You wash your RV, you
wax your RV, you
put in countless hours into making sure that it looks flawless from the
outside. Not only are you an attentive RV owner, but also you’re sure that your
work on the RV exterior will help you recoup much of your investment if you
ever need to sell.
Then you drive your RV, and all that cleaning seems to
go—quite literally—out the window.
It’s an entirely different thing to maintain an RV that
sits in the driveway and an RV that gets taken around the country. Dust, dirt,
storms, scuffs, dents, marks—it’s all just a regular part of life for anyone who
drives their RV regularly.
But you don’t have to choose between the former scenario
and the latter. If you know how to care for your RV exterior even while you’re
on the road, you can have a beautiful and
enjoyable RV:
- Wax before you leave. A
fresh coat of wax on your RV is important, especially if you plan on taking
your RV anywhere that’s particularly sunny or dusty. Clean and dry your RV
thoroughly first, then apply the wax at least a day before you travel. This
gives the wax an opportunity to thoroughly set in and protect your RV’s
exterior from the elements. - Bring your cleaning kit with you.There’s a reason we advocate all-in-one cleaning
solutions here at RVbyLife: it helps if you can travel with them. You’ll have
cleaning products for the interiors stored away anyway; simply add any of your
favorite cleaners to your
collection and you’ll be ready to tackle new scuffs and marks at a moment’s
notice. - Spot-clean whenever you can.
We’re not going to tell you that you need to rinse down your RV at the end of
every day on the road. But you should try to spot-clean as the opportunities
arise. Spot cleaning helps prevent issues like paint chipping, which only get
worse the longer you leave them unwashed. - Store your RV as safely as possible.
Leaving your RV under a maple tree in autumn is a sure recipe to deal with lots
of leaves, dirt, and other debris. Whenever you can, look for adequate shelter
for your RV when you park it for the night—it will only make your morning that
much easier. - Prepare for the cold. Even if you’re
from a warm-weather climate, if you travel often enough in your RV, you can
expect to see cold weather rear its ugly head every once in a while. Sometimes
there’s nothing you can do about snow and water damage, but keep some basics
handy, including an ice scraper. If you can find an ice scraper/snowbrush
hybrid, even better.
There’s no reason that a dirty RV should stop you from
enjoying your next road trip. But when you drive back home with a clean (or, at
the very least, a not-too-dirty) RV in tow, you’ll feel much better about
having taken the trip in the first place.