How do you keep your RV healthy? Regularly cleaning and
inspecting your roof is essential if you’re going to maintain a quality RV and
avoid issues like leaks. Here’s a quick guide to RV rubber roof cleaning to get
you started on the right track.
Safety First
Combining rubber, water, and the force of gravity inevitably
leads to some dangerous risks. That’s why it’s vital that before you start, you
pay attention to the following safety tips:
- Remember,
“slippery when wet.” There’s no one on your roof to put up a “slippery when
wet” sign for you—but you should behave in a way that’s consistent with such a
warning, especially when rinsing. - Start
cleaning on the far side, but be careful about moving backwards. Cleaning
from the far side of the roof means you can continue to walk on dry rubber as
you work. But backing up without looking can be just as dangerous. Don’t step
anywhere without first looking to gauge your footing. - Wear
shoes that grip. You don’t want to damage your roof, so try to wear shoes
with soles that will grip nicely to rubber. Excessively smooth soles can lead
to slippage.
Once you make peace with the fact that working on the roof
has inherent dangers, you should have no problem being cautious. It’s much
better to be overly cautious as you clean than it is to work quickly and increase
your chance of injury.
Making Quick Work of
the Cleaning
Once you’re up on the roof and know the best practices for
cleaning, then it’s time to talk about the nuts and bolts of RV rubber roof
cleaning. Since you have a lot of real estate to cover, you’ll want to use a
product like a Gallon of Suds. It
won’t hurt to have a long, wide brush for handling the scrubbing itself. Make
sure to bring a smaller brush or rag for the nooks and crannies as well.
Once you’re finished with scrubbing up, give your roof a
final rinsing while holding a hose from a nearby ladder. This will ensure total
coverage, helping to wash away any debris that was worked up during the
scrubbing process. And since you’re on a nearby ladder and not taking any more
steps on the squeaky-clean rubber roof, you’re in a much safer position to
clean the entire space.
Paying attention to a few safety tips and using the right
cleaner for the job will mean that your RV roof cleaning will go by more
quickly than you might have imagined. That’s how it is with all of the RV cleaning products here at RV by
LIFE—so make sure you have a cleaning kit of your own on standby.