirt from the rig. Start at the top and work your way down.
After that, you can suds up your mitt or brush and get to scrubbing. Again, it’s always best to start at the top and work your way down. If you start at the bottom, dirty runoff will drip all over what you just cleaned.
As you scrub, be sure to rinse your mitt and/or brush often. Otherwise, you risk damaging your finish by scrubbing your RV with grit. You’ll also want to change your bucket water often to prevent this.
You’ll need to take special care when washing your awning since it’s made from a different material than the rest of your RV. To combat mold, mildew, and dirt build-up, be sure to give it a good scrub with the right soap. For vinyl awnings, avoid anything with bleach. For acrylic awnings, you may need to mix a small amount of bleach with your soap to remove stubborn stains.
Similarly, your RV roof might need extra care. If you have a rubber roof atop your motorcoach, use a specialized rubber roof cleaner. Cleaning your RV roof is a great time to inspect it for any damage, broken seals, or areas of concern. This simple inspection can prevent costly leaks before they happen and ensure the roof over your head is healthy for years to come.
If you don’t have the time or resources to give your RV a good sudsy wash at home or at the campsite, you can look to find an RV car wash near you.
Start by checking a truck wash directory like the one linked here. Oftentimes, truck washes also offer RV services. This is true for the nationwide chain Blue Beacon Truck Wash, which offers services specific to RVs.
If you can’t find one listed in a directory, you can go about finding an RV wash several other ways:
Ask other RVers or your local RV dealership: Know other RVers? Ask them where they wash their RV at. If you don’t have any fellow RV friends in the area, contact your local dealer and ask where the best place to go is.
Ask the host or front office at the campground you’re staying at: If you aren’t familiar with the area, ask the campground manager or host. It’s probably a question they get often and should have answers to.
Look online: The internet can be your best friend for looking up all things local, no matter where you are! Simply go to your browser and type in what you’re looking for like “RV detailing near me” or “RV interior cleaning service near me”. You can browse the search results to find a location that offers the services you need.
If you don’t want to go out to an RV wash, get it to come to you! Using the same methods that we mentioned above, you can find a mobile RV cleaning service. Keep in mind that a mobile cleaner may have to use the water wherever you’re parked— so if washes aren’t allowed at your campsite, don’t call them out there!
It may not be the most fun activity, but cleaning your RV keeps it ready for any adventure that may come your way. It gives you the opportunity to inspect your RV and ensures that it’s ready to roll when you are. Plus, there’s nothing like that squeaky clean feeling! Don’t want to keep your spotless RV all to yourself? Share the joy of RVing with others by listing it on Outdoorsy.
Over the years I’ve had the pleasure and pain of helping restore and maintain many of these beautiful beasts. I’ve compiled some great RV cleaning and detailing tips in this guide to help you as well!
The first thing you’ve probably discovered about your RV, Motor Coach, Motorhome, or Toy Hauler is that they have a variety of different materials on their exterior. These materials include glass, plastic, fiberglass, gel coated fiberglass, painted and clear coated fiberglass and sheet metal, polished aluminum and stainless, and even rubber!
Each of these materials requires a special touch to restore them and provide lasting beauty and protection.
Affordable RV cleaning solutionsMornings and evenings are your friend. In order to avoid water spotting you need to do your washing at a time that the sun isn’t beating down on you. Extremely few people are fortunate enough to have covered storage for their RV or camper with room to wash.
Wash and dry one side of your RV at a time. This means if you’re washing the roof you are going to wash and dry it before moving to the sides, front, or back. This will reduce water spotting from your soap and rinse water drying too fast in the heat/sun.
Begin with the roof. You don’t want to clean and dry the sides of your RV and have your roof water and dirt running down it. It also allows you to tackle the most exposed part of your RV before the morning light gives way to the hot afternoon sun.
Pick up some tools to expedite the washing process. These land yachts are no easy task. Work smarter, not harder. I recommend at minimum you pick up:
A quality pole mountable brush head such as a Mr. LongArm Very Soft Flow-Thru Brush
This particular brush head has extra soft synthetic fibers that won’t scratch the delicate finishes on an rv such as clear coat, gel coat, and high polished aluminum. It also has a rubber bumper around the head that helps prevent any damage to your RV’s finish should you accidentally bump it.
This device allows you to squeegee off most of the water from your RV saving time and reducing the chance of water spots. The least amount of time you have to spend soaking up water with a towel the better [you will feel]!
This device allows you to squeegee off most of the water from your RV saving time and reducing the chance of water spots. The least amount of time you have to spend soaking up water with a towel the better [you will feel]!
Don’t worry about scratching your pride and joy. The material of this water blade will not harm any finishes as long as they are washed and rinsed beforehand.
A quality microfiber chenille wash mitt for the wheels such as these from The Rag Company
These wash mitts are made of quality chenille microfiber and won’t scratch the highly polished finish of your wheels. The Rag Company is a proven brand and their product are outstanding, especially for the price.
A quality and highly absorbent drying towel such as The Rag Company Platinum Pluffle
These towel will reduce the amount of drying time considerably when used after the water blade. They are highly absorbent and scratch safe allowing you to completely dry a side of your RV without needing to slow your pace.
A pack of quality general purpose glass, mirror, and chrome microfiber towels.
These are great for wiping down windows, mirrors, chrome and polished accessories (ladders, handles, mirror housings, etc..), and cleaning around door jambs and storage compartment jambs.
A quality car wash shampoo such as Gel-Gloss RV Wash and Wax.
Gel-Gloss is readily available and cleans well. It is super slick, thick foaming, and affordable! To top it all off, it does not contain petroleum distillates which means it’s safe RVs with rubber (EPDM/TPO) roofs. It has a strong cleaning action and leaves behind a light layer of carnauba wax.
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Thanks for sharing the basics, very useful.
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