By Russ and Tiña De Maris
Seems like every RV has at least a can or two of WD-40 for lubricating various parts. But there’s more use for WD-40 than just the occasional thread loosening. Here are a few tips that may make for slicker RV trips.
Galley and household tricks
Stains and scuff marks
Why on earth do RV manufacturers use light-colored carpets in RVs? Maybe they’re in cahoots with the carpet cleaning industry. But if you have ink or other hard-to-lift stains in the carpet, here’s something to try: Hit the stain with a squirt of WD-40, let it stand for a couple of minutes, then use a sponge and warm soapy water to work over the stain. You may need to repeat a few times.
When we put our new RV vinyl floor in, we hadn’t even gotten our first road trip in when “you know who” left those nasty old heel scuff marks on the new floor. Too bad we didn’t know about the quick removal tip of shooting them with WD-40 and buffing them with a rag. Use plenty of ventilation if there’s a lot to remove.
Stuck-on food
If the stuck-on food in the RV fridge won’t come loose, then shoot it—not the refrigerator, the stuck food—with WD-40. Wipe out the remains with a rag or cleaning sponge. Take after the area with soap and water before reloading the chiller with food.
Stuck glasses
Rattling down the road, it’s easy for “nested” glasses to get stuck together in an almost death-embrace. Don’t smack those glasses. Squirt WD-40 around the rim of the stuck glassware, wait a few moments, and gently unstick ’em. And unless you’re the Tin Man of Oz, be sure to wash the glassware before taking a drink.
Working around outside the rig
Clean license plates
Rig license plate looking a tad rusty? Spray with WD-40 and wipe away with a rag. Small amounts of rust will come free and new rust will be discouraged from settling in. Too bad it doesn’t wipe out the high cost of license tab renewals!
‘Bye to stickers, decals, and bugs!
Got stickers stuck on your bumper or elsewhere on your rig where you don’t want ’em? Phaser-blast the offending “cling-ons” with WD-40, let ’em sit for a minute, then wipe them off. Really hard ones may require more than one application and a gentle nudge with a plastic scraper.
Did your RV come from the dealer lot loaded with window stickers? Don’t scratch the glass —or the UV-blocking film. Shoot the offenders, wait a bit, then use a plastic scraper to remove.
Bug splats on the grill of your tow vehicle or the end cap of your rig will come off easier if you “pretreat” the areas with WD-40. Newly smooshed bugs may slide off on their own, or be convinced to come free a whole lot easier than without treatment.
Mechanical tricks
Greasy hands
Greasy hands but no hand cleaner? Shoot a bit of WD-40 on your hands, rub together, then wipe off with a rag or paper towels. Follow up with water and soap.
Spark plugs, wires, and oils
Got a stuck spark plug in the generator or tow vehicle engine? A shot of WD-40 near the threads, allowed to soak in, will often loosen a stuck plug.
Rainy day hard-start problems? Sometimes, humidity can creep into ignition wires. Spray WD-40 on the plug wires and try starting again. WD-40 can displace the unwanted moisture, helping the free flow of healthy electrons.
Did your motorhome or tow vehicle do a “doo-doo” on your concrete driveway? Shoot oil or tranny fluid drips copiously with WD-40, brush with a stiff brush, then shoot the whole mess with a high-pressure stream from a garden hose.
Truck bed liners
Use a bed liner on your pick-em-up truck? Before you slide in that bed liner, spray the bed thoroughly with WD-40. When you need to pull the bed liner back out, it’ll come out much more easily.
And others you never would’ve thought of
Unstick that glue
Got your fingers stuck in the glue? Grab the WD-40 and shoot a bit on your stuck pinkies, rub them against one another until they’re freed up. It’ll take glue off other places where you don’t want it, too. Shoot a little on a rag and rub away.
‘Bye, doggie doo
As RVers, all of us are soooo careful about cleaning up after Rover, right? Well, sometimes the neighbors don’t read the memo, and, hey! You’ve got something on your shoe you don’t want there. If your tennis shoes get doo-dooed, spray with WD-40, and use the dog owner’s toothbrush (kidding!) to clean the crevices. Rinse off under the tap and let ’em dry.
Paint
Get too close to another car and now you’re “mixing paint”? A paint rub from another vehicle can often be removed by shooting it with WD-40, letting it sit for a half-minute, then buffing down with a clean rag.
See ya, bugs!
Got bugs? If you don’t have a can of Raid available, shoot those bugs directly with WD-40. If the critters insist on returning despite this warning, shoot a little around screen and door frames, but NOT if there are little ones or babies around!
Editor: Here’s a link if you want to stock up on WD-40 from Amazon. (Did you know it’s available from pen-size to gallon-size?)
RVT1243
Great Article…. WD40 work on a truck bumper that gently brush kissed one of the round Yellow cement filled pillars used to warn me in parking lots? Sitting In a 350 with seat in highest position, there have been a couple meetings of the kiss.
Inside is ventilation needed to keep my co detecter from going off?
Good ideas. Folks tend to forget that while slippery, WD-40 wasn’t designed as a lubricant. In fact, there are several far better lubricants for RVs depending on the location.
It’s also toxic, so don’t use it on anything food-related.
Regarding: Stains and scuff marks and Why on earth do RV manufacturers use light-colored carpets in RVs? Our second travel trailer by Coachmen had a white couch. WHITE in an RV? I guess it made sense to someone.
Using WD40 on a vinyl floor is an accident waiting to happen. Even a good soap and water cleaning will not remove all of it. In fact it may just spread it around since it displaces the water and moves it around.
To remove scuff marks, use a tennis ball!
Question – will it work on removing sap from a vehicle without damaging the paint? Asking for my Jeep Wrangler. . .
We live in a forested area and it works for removing sap and not harming paint, although it does take a little “elbow grease” to do it. Wash the area afterwards.
Rubbing alcohol on a rag, wipe over sap
I use WD40 to remove the rubber marks on the slide sides.
WD40 also removes sticky pine sap from hands. Use the same way as removing grease, spray and wipe then follow up with soap and water.
Why to people think WD-40 is some miracle product that can be used to solve almost any problem? It was designed as a Water Displacer, hence the name. There are much better products for every application listed above.
It is better to have 1 item that does many different things than to have many items that do 1 thing.
Remember weight and cargo size comes into question during travels.
A couple years ago the Suburban water heater thermostat failed on one of our RVs. It’s a pretty easy fix. I found a fine layer of rust on the tank under the thermostat. I scuffed it clean with emory cloth and applied some WD-40 before installing the new thermostat. Imagine that, using Water Displacement formula 40 for its original purpose! 🙂
I have used WD-40 on virtually all of these applications – however – do NOT use it on rubber bushings or insulation around compartment doors etc. It will dry them out over time. It is a miracle product and is a near required companion to duct tape for use in an Rv or garage!