Forum Discussion

pyoung47's avatar
pyoung47
Explorer
Aug 11, 2017

Roof Cleaning

I've never cleaned the roof of my fifth wheel, fearing I'd likely do more damage than good. I can see that a clean white roof might resist sunlight more effectively, but other than that, what is the rationale for washing it?
  • Newer RVs have gutters and drain spouts so the sides are not stained. Two years on current TT, lots of rainy days & nights...no stains.
  • The manufacturer of my truck camper recommends periodic cleaning, but no application of any of the so called protectants.
  • It's a commercial roof material that isn't ever meant to be washed. The more one washes it the more the protective white layer wears down.
    OTOH, some roofs are very visible and I can see why some would want to clean them from time to time.
  • I got Lazy and I went one year without washing my roof and what happens is that you get Nasty white Chalk all over your Front cap when it rains and stains it so then you have to Scrub it off with compound and re-wax it NOT FUN! I will never let that happen again
  • Keeping your roof clean is the best way to prevent black streaks down the side of the RV.

    I also used a roof cleaner and treatment that supposedly had UV protectant in it on my old 5th wheel. We just traded it this summer for a new 5th wheel and the roof on the old one looked great. The old 5er was almost 14 years old.

    Dave
  • None except my roof's cleaner than your roof. My roof's cleaner... Did clean half my roof to install solar panels. Looked pretty too.