# How do you keep your motorhome clean when touring in UK



## Brock (Jun 14, 2005)

Usually I rarely tour for more than a fortnight in the UK. I carry windscreen cleaner to clear the dead bugs off the windscreen. The rest of the van survives uncleaned until I get home.

On the motorhome friendly continent I have come across numerous sites that provide a designated motorhome washing area. Never seen anything like this in the UK.

So how do those who motorhome in the UK for say a month or more keep their motorhome clean? Or do they bother!

I have always believed a clean vehicle helps my driving standard.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

8O 8O 8O 8O 

We don't 

If its clean inside the outside is not a problem

Life is to short :lol:


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Never bother. Six months away in one trip last year and didnt clean it once. The inside however is kept immaculate (not by me  ).

Mind you I had to clean 3 years of gunk off the roof the other day and it nearly killed me. Took 3 hours.


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## adonisito (Nov 6, 2009)

How does a clean van help your driving standard ? :?


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

That is disgusting Barry lol: :lol: :lol: 

We just trade in the van :lol: 

Aldra


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## Blizzard (Sep 21, 2009)

adonisito said:


> How does a clean van help your driving standard ? :?


After hours & hours of cleaning & polishing mine, I drive it like it's a metre wider than it actually is and braking distances increase to "ice & snow" levels :wink:

Seriously though, back to the OP, I have been seen to give the van a light wash if it's particularly grubby on arrival, especially on the awning side and usually if we're on fully serviced pitches, where a quick spray with the water hose and a bit of Muc Off does the job.

I would love to be more relaxed about the van looking its best and as much as I agree with the sentiment that life is too short, I still like it to look nice & clean.


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## aldra (Jul 2, 2009)

Bizzard

I just clean the bit where I need to hang the washing

Nothing wrong with needing a quick clean

Each of us have our priorities which makes us feel relaxed

I would love it spotless but he wouldn't be bothered

So I just take responsibity for the inside

And I'm happy   

Aldra


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## Hezbez (Feb 7, 2009)

I like to see dirty vans - it means they've been on an adventure


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## hogan (Oct 31, 2006)

Mine is very adventurous


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

Hezbez said:


> I like to see dirty vans - it means they've been on an adventure


Yeah. Me too. Im always suspicious of vans that are spotless. 

Same as people whos office desks are completely bare and tidy. Not to be trusted IMO.


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## Annsman (Nov 8, 2007)

A couple of years ago we were heading for Morocco in Feb. By the time we'd arrived at Narbonne aire the van, instead of being a nice white colour, looked like a grey "Frostie" with the road mess and a lovely salt sheen! So after a quick nip into the Carreforre just up the road and 10 Euros inserted into the van wash we carried on South in a nice clean white van again.

We've used the jet washes a couple of times in other places depending on how mucky it is, how much change I have in my pocket or whether I can be bothered! Mostly though the answers are: not that bad, not enough and not really, so it waits until we get home. Five months is the longest it's been touring without a wash.


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## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

A nice clean 'van is like a signpost saying 'I've just arrived and got plenty of cash and goodies to nick!'

Let it get grubby and concentrate on relaxing. 8)


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## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

I agree nice clean shiny van says brand new to the uninformed with possible rich pickings.

Anyone know where I can get black streak aerosol? :lol: 

Dick


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## pippin (Nov 15, 2007)

'Er indoors does the indoors.

'Im outdoors doesn't do the outdoors!

Except in the winter when I get down and dirty as the thought of all that salt eating away at the undersides worries me.

I assumed that the natural colour of the exterior was grey.

Until I cleaned a patch of the rear to attach a GB sticker.

I discovered that it is actually brilliant white!!


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Annsman said:


> ...................... Five months is the longest it's been touring without a wash.


I reckon I could double that and more but that van was silver and the dirt didn't really show, Alan.


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## Blizzard (Sep 21, 2009)

barryd said:


> Same as people whos office desks are completely bare and tidy. Not to be trusted IMO.


Good grief man, you'll be telling me I should go in my cupboards next and take all the tins out of alphabetical order.

I think I could just about manage that, as long as my wardrobe can stay labelled Monday through to Sunday :lol:


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## csmcqueen (May 12, 2010)

I decided to clean mine yesterday for the first time this year and all I got clean was the cab, the overhang and the back panel and that took 4 hours.... I'm still knackered today from it!

Still got the sides to do but I'm thinking a quick going over to get rid of the black streaks and call it quits for this year


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## Rufusstone (Jul 30, 2008)

Oh dear, I feel very very humble after reading all these replies.

