Cleaning the Caravan

[Sparkalicious]

So, in my wisdom  , and mostly coz my dad said he'd do it  , I have not booked for the site team to jet wash and clean the outside of the 'van after the winter break.

We are due down there in 3 weeks to open up and my dad has his jet wash at the ready. He also has a broom/mop attachment for for the jet washer.

We'll have to do the decking and the outside of the 'van.

What are everyone's recommendations? Any do's or don'ts? What about cleaning products? What is a massive no no? Is anything 'van specific just a giant rip off and a bit of fairy washing up liquid will be just as good? 

Any help would be great as we have only really used water to remove light grime, but not actually clean.

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[DaveE]

The general attitude is that you shouldn’t use a power washer on the walls of a ‘van. Between all the vents and all the panel joints it is too easy to force water ingress into the walls.

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[Slattster]

I’m with Dave , I wouldn’t jet wash it . I have a couple of buckets and a couple of sponges , one for the suds …I just use turtle wax car shampoo , and a bucket of water for rinsing …recently I have put some stardrops in the water and this seems to dry off better. I use a car sponge and for higher up I use one of them sponges on a long stick that you press the lever down and this folds the sponge in half to wring it out. Can’t remember if I use a leather on the windows or an e-cloth Takes a good 2 or 3 hours but worth it.
For the decking …jet wash it , ors is wood & where we are the deck needs oiling every year

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[DaveE]

I’ve just reread my earlier reply and think it needs more clarification.
The issue with the joints of the exterior wall panels is that pressure washers can “blow” the sealant between them and thus allow water to get into the walls.
I was advised of this potential risk by a site warden before I’d even bought a’van so pressure washing a ‘van is not something I’ve ever done.

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[Sparkalicious]

Thanks for that everyone.

When I say jet washer, the only power setting will be used on the decking. The outside of the 'van will be washed with the mop attachment which has no force behind it. It's a bit like what window cleaners use to clean high up windows without a ladder.

Decking is composite and will just need to get the green slime off from the winter.

So basically I can use any car cleaning shampoo etc? We'll then just rinse down with a hose.

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[Scorpio]

I use any car or caravan shampoo, (or even washing up liquid, recommended by the manufacturers) to clean the decking.  Car shampoo for the body of the caravan.  Thorough rinsing is the important part.

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[Sparkalicious]

Nice one, I'm getting all excited to get back down there now.

Only 2 and a half weeks for me 

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[BrianJo]

Well because we were only sited last Autumn we haven’t had the need to wash down, but when we do need to we definitely won’t use a power washer .We have an out side tap and a 40mtr hose reel so will wash down with a good quality car shampoo i.e. Maguiers or AutoGlym and then rinse down thoroughly with spray attachment on hose 👍
Just my opinion of course 😉
Brian & Jo

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[Sparkalicious]

So back from opening up this weekend. Everything was in tip top shape. Decking a bit green but that came up really well with a jet wash.

Washed the van with a hose and a broom on a hose. Basically this.



Came up a treat. Used Turtle Wax Wash and Wax. All very nice and shiny now. Hopefully the wax element of the shampoo will give it a little water resistance but I'm not holding out too much hope. Still it looks great now until the first seagull comes along.



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[BrianJo]

So back from opening up this weekend. Everything was in tip top shape. Decking a bit green but that came up really well with a jet wash.

Washed the van with a hose and a broom on a hose. Basically this.



Came up a treat. Used Turtle Wax Wash and Wax. All very nice and shiny now. Hopefully the wax element of the shampoo will give it a little water resistance but I'm not holding out too much hope. Still it looks great now until the first seagull comes along.

looking good Spark enjoy it .We are going to ours this weekend ,can’t wait 😊
Brian & Jo

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