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12 easy RV cleaning tricks with everyday products

There are many ways to clean an RV and many products to do so. Here are 12 easy cleaning tips with everyday household products that you probably already have on hand.

Unfog the headlights

Are your car’s or RV’s headlights foggy? There are labor-intensive kits that require sanding and polishing in several steps, but try these two easy ideas first:

  • Using paste toothpaste, rub the surface and wipe off all that grime!
  • Bug spray or light oil on the lenses can make them temporarily clear again. Before trying the bug spray, sample on a small area to make sure it will not pit the lenses or be too strong.

Remove bumper stickers or those sticky state/county park decals

  • Try WD-40. Spray on the sticker, let it soak in, and peel off.
  • Goof Off also loosens the stickers and makes them easier to remove.

Squeegee off pet hair

  • Spray fabric or carpet lightly with water and then run a squeegee over it. The pet hair lifts off easily.

Clean the dashboard

  • Are towels just spreading lint and dust around? Use a coffee filter!
  • Try a small amount of olive oil for a lasting shine.

Dust the vents

  • Use a foam paintbrush or regular paintbrush to dust the vents.

Dry the windows

  • To avoid streaking, use the tried and true method of wiping dry with newspaper after spraying with your favorite solution. It worked 50 years ago and it still works now!

Banish carpet and upholstery stains

  • Fill a spray bottle with 1/3 hydrogen peroxide and 2/3 water. Spray the stain and wait 30 minutes. Wipe it right off!

Get rid of tile floor scuff marks

  • Lightly rub scuff marks on tile floors with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. This is particularly good where slides may have rubbed.

Stifle the smell

  • To rid the upholstery and carpet of lingering smells, try a fine dusting of baking soda, leave for a few hours and vacuum up.

Test all of these suggestions in a small area first for durability and colorfastness before doing a large area.

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Nanci Dixon
Nanci Dixon
Nanci Dixon has been a full-time RVer living “The Dream” for the last six years and an avid RVer for decades more! She works and travels across the country in a 40’ motorhome with her husband. Having been a professional food photographer for many years, she enjoys snapping photos of food, landscapes and an occasional person. They winter in Arizona and love boondocking in the desert. They also enjoy work camping in a regional park. Most of all, she loves to travel.

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Neal Davis
2 months ago

Thank you, Nanci! I dust the dash and flat surfaces within our RV with the brush attachment of our central vacuum. The brush has soft bristles and seems to remove all that I can see in the way of dust, pet hair, whatever. 🙂

Larry
3 months ago

Don’t use bug spray. I did and it made the lenses much worse. I eventually sanded the lenses down and polished and then sprayed them with a gel coat. You can get a kit from Amazon sans gel coat spray which uses a disk that attaches to a drill and uses several finer and finer disks and finally a polish. It’s not that hard, doesn’t take that long, and will last much longer. There are many videos on Youtube showing you how to proceed.

Last edited 3 months ago by Larry
Tom
3 months ago
Reply to  Larry

Agree. A portable drill and beverage of choice and it’s done.

Gary W.
3 months ago
Reply to  Larry

3M heavy duty lense cleaning kit. Touch up every few months with Meguiare’s PlastX.

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