Your camper trailer will be driven through many different conditions, such as rough weather, over dirt, and simply being driven both on-road and off-road for long distances.
It will endure a lot and will certainly get dirty. Even after you may have securely stored your camper trailer when you weren’t using it, it’s still been collecting dust and moss since you last used it.
Before you can set off on your next camping trip, you should make sure that your camper trailer is nice and clean.
Although cleaning your camper trailer might seem like it just simply needs to be scrubbed with a bit of soapy water and putting in a bit of hard yakka, but there are a few factors to consider first.
There are different types of materials that exist on the exterior of your camper trailer, and you will need to know how to properly clean it all. Some of these will require certain types of soaps, waxes, cleaners, or something else.
Mars Campers have a comprehensive guide to thoroughly cleaning the outside of your camper trailer so you can enjoy your next trip that much more.
First and foremost, we recommend that you read your camper trailer’s instruction manual. Yes, reading the manual can be very dull, but it will have some incredibly useful information regarding your specific type of camper trailer.
This includes the types of cleaners that you can and cannot use and any other cleaning related instructions.
If you don’t read the instructions, you may inadvertently use cleaning products that damage the surface and finish of the interior and exterior of your camper trailer.
That would be a bigger issue than if your camper trailer was covered in dirt that’s easily removable by simply following the instructions.
It may go without saying, but you should give your camper trailer a thorough wash after every off-road trip you take it on, or at least once every few months. Not only will doing this keep the trailer clean, but it will let you see what its overall condition is.
More specifically, you may notice peels, scrapes, cracks, and rust that will surely worsen over time. These must be treated when the area you find them on is clean and dry.
Get yourself a bucket and fill it up with soapy water. You can dip a large sponge or a long handle brush into it to scrub off the stains. While a cleaning brush is a naturally effective tool for this job, a power washer will make this tedious process so much faster and cleaner too.
You should start by cleaning the camper trailer’s roof first. If you start with the sides and then do the roof, the dirt on the roof will probably move onto the sides that you had just cleaned!
After you wash off the grime and grit off your camper trailer, scrub it with a non-abrasive cleaner and a soft-bristled brush that will help to get rid of the tougher stains you may encounter.
The front and the back of your camper trailer will most likely be the dirtiest areas, so they will take longer to clean.
If there are any bird droppings, and there’s a good chance there will be, make sure that you clean these off.
While you’d assumingly want to wipe them off anyway for being unsightly, you should know that bird droppings can actually damage the canvas of your camper trailer.
This is because of the acidity of the droppings. Scrubbing them off with a soft brush, and then hosing the area off with water should do the trick.
After this, rinse all the soap off your camper trailer. Use a squeegee to remove any excess water and wipe those areas with a towel, as this will help your camper trailer dry quicker.
Unfortunately, everything ages over time and can look worse for wear, and that includes camper trailers. As camper trailers are a long-term investment, you would obviously want yours to last for many years to come.
The materials that your camper trailer is made from will probably oxidise over time, making it look older and more brittle than it really is.
You should wax your camper trailer to protect the materials on it from the elements it will surely have to go up against in the outdoors.
However, don’t use cleaners and detergents on the canvas as they will damage your camper trailer’s waterproofing.
Tyres, in general, stand out on any vehicle or camper trailer, but they will stand out for the wrong reason if they are dirty.
Your tyres will definitely get dirty and covered in muck after an off-road camping trip, so you will have to clean them eventually.
To make your tyres look as sleek and shiny as possible, rinse your tyres with water and then scrub them with a brush. After this, you should apply some tyre shine spray.
Alternatively, use a tyre shine gel that will remove the browning and grease off your tyres. Ensuring that your tyres are clean not only makes them look better, but also help to keep them in good condition.
You must try to prevent any mould or mildew from growing straight away, as once it starts, it’s extremely difficult to eliminate. These can greatly damage cotton fabrics and other materials.
Mould and mildew usually form in wet and moist conditions and thrive in moisture, so it is imperative that you reduce any moisture found in your camper trailer.
You should ensure that all your items are dry before storing them away and giving mould and mildew the perfect breeding ground to grow in.
Never leave any wet items, primarily clothes, inside your camper trailer, as they are the perfect breeding grounds for mildew. If any of your clothes smell of mildew, do not use detergent on it as that can feed the mildew and make it worse.
Instead, put your clothes in a washer and use a few cups of distilled white vinegar and warm water that should kill the fungus. Your clothes will smell noticeably fresher afterwards.
There are other methods you can use to keep mould and mildew from building up inside your camper trailer.
Have the windows, screens, and door open whenever you can to air your camper trailer out, but keep them all closed when it’s raining though, of course. You should also consider placing moisture-absorbing packets in storage areas as well.
Use the power in your camper trailer to use a dehumidifier. Our Space X and Endurance camper trailers have a reliable power source to help you with this.
Many camper trailers have plastic on their exterior, such as light covers. They can get cloudy or become yellow over time if they are not properly taken care of.
This is because they are made of polycarbonate plastic, which is used for taillights and headlights because it is hard to break.
However, it can be affected when exposed to the sun’s rays, so these are made with a protective UV film.
Unfortunately, light covers lose their protective film over time, allowing the plastic to oxidise and look yellow and cloudy.
Plastic is very easy to clean. Like with most other parts of your camper trailer, you just need some soapy water and a soft bristled brush to clean the plastic.
Keep in mind that plastic light covers will likely retain the water you used to clean them, so make sure you dry it straight after cleaning them.
The most effective method of cleaning oxidised light covers is to sand, polish, and wax them, and then apply a new UV protective film to them.
Use a high-quality polycarbonate plastic polish on your headlight covers. Then use an auto wax that you should apply in a circular motion to ensure it is waxed properly.
However, you must remember to then apply a new UV sealant onto the light covers. If you don’t, all of your hard work will have been for nothing, since UV is the main cause of headlight and taillight damage, to begin with. So, make sure that you use a quality UV sealant to do so.
We hope that our tips have helped you with cleaning your camper trailer. But if you have any further cleaning related questions, or if you are looking for a new camper trailer, contact Mars Campers by calling 1300 667 868 today for more information.