By Cheri Sicard
Is your rig in need of some exterior RV cleaning? Does it have more grime than shine? In the video above, the team from The Camping Loop shares their method to make your corrugated aluminum travel trailer shine like new!
The video begins with talking about prep and tools. They use a power washer in the video, but no frets if you don’t have one—the job can be done by hand with a brush and a bit more elbow grease.
According to our host, the brand of cleaner you choose is not so important, provided it is safe for your RV’s exterior surface. This sentiment was echoed by another RV vlogger we recently featured who found that the dollar store brand cleaner removed the black streaks on his RV better than more expensive cleaners specifically made for the RV market.
If you do have a power washer, be sure to watch point 1:19 in the video for tips on how to use it safely, as you do not want to inadvertently damage your RV while cleaning it.
Steps to exterior RV cleaning
- Give everything a good rinse-down to remove loose dirt, debris, and deceased insects.
- Next, apply the soap. Our host suggests doing this one side at a time to prevent the soap from drying on one side before you can get to scrubbing it.
- Once everything is soaped up, grab your soft bristle brush to get all the dirt and debris off. Watch the video for best practice tips to prevent streaks. Rinse well.
- Repeat on the opposite side, front, and back of the RV.
- After the wash and rinse is complete, our host adds a coat of wax that he says will especially help with the shine on aluminum corrugated campers and trailers. (Note: This may not work for fiberglass or gel-coated RVs.) Use an inexpensive spray-on wax, such as Turtle Wax, that you can spray on and just walk away without rinsing.
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I’ve always been afraid of pressure washers. Too much pressure on various things can cause huge problems. But after watching this video (and our trailer could use a serious cleaning!) I think there’s a trip to Harbor Freight in my future.
Thank you, Cheri! 🙂 We used a pressure washer to wash the RV for the second time a few weeks ago. We attached a foam cannon with detergent in it to the pressure washer, which ensured that the RV was not damaged. We then used a soft-bristle brush to remove the dirt, etc., and rinsed with water run through an ionizer. It all worked pretty well, but I dried the shiny bits of the RV to ensure no water spots there. Thanks again and safe travels! 🙂