When your in a park that won't let you wash

[bob_b]

What tricks do you use to keep it clean. I see some guys using a long handle mop device with a changeable pad and some chemical. I know not to do this when it's really dirty but how about just to keep it looking good? Any ideas out there? Bob

[lfeather]

Sully2 wrote:

lfeather wrote:
I give it a sponge bath with pure water. I use a large sponge, a bucket for water, several microfiber rags and a ladder. I do small sections at a time by wetting/wiping with the wet sponge, then dry with microfiber. When bucket water starts getting dirty, I replenish with clean water.

I just hire mine done by one of the washing services that the CG allows in to do such things. They even bring their own water.

I sit in a comfy chair and watch them...going from the Alcoa wheels to the roof top...when finished to my satisifaction I pay them.....give them a top....and since its summer time a "coldie" right from the fridge

The "life of Riley" for you Sully! What a deal!

[xctraveler]

Right on Creeper, you do it your way and I'll do it mine.

My coach is lived in and used a lot. There are scratches from brushes with trees and dings from rocks thrown up from the road. that makes a loved, lived in used coach, not a show room princess. There are swirls in the paint and marks from repainting.

When I go to my son's house up two miles of mountain dirt road it gets dirty and the last turn has some bushes I must get around, somehow they leave their mark, oh well I then get to spend weeks with my son, d-i-l and grandsons. That is the reward for abusing the coaches paint job a bit. We go places we enjoy and we clean the coach as best we can.

Wash/Wax All works fine for us, I suggest you avoid it like the plague you believe it to be. Thanks be there is room for all of us on this forum, not to mention this world.

Travel safely and in good health!

[Sully2]

lfeather wrote:
I give it a sponge bath with pure water. I use a large sponge, a bucket for water, several microfiber rags and a ladder. I do small sections at a time by wetting/wiping with the wet sponge, then dry with microfiber. When bucket water starts getting dirty, I replenish with clean water.

I just hire mine done by one of the washing services that the CG allows in to do such things. They even bring their own water.

I sit in a comfy chair and watch them...going from the Alcoa wheels to the roof top...when finished to my satisifaction I pay them.....give them a top....and since its summer time a "coldie" right from the fridge

[creeper]

conmoto wrote:
We have been using WWA for a long time on 3 different RVs and using the correct cloths and technique it has provided very good results without damage or swirls to paint.

Not possible. Anytime you rub anything on paint your are adding swirl marks. Doing it correctly any properly will lessen the amount of swirl marks greatly, thus it takes much longer to accumulate enough to require correcting the paint.

Lessening those swirls marks starts with a good quality wax and/or paint sealant. Not some gimmicky product.

Take a flashlight and point it at your paint and you'll see the swirl marks.

[creeper]

lfeather wrote:
I give it a sponge bath with pure water. I use a large sponge, a bucket for water, several microfiber rags and a ladder. I do small sections at a time by wetting/wiping with the wet sponge, then dry with microfiber. When bucket water starts getting dirty, I replenish with clean water.

I suggest you change out your sponge (sponges retain particles in their crevices) for a lambs wool pad and use two buckets. One for soap and one with clear water to clean the pad. Your soap bucket should never get dirty or in your case if your water is getting "dirty" then you're brining that dirt from the bucket to the paint. If you use only water ( i know some people who swear by this) then use two buckets of water.

The 2 bucket cleaning method has been the standard to lessen paint damage for a very long time.

[lfeather]

I give it a sponge bath with pure water. I use a large sponge, a bucket for water, several microfiber rags and a ladder. I do small sections at a time by wetting/wiping with the wet sponge, then dry with microfiber. When bucket water starts getting dirty, I replenish with clean water.

[xctraveler]

rgatijnet1 wrote:

Cecilt wrote:
^so you must never use a QD to get rid of light dust/pollen. I don't think anyone is talking about using a waterless product like WAshWaxAll or ProtectAll to wash a coach that has not had a bath in 6 months. But in between washes when all you might have is some dust and rain splatter these products will be fine. Just be liberal in the application of the spray.