Why? Well yesterday I had Autosheen on my drive to valet the exterior as the last time it was cleaned was in December 2012. Health issues had prevented me using until now and I wanted to really sparkle on the road and on site.

But it does look so, oh so, nice and I now look forward to our next adventure ASAP. Cheers, Rufus.


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## TerryL (Feb 19, 2009)

Gave ours a good clean and polish when we returned from winter trip to Spain, including the roof, using "Greased Lightning" a waterless cleaner from Ideal World which is dead easy to use.

On our next trip, 3 weeks in the Outer Hebrides, despite the inclement weather, or perhaps because of it, van didn't really need the quick wash I gave it when we got back.


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## SNandJA (Aug 22, 2008)

Brock said:


> Usually I rarely tour for more than a fortnight in the UK. I carry windscreen cleaner to clear the dead bugs off the windscreen. The rest of the van survives uncleaned until I get home.
> 
> On the motorhome friendly continent I have come across numerous sites that provide a designated motorhome washing area. Never seen anything like this in the UK.
> 
> ...


We have a part-time job assessing campsites and therefore like to keep the van clean. To avoid asking if it is OK to clean the van on the odd campsite that allows it, we found a product called DryWash at the NEC one year. It works well and uses microfibre cloths which can be rinsed out and dried for the next time. I find that if you make the effort to keep the roof clean before a long trip then the black streaks are less of a problem but I carry a dilution of black streak cleaner to use before DryWash. The van has black bumper trim and I've not found anything better than ArmorAll to bring them up like new and one application lasts up to 6 weeks.

Dry Wash Video

Armorall

Steve (p.s. the SJ in the Dry Wash video isn't me, no connections with either product apart from when I use them!)


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## Gretchibald (Jul 22, 2011)

£10 and three Polish guys will have it spotless - can vouch for the ones in Birkenhead.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

We just clean as we go on the inside, and the outside gets a bit mucky, so what, the car only gets washed when it rains, had it two years took it through a car wash twice, it didn't go any better, and I can't see the outside from inside, too much time in life is spent cleaning, if it was all meant to be clean it wouldn't get dirty.

Housework expands to fill the time available, we'll all become so clean a simple germ will kill us all off, I'm anti clean.

Bring on the muck.


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## erneboy (Feb 8, 2007)

Gretchibald said:


> £10 and three Polish guys will have it spotless - can vouch for the ones in Birkenhead.


Being away as much as we are I have found that hand washes are rare outside the UK, and they tend to be expensive.

I once saw one in Germany and called in thinking I would have the van washed. They wanted €80 to do it. Needless to say it didn't get washed there.

At home the price ranges from around £12 to £20.

How odd that in a country like Spain where unemployment is so high there are next to no hand washes. There I use one of the many car wash booths with a pressure hose. It always strikes me that it costs nearly as much in tokens or Euro coins to do the wash yourself as would pay someone to make a living by doing it for you. How odd, Alan.


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## simandme (Jan 11, 2011)

We probably have washed the whole of the MH twice in 2 years - I say we, but after our xmas trip (with road salt etc stuck to the sides/underbelly) we paid Mike (motorhomevalet.co.uk) to clean and polish the MH. He took the whole morning and did not miss a spot. The MH looked fab.

We think it is better (ie easier) to pay someone who has all the polishes and energy to do a good job once a year and then let mother nature take care of the rest.


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

simandme said:



> We probably have washed the whole of the MH twice in 2 years - I say we, but after our xmas trip (with road salt etc stuck to the sides/underbelly) we paid Mike (motorhomevalet.co.uk) to clean and polish the MH. He took the whole morning and did not miss a spot. The MH looked fab.
> 
> We think it is better (ie easier) to pay someone who has all the polishes and energy to do a good job once a year and then let mother nature take care of the rest.


How much did it cost?


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## simandme (Jan 11, 2011)

We paid £50 (not as cheap as the 3 polish men) - but it was worth every penny - he cleaned the roof too (which is still clean 5 months later).

The website lists the prices and what is involved.


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## drcotts (Feb 23, 2006)

Did you know that its illegal to wash your own vehicle in Gremany

So if you go over to the fatherland dont clean that dirty van..its not allowed. You have to take it to a designated car wash..

Phill


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## Pudsey_Bear (Sep 25, 2008)

drcotts said:


> Did you know that its illegal to wash your own vehicle in Gremany
> 
> So if you go over to the fatherland dont clean that dirty van..its not allowed. You have to take it to a designated car wash..
> 
> Phill


Only in certain areas, it's not nationwide, Yet.


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