Washing the exterior of my TT

swimmer_spe wrote:

Is there an easy way to clean it off and make it shine again?

NO.

The only "easy" way is to first take it to a "truck wash" place that does semi-trailers. They should do a pretty good job with the cleaning part.

Then find a place that details RVs and seems to know about fiberglass.....similar to boats......to polish and seal it.
It did not shine much when new and you shouldn't expect it to now.

If you really want to do it yourself, this subject has been covered before and a search should find it. Others will, no doubt, give advice in this thread too.

I have found that the cleaning part needs to be done at least annually. I personally don't worry about the polishing part.

A nearly 20 yr old trailer that hasn't been periodically washed & waxed is sure to not just be dirty but also oxidized. If that's the case you're in for a lot of work, first stripping the surface of the oxidation and grime, then sealing it with wax. I'd first wash it with a good car wash, strip the surface with Bar Keepers Friend, being especially careful with any graphics, then seal it with a good wax coating such as those offered by Meguiar's.

Good strong dose of Dawn Dishwashing liquid and a soft RV brush on a stick will do very well too. Dishwashing liquid is designed to cut grease. It dissolves road tar, grease, and automotive oil great. Lots of water! You may have to wash it a couple times to get it all. Remember the roof too. It's just as dirty as the sides. If you don't wash the roof too, the dirt up there will just keep running over the sides.

Forget about any "shine' until you get it washed. Once clean, then use a good wax.

Note! It's not easy at all. There are no short cuts. It takes lots of work and you'll be tired. Put that in your head up front, and you'll do just fine.

Every spring , I wash mine with Dawn or car soap then use '3m marine restorer and wax' .
During the summer 1x and then in the fall 1x , I top it off using various waxes as an extra step to protect it.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=21199356&KPID=15899129&cid=CAPLA:G:Shopping_-_Marine_Products&pla=pla_15899129&k_clickid=2925cd19-5adf-4a51-be3d-d92d85c3a817

Easy way: wash with soap and water--rinse--using a garden sprayer, spray on a dilute mixture of Jasco prepaint conditioner or your favorite mix of TSP--agitate with wash brush---rinse. If the Jasco didn't get all the grime and oxidation loose (you should see it run off), hit it again with the garden sprayer.

If you want a nice shine, wax with a creme polish or acrylic wax. I also have a spray wax that I use when in a hurry. It shines up but isn't as deep a shine as paste/creme wax.

It does sound easy. I normally use Dawn at home. About how much soap to water?

Once I get the grime of, I will wax it.

Don't forget to take a step back once in a while and look at where you've washed vs have not yet.

We're always amazed at how much better they look. It didn't look that bad, but then afterwards ;)

We are eagerly awaiting decent weather here so we can wash our new TT.

A long handled soft mop-like brush worked well on our hybrid. Don't worry about the ones with water in them. More of a chance of scratches, IMHO.

We DO use a mixer/sprayer wand on the hose, though. Turn soap on/off.

Re washing the roof--If you have the owners manual check to see what they recommend for the roof. Mine recommends Murphy's Oil soap. Not sure if Dawn is compatible with the roof material. Dawn should be ok on the rest of the TT.

swimmer_spe wrote:
...About how much soap to water? ...

As strong as you want. Too thin and it will just bubble. Consider how strong you make it for washing dishes and triple that (if it's real dirty!) If that doesn't work well, give your bucket a couple more squirts of dawn. Just rinse real good. If residue is left, you see that too, especially in the windows.

Next time you wash it, you probably won't need to make your Dawn solution near as strong. More like, when you do dishes.

"Dirt can't hide from intensified Tide"--laundry soap, i.e.
I tend to use car wash soap in a bottle. I get it free at the recycling center.