Cleaning your motorhome (1 Viewer)

[GJH]

For those that think that dry wash on motorhomes is a good idea,
Wash your motor home the conventional way but use a white bucket for the suds and also have another white bucket with clean water to rinse your noodle mitt before applying more suds (often called two bucket method). When you have finished have a look in each bucket and see how much grit there is, this grit is being ground into the surface of your van using dry wash. Even on a clean looking van there is grit. I have tried the above method on a motor home that I had washed thoroughly the day before and was amazed how much grit was in the bottom of the bucket. I would never use a sponge for washing a motorhome, a noodle mitt costs about the same as a sponge, will not hold grit and will last a lot longer. I don't have any links to info, just a lot of experience of caring owners damaging their vans through misuse of products.

Thank you Mike.
I've washed vehicles goodness knows how many times using buckets over the years so I agree about the grit.
However, I've also used Onedrywash for several years and seen the grit picked up by, and held in, the microfibre cloth, not being ground into the surface of the vehicle.

It is important to keep folding the cloth to present a clean surface to the vehicle, when using Onedrywash, and if that mean using several pairs of cloths so be it. That, though, is no different from rinsing the mitt or brush when cleaning using a bucket. The point is that any product has to be used properly.

Each to their own but, in the absence of documented tests, I'll carry on as I have been doing

 

[Photo4x4]

I carry a supply of a proprietary make of the 'dry wash' and micro-fibre cloths in our MH and also in our garage at home. It is brilliant for cleaning the foot wells, driver and passenger door steps and door shuts and also any black streaks around windows etcetera when we are out and about, it keeps the MH looking tidy, without occurring the wrath of any site wardens.

Back home it gets the soap and water/polish/wax finish treatment - which of course is generally not possible when you are 'on the road'.

Perhaps we should substitute the saying: 'Marmite - you either love it or hate it' for 'Dry Wash - you either love it or hate it'!

KH

 

[The Old Man]

I'm lucky that the storage facility I use has three wash bays for Caravans and Motorhomes. Each bay has a metal walkway gantry that you position next to your van so as to be able to reach the higher parts.

Costs a pound a minute, in two of the bays, where there is a shampoo, wax and rinse machine. The third is free but only provides a hose and brush.

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[SwissBob]

Illegal here to wash your car anywhere except a designated washing place. Some allow motorhomes, most do not. It's also illegal to park anything over 5.5m in a normal parking spot. However, the place we have earmarked for parking our soon to be MH provides a fortnightly washing service included in the fee of 130 CHF a month. Yep - about a 1000 GBP a year!

 

[Wee Bold Davy]

Do you have friends locally that have room on the drive or in the street? If so, pay them a visit and take a sponge and bucket.

You know the old saying: 'A friend in need is a pain in the '

 

[The Old Man]

Illegal here to wash your car anywhere except a designated washing place. Some allow motorhomes, most do not. It's also illegal to park anything over 5.5m in a normal parking spot. However, the place we have earmarked for parking our soon to be MH provides a fortnightly washing service included in the fee of 130 CHF a month. Yep - about a 1000 GBP a year!

They do the washing?

There is probably a Swiss law saying that you must keep your motorhome clean

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[scotzsue]

This probably qualifies as the daftest question ever asked on the forum, but here goes. I live on a cul-de-sac which is quite narrow and made even narrower by the presence of parked cars. My drive will in no way accommodate the motorhome, which of course is kept in storage. I therefore have a problem washing my newly acquired pride and joy. What do other people on here do about keeping their motorhome clean?

Also live in a cul de sac with lots of cars, have taken note of when there are fewest cars about, for some reason possibly because it is market day there are few cars on a Wednesday, so we bring van back then for a clean, find, as we have good neighbours, they always park so we can get back out. our storage doesn't allow washing, but have seen it being done.

 

[busby]

I don't have any friends! Or at least not locally with drives or streets that are wide enough.

Local hand car wash. My local one will go on the roof and give it a good scrub as well as the rest of the van. Then take it back to your storage and polish it.BUSBY...

 

[FJmike]

Local hand car wash. My local one will go on the roof and give it a good scrub as well as the rest of the van. Then take it back to your storage and polish it.BUSBY...

That's if you want your van totally f******d up. These guys have absolutely no idea how delicate motorhome are.

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[busby]

That's if you want your van totally f******d up. These guys have absolutely no idea how delicate motorhome are.

