# How do you clean the trim on your motorhome?



## tony645 (Sep 26, 2010)

New to this motorhome lark, does anyone else go around the outside bodywork cleaning all the trims and seals with a toothbrush? 8O its just taken me 4 b****y hours!


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## Hobbyfan (Jul 3, 2010)

No, and it's a bit of a misleading subject heading!


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Blimey!! Noooooo!!.

When did you last go up on your house roof and polish the slates? :lol:


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Good question Tony.

With over 50,000 members, I would bet that there is at least one other idiot on here. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

I can't quite picture what you mean.

Come and show me how you do it . . . on our van. :wink: 

:lol: :lol:


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## Wytonknaus (Jun 18, 2007)

Was that with an electric toothbrush or hand powered. You could save hours next time with an electric!


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## raynipper (Aug 4, 2008)

In 30 years of motorhoming I have managed to actually polish the front and back cap of each of the 13 motorhomes we owned ONCE.
I do wash the whole van before every outing but thats it...!!!!!

If you enjoy cleaning and polishing then great but it's not obligatory.

Ray.


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## Chascass (May 10, 2007)

8O 8O 8O 8O


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## 1302 (Apr 4, 2006)

You are not alone :lol: 








The weekend before setting off for Portugal - a few neighbours commented on reasons for cleaning the roof!








The view from the bar on the ferry - can you imagine the shame of a dirty roof for all to see?!








And the view from the new 'in laws' sun terrace in Luz - still clean and shiny 

I did wonder what I might find opening a thread entitled 'Anal Cleaning' :lol:


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## tony645 (Sep 26, 2010)

No I dont enjoy cleaning at all, just the pride of new ownership, my Transit van I use for work is now 6 years old, 218,000 miles and it has`nt been washed once and my motorbike which I enjoy riding tremedously but also hate cleaning, find its best to find something wrong with it and take it to the dealers because they always valet it after repairs.


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## tony645 (Sep 26, 2010)

I cleaned the roof the other day and glad I did as some of the cable from the satnav had become loose so not always time wasted.


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## viator (May 1, 2007)

Anal cleaning and toothbrushes!!!, much quicker using anti-bacterial camel hair brush, preferably from a Bactrian camel finished off with TurboLooRoll Double Quilted sheets, guaranteed to take all the sh*t off your motor without leaving nether region tenderness. viator


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Not with my own toothbrush anyway. 

Just as a matter of interest do you cut your lawn with nail scissors?

Alan.


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

I have changed the title of your thread Tony. An accurate title will often get you more responses   

stew


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Or in this case, now fewer curious readers


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

we are not The Sun or The Daily Star Dave. The new title got you to read anyway.......... :lol: :lol: 

stew


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Oh no it didn't. My post was only part in jest. I only open threads that catch my eye. That's why I opened the original, though regrettably I had nothing to contribute. I wouldn't have bothered even looking at the changed one!

You imply MHF's standards are above the widest read newspapers in this country. All I know is that the OP's original title was accurate and clever; your replacement is accurate, but.....

Dave


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

There is another current thread entitled "Domestic toilet dimensions" which is getting very few responses.  

Could the Mods give that one the "Anal question" title to give it a bit of a bump.

Thanks. :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## Carl_n_Flo (May 10, 2005)

Actually - YES - I cleaned our motorhome trims with a toothbrush the week before we went to France last month...

Took bloody hours, but boy am I glad I did it!!!

Found a couple of areas where the sealant was giving up the ghost, some others where the trim was coming adrift.....and cleared out god knows how much green slime that was trapping moisture behind the trims.

A 'good going over' once a year like this certainly helps to identify small problems...........before they develop into larger (more expensive) ones...

Some might call it 'anal'.........who cares? It was a warm day and I had nowt else to do at the time...

Carl


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## Jezport (Jun 19, 2008)

When doing a major detail I use small brushes to get into narrow areas on vans and cars. There is no other way to access them. I also have a special brush to get under most solar panels.


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## ingram (May 12, 2005)

All the black / green muck that gets caught in trims and channels is what causes some of the black streaks. I use a toothbrush too whilst giving the 'van a *good wash*.

