By Dustin Simpson
We all know that RV decals have a tendency to peel, crack, curl up and fade over time. It is unfortunate when this happens because it really takes away from the value of a travel trailer or motorhome. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid this problem and help protect your investment.
One way is to avoid household and truck wash cleaners.
Every RV owner wants to keep their RV nice and clean. The best way to do this is to make sure you wash it with the correct products.
It is recommended to wash your RV every few months. With that said, you will want to ensure you’re using a non-abrasive cleaner. Stay away from household and truck wash soaps. An example of a household soap would be something that has lemon, lime, citrus and/or a bug and tar remover in it. This will cause your vinyl decals, awning fabrics, plastic and sealants on the roof and body to shrink, dry out, fade and fail.
This product helps protect your RV’s decals
Washing an RV is a big job, and it can be tempting to just run the unit through a truck wash. It’s easy and quick, but this will cause harm and devalue your unit over time. Truck wash soaps have stronger cleaning agents and can cause damage to everything on your RV.
When you spend the time to properly wash and protect your unit, you catch all those little things before they become a big issue (like cracks and separation in the sealants, items that are coming loose, and so on).
During your cleaning time, I recommend putting a protectant on your RV. It is incredibly important for the decals and can even help protect the value, meaning it’s a step you won’t want to skip.
The best protectant we’ve found is 303 Aerospace Protectant. This product creates a barrier between the surface of the RV and anything that might cause it damage. It even protects against the petroleum distillates that tend to be found in RV waxes.
Adding protectant is one of the best proactive steps you can take.
Hopefully this information helps you to keep your RV in good shape and protects your RV’s decals for years to come. See the product and your owner’s manual for more details.
Travel safe and stay protected!
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Another excellent article, keep them coming.
Thank you sir!
I have been “experimenting” with Simple Green for cleaning black streaks and removing oxidation; and it has worked better than expected. I have removed and repainted most of my decals – however, I noted you mentioned citrus products shrinking sealants…. now that concerns me! Do you have lst hand knowledge of that or some study information Dustin? Thanks!
they make a decal cleaner and remover, please see amazon for those products. Its the one with the most stars. I have removed and replaced decals for 25 years and most of the household soaps will cause damage to the decals.
Thank you for the RV washing advice, Dustin! Have a great weekend and safe travels!