Thats why i have a van conversion,,not delicate at all,,,BUSBY,,,

 

[FJmike]

Thats why i have a van conversion,,not delicate at all,,,BUSBY,,,

Unless you want your fridge vents filled with water, this happened to a customer of mine.
If you think your van conversion is not delicate have a look on the roof, my money is on there not being a huge amount of paint up there

 

[busby]

Unless you want your fridge vents filled with water, this happened to a customer of mine.
If you think your van conversion is not delicate have a look on the roof, my money is on there not being a huge amount of paint up there

Little bit of common sense,,you make sure they turn pressure down on hose,,only wash from front to back,,fit your winter fridge covers,and if paint is thin on the roof it makes no odds if they wash it or me,,the paint is still thin on the roof. I have been using them since 2007 and have had no damage or water ingress in that time,,, BUSBY,,

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[Kevan]

HOGWASH i have used a jet wash for years on my delicate motor homes, if you go to a show the valeter's who come round to clean caravans and motorhomes always use a jet wash, caravan and motorhome dealers always use a jet wash. so please no more , i know better than you.

 

[FJmike]

HOGWASH i have used a jet wash for years on my delicate motor homes, if you go to a show the valeter's who come round to clean caravans and motorhomes always use a jet wash, caravan and motorhome dealers always use a jet wash. so please no more , i know better than you.

But there are pressure washers and there are pressure washers. Obviously you didn't realise that I valet motorhome and caravans for a living, I use a pressure washer every day but it uses low pressure, has a wide fan and when pointed at a van is kept in constant movement. When I worked in a dealers I saw plenty of correct and incorrect use of a pressure washers at shows before Joe public was admitted. From a professional point of view I would be extremely wary of any valeters that "clean" vans whilst attending shows because of the time and environmental constraints a proper valet would be difficult to do. I recently used a local East European car wash and was amazed at how high the pressure was used, obviously not one to take a motorhome to.

 

[Kevan]

Yes i realise that, my jet wash as got three nozzles for different jobs, and you still come across as everybody is wrong but you. anybody can clean a caravan or a motorhome

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[busby]

Yes i realise that, my jet wash as got three nozzles for different jobs, and you still come across as everybody is wrong but you. anybody can clean a caravan or a motorhome

As you say its not rocket science,,,BUSBY

 

[FJmike]

I hear what you both are saying and am sorry if I come over as being superior, it was not my intention. Every week I see at least three vans that have been damaged using pressure washers so have to assume that maybe common sense is wrongly named. As for anyone can clean a motorhome I would agree but not everyone is able to or has the right equipment and may not be aware that most motorhomes have single coat colour and no lacquer.

 

[Bellini]

Last week, I cleaned a motorhome for the first time for a paying client. I'm not a professional valeter, but an 'enthusiastic and knowledgeable amateur' trying to make ends meet with my oil and gas career currently in turmoil.

Now, I've been cleaning Udo, my 1992 RMB, for a few years now, but he's metallic painted GRP and has a one-piece shell. No mastic joints, no visible gel-coat and a strong chequer-plated roof to walk on. I've taken this to be quite the norm, but it appears not as I recently discovered.

The motorhome I valeted was a Ducato-based C-Class.

The owners asked me not to use a pressure washer on it. The roof was green with yuk and all seams were mouldy. Not having washed something with so many mastic joints, I erred with caution and covered the entire vehicle with PH-neutral snow foam before gently washing it away on my lowest pressure setting and always at an oblique angle with constant nozzle movements to eliminate any potential problem. I elected to wash the roof with just my hose, many different small soft brushes and a diluted spray bottle of All Purpose Cleaner. That worked incredibly well, but took time. Likewise, using diluted APC on the sides with a microfibre cloth virtually eliminated all black streaks and the rest of the green crud.

What amazed me was the sheer amount of mastic on these things! Everywhere!

I was late to discover a way to bring a nice shine to the dull (in places) GRP, but hadn't priced for that and was just happy to have exceeded the owners expectations with the work they wanted and which I'd provided in a written quotation.

I can fully understand why it's recommended not to pressure wash them as the mastic won't take much to weaken but, equally, 'considered and measured' usage of a pressure washer will be of great benefit. It's not a bludgeon, but can be in the wrong hands.

I have dry-cleaned Udo. He doesn't get very dirty and I have plenty of microfibre towels that are used during this process, but he's never (yet) been remotely muddy or grimy. He's waxed and that really helps keep the dirt off.

I'm cleaning him tomorrow and he'll probably be very lightly snow-foamed and jet-washed and then rinsed and dried and gone over with detail spray. To many, he's not dirty at all, but he's dusty after 3 weeks outdoor storage and I like him to always look his best.

I'd never take Udo to a car wash type place. I know many (if not all) use highly concentrated TFR (traffic film remover) which can take off any protective waxes as well as grease and grime and I've seen the high pressure of their wash nozzles. Yes, they do a decent job on the surface of things, but their methods are often crude to save time. It's why they don't charge much.

I really do get why people use them, though. Not everyone actually LIKES cleaning vehicles and not everyone is as anal about products, methods and surface finishes as us more enthusiastic types.

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