I also polished the complete 'van recently for the first time. I spread the work over about four days ( having done the toothbrush job first ). It's not fun. It is amazing how clean it stays with polish on ........ I may do it again one day ....... perhaps.

Harvey


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## tony645 (Sep 26, 2010)

Did`nt see anything wrong with my title.

`The term Anally retentive commonly abreviated to anal is used conversationally to describe a person with such attention to detail that the obsession becomes an annoyance to others`

Comes from an old fashioned education with regular beatings by nuns, you wont find that in the Sun or daily star, well not the explanation but probably the nuns and beating!


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## DJMotorhomer (Apr 15, 2010)

Now and again I give "Mo" a good clean but just use a sponge and Autoglyms Caravan Cleaner on seal and silicone :lol:


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

As an enthusiast, I am somewhat saddened at our readers approach to cleaning. The only way to do the job properly is to use a small cotton wool bud if you really want the true display standard that we all aspire to. I find that the best finish for paintwork requires the clay polish that you can buy at Halfords for less than £25 and well worth it. Although cleaning around some of the roof mouldings can be a little trying it is so worth it. I find it much easier to remove the bird sh*t afterwards. Of course you will need to go over it all again with the clay and polish afterwards. 
We often get compliments from people looking out of their second floor windows at our roof.
So, so worthwhile!
rosalan


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

tony645 said:


> Did`nt see anything wrong with my title.
> 
> `The term Anally retentive commonly abreviated to anal is used conversationally to describe a person with such attention to detail that the obsession becomes an annoyance to others`
> 
> Comes from an old fashioned education with regular beatings by nuns, you wont find that in the Sun or daily star, well not the explanation but probably the nuns and beating!


Now try putting your origonal title into wikipedia Tony and see what it gives you  

stew


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

Your point being, stew?:
http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anal_retentive

Which definition is EXACTLY how tony645 was using his accurate, intriguing and clever title.

Dave


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

the origonal title Dave was anal cleaning, check that out

stew


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

I'm clearly missing sometime. I don't know whether to say "So?", or "Exactly!". 

As my link showed, "Anally retentive" is abbreviated to "Anal", and "cleaning" is, well, just "cleaning". We are in a motorhome site and NOT in the off-topic forum.

Dave


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## tony645 (Sep 26, 2010)

The scissors I use for cutting the lawn are the tri-bladed type, singulaly they are useless but when attached to a 20hp westwood tractor work a treat, which reminds me I must go and clean the treads on its tyres, now where did I put my toothbrush!


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## artona (Jan 19, 2006)

DABurleigh said:


> I'm clearly missing sometime. I don't know whether to say "So?", or "Exactly!".
> 
> As my link showed, "Anally retentive" is abbreviated to "Anal", and "cleaning" is, well, just "cleaning". We are in a motorhome site and NOT in the off-topic forum.
> 
> Dave


I think you are missing something Dave.

However us discussing this is not on topic, something we try to keep threads doing where-ever they are. My final word on this is that I moderated it as I deemed fit.

If you are not happy with that pm Nuke and complain. I am too busy to discuss my moderating here on-line, sorry.

stew


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## DABurleigh (May 9, 2005)

" I think you are missing something Dave."

I understand the forum rules bottom line; I guess it's a shame I'll never find out what I am missing.

Dave


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## rosalan (Aug 24, 2009)

Ok! fair comment about this being a forum of facts. Elsewhere I posted a restoration that I have done to the woodwork around my sink unit, where the varnish had worn away or decayed in the presence of constant watering leaving the wood discoloured.
Using very fine emery cloth or perhaps wire wool, I removed any remaining varnish in the area affected, taking the surface down to clean wood. This process was actually quite quick but in hindsight I should have perhaps removed any hint of discoloured wood.
When finished, I took a cotton wool bud and applied Danish oil to the wood and the effect was excellent almost immediately. You could apply several coats, which when dry you could rub down to leave a matt finish.
Bodywork: After my sarcastic comments earlier I am a little reluctant to reveal that I use Autoglyn and polish it off with a cheap polishing tool I bought at Aldi or Lidles and is very quick; 'cause basically I am lazy.
rosalan


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