Get your home-on-wheels ready for new adventures with a few cleaning and maintenance tips! Just with routine mechanical maintenance, maintaining your RV living space will make you feel more at home. As for the exterior, semiregular cleaning may help prevent corrosion damage in addition to keeping up appearances. Wholesale Warranties is here to provide you with the information you need to keep your RV shiny and your space tidy!
RV Exterior Cleaning
The first thing you will want to do is consult your RV user manual. It may include key information regarding what products you can safely use to wash and clean your RV. You may also want to check out the RV manufacturer’s website for any further tips and tricks.
If you’re washing the exterior of your RV, always start at the top and work your way down. Spraying with a hose will help remove the layers of dirt and grime that have built up over time. Depending on the size of your vehicle, this may seem like a daunting task. You may consider breaking the washing into sections. For removing those pesky black streaks, spray your cleaner on and scrub it with a soft-bristled brush. If you’re having trouble cleaning the awning, removing the awning legs is a simple hack to make this step much easier.
Windows
If you can’t see out your windows, what are they good for? This cleaning step is pretty straightforward but important, nonetheless. For window washing, all you need is the right spray cleaner and a microfiber cloth. For the hard-to-reach windows, you can use an extendable squeegee.
Cleaning your window and door seals will prevent cracking and breakage. To do this, you can use a mild dish detergent. If you don’t mind spending a little more, it may be worthwhile to invest in a specialized cleaning agent that will both clean and moisturize the seals, helping them last longer.
Tires
You’ll want to make sure you’re using the right tools and cleaning supplies to wash your tires as well. Double-check what is safe for your vehicle in order to protect and preserve your tires. All you need to do is rinse and scrub. If you want your tires nice and sparkly, you have the option to finish them with some tire shine.
Dump Your Tanks
It is important to maintain your tanks in order to prevent undesirable odors. You likely spend a lot of time in your RV when you’re traveling, especially if you’re a full-timer. You want your home to smell fresh and clean. Periodically dump your gray and black water tanks at a local dump station. It’s a good idea to keep a pair (or two) of durable rubber gloves handy.
Keeping the exterior of your rig clean includes taking care of routine RV maintenance. RVs are large vehicles, so it may be worthwhile to invest in a power washing session to save you the time—and backache!
Undercarriage
As you travel, your undercarriage will build up a layer of grease, mud and dirt, and anything else that may snag and ride along. If you choose to tackle this task yourself, give it a good spray down. If you have a newer rig, you can opt for the pressure washer for this. For a more thorough wash job, you can go to a large vehicle wash.
RV Interior Cleaning
Making Space
As you are aware, you are working with minimal space in an RV. It’s a good idea to take inventory of the items you have to assess whether there are certain items you could do without. This will either save you room or provide space for new, more essential items! As for the old, you can either donate or give things away to your friends.
Fridge Upkeep
Sometimes the simplest tasks are the easiest to forget about because they aren’t in plain sight. It’s best practice to regularly dispose of food that is either past due or rotting. If you’re a full-timer or reaching the end of a journey, be sure to check your fridge in order to prevent mold and nasty odors!
Vacuum, Sweep, Mop
Your home on wheels is still a home! As you navigate your space, the floors are likely to collect dust, pet hair, crumbs, and so on. Every once in a while, take your mats and rugs outside to shake and vacuum. For the sake of saving space, if may be a good idea to invest in a small, handheld vacuum. If you don’t have a vacuum, smack the dust out. Inside your RV, vacuum or sweep the floors—and don’t neglect your storage area! Depending on what kind of floors you have, be sure to have the right cleaner on hand for mopping.
It’s important to keep your RV clean for two main reasons. First of all, keeping your exterior (and interior) clean is a key—and often overlooked—aspect of preventative maintenance. Secondly, your RV is either your home or home away from home. It’s best for your physical and mental health to keep your living space fresh and clean! For more RV lifestyle tips and tricks, subscribe to our blog.
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