Your motorhome is a major investment, just like buying a home or a new car. Taking some important measures can protect your motorhome from damage and assist in maintaining its best value. Regular cleaning can help you to fend off mould and mildew and keep your motorhome looking new.
As providers of motorhome insurance, we’ve put together these handy tips to help you keep your motorhome looking at its best.
WHAT CLEANING EQUIPMENT WILL YOU NEED?
Buying the correct equipment will enable you to clean your motorhome effectively without causing any damage like scratches to the paintwork. It’ll save you time because you’ll be able to clean it effectively first time. You’ll also save money as you won’t need to pay someone else to clean it for you.
Here’s a list of what you’ll need:
- A bucket
- Ladders
- A wheel brush
- Hose
- An extendable brush/mop
- Vehicle shampoo
- A sponge
- Window cleaning spray
- A flannel
- Wheel and tyre cleaner
- Body wax
- Microfibre drying cloth
- Kitchen roll
WHEN SHOULD YOU CLEAN YOUR MOTORHOME?
Ideally you should do this after you’ve returned from every trip. Cloudy days are the best weather to clean your motorhome in. This’ll stop the vehicle shampoo from drying out before you’ve finished each section. It’ll also increase your chances of getting a streak free finish.
WHERE TO BEGIN?
Your wheels are the dirtiest part of your motorhome. Always clean your wheels first. As this’ll prevent you from splattering dirt onto clean bodywork when you wash and rinse the wheels. Apply your wheel and tyre cleaner spray and leave it to soak in for a couple of minutes. This’ll help to dislodge as much dirt and break dust as possible. Then take your wheel brush and give it a thorough scrub and rinse with a hose afterwards.
This is a good opportunity to check your tyres and rims for splits, cracks and damage caused by the weather. If you spot any damage, seek to get this repaired immediately. Should you find any damage to your tyres, your motorhome might be unsafe to drive. Having breakdown insurance can get you assistance to a garage in the event of this happening.
HOW TO CLEAN THE ROOF
Carefully climb up your set of ladders until you can see the roof top and use a hose to loosen any dirt. Fill your bucket with hot water and mix with a good quality vehicle shampoo, making sure you follow the quantity instructions on the bottle. Grab the extendable brush and dip it in your bucket. Start cleaning the centre of the roof top allowing the vehicle shampoo 5 minutes to soak in and work your way out to the roof edge. Repeat this process until the entire roof top has been cleaned. If there’s any stubborn dirt or mould on the edges, use your sponge and plenty of elbow grease to clean it off. Don’t forget to give it a rinse afterwards.
CLEANING YOUR SIDE PANELS
Use an extendable brush or a sponge to clean down each panel thoroughly. Let the vehicle shampoo soak in for at least 5 minutes. Then use a hose to rinse off any excess dirt and bubbles. Keep the hose water away from any windows as it could damage the seals and cause leaks. Use a microfiber drying cloth to wipe away any excess water and to dry all of the panels.
CLEANING AND CHECKING THE WINDOW SEALS
Use warm soapy water to clean your seals with a sponge and give it a good rinse afterwards. Then wipe the seals with a flannel and leave the windows open so they can fully dry.
Inspect all the seals for any tears, cuts and holes. Make sure you do this every time you clean your motorhome. If you find any damaged seals, have them repaired immediately. Delaying this could cause internal damp and costly repairs.
CLEANING YOUR WINDOWS
Take your sponge and clean the windows down to remove any dirt and grit using lots of water. When you’re happy that the windows are clean and have fully dried. Spray them with window cleaner and wipe them dry using kitchen roll to add shine.
WHY YOU SHOULD WAX YOUR MOTORHOME
Waxing can take a lot of elbow grease unless you use a buffer. It’s time well spent though as waxing the bodywork will improve your motorhome’s look and prolong the life span of the paint.
Waxing will enable you to remove black streaks easier. These are caused by dirt, bird droppings that run off the roof during light rain and heavy dew. If black streaks are left untouched, they can become difficult to clean and remove.
Do you have any tips for cleaning a motorhome? Lets us know on our Facebook and Twitter pages.
