Cleaning and Surface care

spasm3

Active member
I thought i would share my cleaning ritual. My unit is fiberglass sided with metal lower trim.

I start out rinsing the whole unit with a hose, get any loose dirt off you can with a stream of water.
For washing i use a 2 bucket method. The gray bucket is the dirty bucket. Both buckets start out clean with soap. I like a microfiber mop on an extension pole. Gives me reach and covers well. The first dip is in the clean bucket. Everytime i wipe up and down the sides, i dip the mop in the gray dirty bucket , then the blue bucket before going back to cleaning the siding. This seems to let the dirt come off the mop and not be scrubbed back onto the siding. Each dip is in the gray bucket first then the blue.

I generally do the sides first, all the way around , then the lower trim, to keep dirt off the mop while cleaning the sides.

IMG_20200429_180710682.jpg


I do use a brush carefully for crevices and bumpers and sometimes around lights and license plate.
IMG_20200429_192117682.jpg


Now, black streaks are something that occurs at times. There is black streak remover. I do not like to leave this on the surface. So i spot treat all black spots last. I spray some black streak cleaner on the area, wipe it with a blue shop towel, then IMMEDIATELY clean that area with the soapy mop. I don't want to leave a strong chemical on there any longer than necessary.
IMG_20200429_190641804.jpg


IMG_20200429_190748133.jpg

I use Westleys bleach white tire cleaner on tires, its amazing how much grime comes off them. I rinse quickly here also, as i don't want to leave that chemical on my wheels any longer than necessary. BTW, The Westleys bleach white, smells exactly like black streak remover!
IMG_20200429_192407499.jpg


Here are the buckets after I'm done washing. I decanted the water out as carefully as i could to leave what was on the bottom.
You can see that the gray bucket has much more dirt. Dirt that i'm not scubbing back onto the finish.
IMG_20200429_195301049.jpg

IMG_20200429_195304772.jpg


Now for waxing. My old standby is Eagle one, wax as u dry. It goes on easy, is great on all the plastic and metal and really seems to protect. I've used it for years.

You don't have to buff afterwards and the front stays clean and cleans off easily after a trip. BTW always clean the front right after you get back, bugs come off much easier the sooner you do.
I use an identical microfiber mop that's used only for waxing. I spray the wax onto the mop and run it over the siding, windows, and trim. No need to buff afterwards.

I don't spray it onto the siding, especially near the top of the siding. The rubber roof manufacturers generally warn never to get any petroleum products on the roof. So spray onto the mop.
IMG_20200429_193418430 (2).jpg


I tried a rain-x product once, last year. It went on fine, beaded well, but left a haze that was not evident during cleaning, waxing but showed up after it dried, days later. I can't recommend it. I went back to my Wax- As -U Dry by Eagle One.
IMG_20200429_192726850.jpg


IMG_20200429_184132693.jpg


After pics of water beading.
 
Pics of water beading. Eagle One Wax-As-U-Dry
IMG_20200430_074352627.jpg


IMG_20200430_074440545.jpg


I forgot to add a pic of how well these microfiber mops fit around the siding.

IMG_20200429_183341645.jpg
 
Last edited:
Great post Spasm!!

I have been looking for a microfiber mop like that for this very purpose. Who makes it? The idea of two buckets to clean the mop is a good one. I normally use one bucket and dump it at least once, but I like how clean your clean bucket was when finished - going to try.

Going to get some of the Westley's, as it looks like it does a great job. Isn't is amazing how quickly the tires get dirty?

The "Wax as you dry" does the surface have to be completely dry or partially dry before using it, or can you spray on after rinsing while most of the water is pooled, like on the hood of a truck?
 
I've had them a couple of years, Got them at an auto store. Here is something similar, i think close to the same as what i use.

The surface does not have to be dry, it goes on better if there is some water there. I have sprayed on the front end dry before a trip, to protect against bug strikes. Even if you get it on heavy, its never white. You can feel how slick it is even on the dry siding days later.
I would not use it on pooled water, a blower might help there first.

If you spray it right on the sides, you will see water run right down off the unit.

On cars, it does not leave a crystal clear finish like a buff wax,, it can look greasy, never white, but greasy on dark reds etc. But on RV's , Its the best thing i have used.

As you can see, i have a lot of dark trim and it looks great.
Eagle one is coming out with a marine formula, that i'm looking forward to trying( although it might be the same stuff, just marketing).

I don't know how it would look on a finish like an Airstream, That will be a good test!
But this method is so quick and easy using the mops that i don't need a ladder ( except sometimes to wipe a black streak at the start of the season), that i find myself washing and waxing more often. I generally and do this 20-30ft unit in an hour.
 
Mop ordered - thanks!

I will try some of the spray on wax on the bug kill zone of the Airstream. It's normally about 45 minutes to get all the bugs off, so I'll see if it help them come off easier.
 
Mop ordered - thanks!

I will try some of the spray on wax on the bug kill zone of the Airstream. It's normally about 45 minutes to get all the bugs off, so I'll see if it help them come off easier.

I have 2, one for washing, and one for wax.

Let me know how it works on an Airstream! I'm curious.
Some times i rinse the front off , let it dry, and spray/ mop some on dry, right before we leave.
I imagine that would look greasy on the Airstream if done without water. If it did, just run the wet mop over it again.
 
Used mine to wash the truck tonight. Sure works well and saves time - this is a score for sure!

20200521_225130720_iOS.jpg
 
Washed the trailer after our trip to Austin. This mop makes the job much faster.

20200607_191234877_iOS.jpg
 
Top