Light dust and rain splatter is dirt and solid particles and it produces scratches in the paint when you rub it around with a dirty rag. You can use all of the spray that you want but you are still just picking up the dirt and rubbing it around. You are not washing the dirt off like you would with a hose and running water.

I agree about the "dirty rag"

I do not use a dirty rag I have large towels and changes sections of towel quite often, I use several for each cleaning depending on how dirty the coach is. That is merely following the instructions for use that come with W/WX/All.

[rgatijnet1]

Cecilt wrote:
^so you must never use a QD to get rid of light dust/pollen. I don't think anyone is talking about using a waterless product like WAshWaxAll or ProtectAll to wash a coach that has not had a bath in 6 months. But in between washes when all you might have is some dust and rain splatter these products will be fine. Just be liberal in the application of the spray.

Light dust and rain splatter is dirt and solid particles and it produces scratches in the paint when you rub it around with a dirty rag. You can use all of the spray that you want but you are still just picking up the dirt and rubbing it around. You are not washing the dirt off like you would with a hose and running water.

[conmoto]

We have been using WWA for a long time on 3 different RVs and using the correct cloths and technique it has provided very good results without damage or swirls to paint.

[Cecilt]

^so you must never use a QD to get rid of light dust/pollen. I don't think anyone is talking about using a waterless product like WAshWaxAll or ProtectAll to wash a coach that has not had a bath in 6 months. But in between washes when all you might have is some dust and rain splatter these products will be fine. Just be liberal in the application of the spray.

[hanko]

midnight Rv wash

[rgatijnet1]

JudyWright wrote:

creeper wrote:

viajante wrote:

smlranger wrote:
Wash-Wax All is a great system. I've used it many times and the coach looks new. I use it in all cases except when the coach is covered with mud or otherwise heavily soiled. The system comes with an adjustable handle and micro fiber mop heads. It was developed to clean aircraft. It works.

http://washwax.com/

X2 Absolutely love this stuff. The best cleaning product I have ever found.

Damages clear coat paint. Does nothing but add swirl marks. Impossible to use correctly on a motorhome unless you're going up an down a ladder. You'll end up hiring someone to correct the paint when you see all the swirls in the sun.

If that was my only choice, I'd leave it dirty. In fact I'd never use that stuff at all. If used correctly, then it has limited usage to only slightly dusty as that's what it's designed for.

I've talked to people who loved this method and when i looked at their coach the paint is just swirled all over, then they ask me how much would I charge to fix their paint. Not enough money.

Hello 'creeper' - can you add info please about this product damaging clear coat? Thank you in advance.

Without using water to wash the dirt and grit away, any waterless product is just rubbing the dirt in to the paint and scratching it while it is still on the rag. Think about it. You are using a dirty rag, filled with sand, etc, and you are rubbing it all over your paint job. For the life of your paint, it is better not to wash your RV than to use a waterless product. Nothing but running water can actually remove the dirt and grit from your paint surfaces without damage.

[creeper]

JudyWright wrote:

creeper wrote:

viajante wrote:

smlranger wrote:
Wash-Wax All is a great system. I've used it many times and the coach looks new. I use it in all cases except when the coach is covered with mud or otherwise heavily soiled. The system comes with an adjustable handle and micro fiber mop heads. It was developed to clean aircraft. It works.

http://washwax.com/

X2 Absolutely love this stuff. The best cleaning product I have ever found.

Damages clear coat paint. Does nothing but add swirl marks. Impossible to use correctly on a motorhome unless you're going up an down a ladder. You'll end up hiring someone to correct the paint when you see all the swirls in the sun.

If that was my only choice, I'd leave it dirty. In fact I'd never use that stuff at all. If used correctly, then it has limited usage to only slightly dusty as that's what it's designed for.

I've talked to people who loved this method and when i looked at their coach the paint is just swirled all over, then they ask me how much would I charge to fix their paint. Not enough money.

Hello 'creeper' - can you add info please about this product damaging clear coat? Thank you in advance.

