How to wash, polish and wax your RV or Motorhome





I received an e-mail with some questions about how-to take care of the exterior of smaller, C Class RV's

With the permission of April, I've posted her inquiry here to our forum with my answers and links to products that will make the job of cleaning, polishing and maintain an RV faster and easier while maximizing the owners time, efforts and investments.


Originally Posted by April
Hi Mike,

I'm writing an article for Small RV Life with recommendations on how to care for small RV's, especially now when love bugs are already out.

I like how your Autogeek.net site as well as your AutogeekOnline.net discussion forum offers help and education and would like to offer a guide of sorts to my readers, including links to specific products, or maybe some kits that contain a collection of product to tackle RV specific projects.

Here are some of my questions, which may take more than one article to present adequetly...

Hi April,

Here at Autogeek we carry over 60 brands with thousands of products all of which work great and our customers all have their favorites. Too keep things easy, I'll try to show examples from just a few lines of products and if your readers have any questions or want more information about the below products or any other products we carry then I encourage them to call our Customer Care Hotline where our expert staff is always available to help.


Originally Posted by April
1. What are steps throughout the year, like a calendar, of regular RV care maintenance? What are the recommended products and equipment?
Because of the large size of most RV’s, most owners will want to take regular care of their RV but use high quality products so the work is done right the first time and thus will endure over time. Things like using a quality wax or sealant on the exterior pays off because it will last longer and protect longer so the owner doesn’t have to wax the RV as often.

Again, due to the size of most RV’s, even small RV's, washing and waxing an RV can take a day or a couple of days depending upon what’s involved and most RV owners would rather do it right the first time so they won’t have to do this type of maintenance often.


Exterior RV Maintenance
With that said, where the RV is stored and how the RV is stored are HUGE factors as to when to perform maintenance.

If you live in a wet climate, like my parents who live in Florence, Oregon, it rains a lot and my Dad like to machine apply a coat of wax to his RV twice a year, once at the end of summer before the rainy season sets in and then a second time in the spring before summer temperatures begin to climb.

If you live in Arizona, rain is not a concern but exposure to the harmful UV rays from the sun, plus dirt and dust in the air caused the windy conditions are factors that must be addressed.


A good rule of thumb for either geographical and environmental regions is to wash your RV as often as needed to maintain a clean appearance and wax your RV at least once a year or more often, like twice a year as this will ensure the exterior doesn’t deteriorate plus looks new throughout the year.



Washing
For washing RV’s, you want to use non-detergent washes formulated to clean without stripping previously applied waxes and/or paint sealants and also because they are less harsh to gel-coat surfaces which can become dried out when using a detergent like dish soap. When gel-coat has become dried-out it will oxidize more readily, so it’s very important not to wash gel-coat finishes with detergent soaps.

Another option is to use a waterless wash, with a waterless wash you spray a heavy coat of product onto the surface and then wipe the surface clean. A quality waterless wash will hyper-lubricate the surface to prevent instilling scratches while cleaning and then wipe off to a bright shine.


Recommended products
Many of these products are from our Detailer's Pro Series line of professional grade products but they are completely compatible with materials and coatings used in the assembly of RV's.


Detailer’s Pro Series Auto Bath Shampoo



Detailer’s Pro Series Xtreme Foam Formula Shampoo - For use with Foam Guns



Autogeek's Foam Gun - For use with a Garden Hose



Detailer’s Pro Series Waterless Wash Concentrate & Secondary Detail Spray Bottle



10" Montana's Boar's Hair Brush - More Styles & Sizes of Montana's Boar Hair Brushes



5-Gallon Bucket with Grit Guard and Dolly with Lid



Extendable Handle



Dress and protect tires
The rubber used to make tires is actually very complex in its composition. To help prevent weathering and cracking, the rubber formula includes an ingredient called antiozonant. As your tires rotate under speed, the antiozonant works its way out to the surface of the sidewall to replenish old antiozonant. When this antiozonant is exposed to the atmosphere, the ozone in the air turns the antiozonant on your tire brown.

That's why you see tires turn brown, it's a chemical reaction between the life-extending ingredient antiozonant deteriorating when it meets ozone. To restore a dark, black look to your tires all you need to do is scrub the sidewall with a safe, but effective cleaner to remove the brown residue also called blooming, and then apply a tire dressing.



Detailer's Pro Series Cleanse-All Exterior Cleaner



Detailer's Pro Series Wheel Cleaner



Detailer's Pro Series Gloss Tire Gel



Cobra Flex Foam Tire Dressing Applicators 3 Pack



Daytona Speed Master Wheel Brush



Lug Nut Brush



Finger Pockets - 3 Pack



8 inch Montana Original Boar’s Hair Wheel Brush



Utility Tire & Wheel Brushes