Bear in mind that this product was originally designed for the aviation industry who had water prohibitions. The surface of planes are different then what is what on your coach and they don't care about scratching the surfaces.

Remember they are trying to sell you a product and could care less what you do to the surface of the paint. Waterless wash type products should ONLY be used for a VERY light dusting on the surface if you must use one. Water less washes also need lots of lubricity, which this product can't give you in a pole version which most use.

Most of the damage to a coaches paint is done during the washing step, it's compounded by using those cheap nylon wash brushes you buy at walmart or camping world. If you want to use a pole brush (which I do on parts) you need to use a boar hair brush. That'll cost you $90, will last your life time and not damage your paint. Here is mine.



Now avoiding damage, which are micro scratches aka swirls, which you add each time you care for you paint incorrectly. It is prevented by washing off as much dirt and debris as possible with water, then a quality soap will loosen the dirt and provide lubricity for the dirt to flow off. You must rinse your brush often to get the dirt particles off and not bring them back to the surface on additional strokes of your brush. Never apply pressure when washing. Micro scratches are cumulative over time and we all see those coaches that look all scratched in the sun.

This is not provided with product like this. It collects the dirt and then that dirt is pushed all over the paint. The more dirt the more it acts like sandpaper. Bear in mind the vast majority of people even misuse this product. The instructions clearly state to replace the pad when it gets dirty. The pads are about $10 a pop delivered and you'll need a bunch to do an entire RV.

Most people I've seen use the pole mop and one pad for the entire RV , spray solution on the mop head and wipe down the whole RV just spraying and mopping. Which is completely wrong. To do a complete RV you'd need multiple pads as per the instructions and spray the paint first in addition to the mop as per the instructions( note step 2 of the instructions which state, "spray on the area to be cleaned". At 12+ feet that means a ladder. I've yet to see anyone do this. You'd need a ladder and go up and down repeatedly. Too much work, which most people don't do anyway and just cause the damage. This is a labor intensive item to use on a RV "Correctly" and following the instructions.

Just think as you work your way around you're bringing the dirt from other parts and rubbing that on the paint. The particles don't magically disappear. You have to get the dirt off your wash instrument not to do damage.

A conventional waterless wash on a car involves lots of spray product and lots of towels, which are used on very few strokes. It's a gimmicky product that promises to make a chore seem easier. But, when you have to pay to have the paint corrected on your coach you'll be sorry you used it.

People can use what they want. Many methods, this one included, will appear to give great results and people will be happy. Heck, I have a family member who swears by using furniture polish on his paint because it's cheap, fast and his cars look great afterwards. :R

I have many products I could use and would produce a great result, but I'd cause all kinds of damage. Some people won't even notice the damage for a couple of years until it just gets like this


Their are countless coaches that look like this. If I had a choice of using a waterless wash or leaving it dirty, i'd leave it dirty. Like I say use what you want, but for me my coach was too expensive to intentionally mistreat it. I'd rather buy the right tools and do it correctly.

Here is a good article describing what I've been saying about damage.

[JudyWright]

creeper wrote:

viajante wrote:

smlranger wrote:
Wash-Wax All is a great system. I've used it many times and the coach looks new. I use it in all cases except when the coach is covered with mud or otherwise heavily soiled. The system comes with an adjustable handle and micro fiber mop heads. It was developed to clean aircraft. It works.

http://washwax.com/

X2 Absolutely love this stuff. The best cleaning product I have ever found.

Damages clear coat paint. Does nothing but add swirl marks. Impossible to use correctly on a motorhome unless you're going up an down a ladder. You'll end up hiring someone to correct the paint when you see all the swirls in the sun.

If that was my only choice, I'd leave it dirty. In fact I'd never use that stuff at all. If used correctly, then it has limited usage to only slightly dusty as that's what it's designed for.

I've talked to people who loved this method and when i looked at their coach the paint is just swirled all over, then they ask me how much would I charge to fix their paint. Not enough money.

Hello 'creeper' - can you add info please about this product damaging clear coat? Thank you in advance.