how do I clean my caravan?

exterior
If a caravan is left dirty the surface finish will soon deteriorate. As pollution degrades the gel coat finish. Always make sure the caravan is washed, polished and most importantly of all, waxed regularly.

There are four stages to maintaining the external appearance of your caravan:

1. Preparation
Carefully check all areas of the caravan for damage etc. If there is any excess mastic, this can be cleaned off by carefully scraping with a flexible, non scratch spatula and then the residue cleaned off with white spirit, but make sure that this is done before the caravan is washed as all traces of white spirit must be washed off, otherwise it will attack and damage the mastic seals.

2. Washing
Use only Autoglym “Body Work Shampoo Conditioner”. This contains a glossing agent and will help maintain the shine created by the waxing process, unlike some shampoos that will wash off previously applied wax. Use a good quality wash leather to dry the caravan after washing. Do Not use normal household washing up liquid for cleaning a caravan as this may contain salt which can harm the aluminium panels & mouldings.

3. Polishing
The caravan will need polishing before the initial waxing process, and from then on, only for those areas where heavy soiling has occurred i.e. bird deposits etc. will require localised polishing. Use only Autoglym “Super Resin Polish”.

4. Waxing
Once the caravan has been cleaned and polished, only regular waxing will keep it in first class condition and waxing is the most important step in preserving the finish to the fibreglass. Washing and polishing create a shine, but only waxing will keep the shine. Use only Autoglym “Extra Gloss Protection” wax as this complements the Autoglym polish and shampoo.

5. Frequency of washing, polishing and waxing
This obviously depends on where the caravan is stored. If stored under trees your caravan may require washing every week at certain times of the year, and waxing every month. In a cleaner environment, washing every 2 - 3 weeks and waxing every month or two should be sufficient and if you are in the fortunate position of being able to store the caravan under cover, washing as required and waxing every 3 months should suffice.

If a caravan is not maintained this way the surface finish may deteriorate. The first sign of this is a dulling of the surface finish, which may be more pronounced on the areas where the most wear occurs, i.e. the front and back panel where all of the water running off the roof flows down.

This dulling of the surface is the first sign of an inadequate polishing routine and the caravan should immediately be thoroughly washed, polished and most importantly waxed. The washing/polishing/ waxing cycle should then be increased to at least the recommended frequency mentioned earlier. If after this wash / polish / wax routine the surface is still dull, it can be improved by polishing with Farecla 315. This is a polishing compound designed specifically for fibreglass, but this should not be done too often. Say only once every 2-3 years as it will eventually wear away the gel coat.

If you can store your caravan under cover when not in use or even just over the winter period, this will help maintain the shine, carports too will help, but the clear type of sheeting which some are made of, may still allow ultra violet light through, which negates the benefits slightly. A cool dark garage is ideal as it cuts down on the cleaning required and keeps the showroom shine on the caravan almost indefinitely. You will also find the life of the mastic seals etc are extended because they are not subjected to the extremes in temperature that a caravan stored outside experiences.

We recommend the aluminium panels are not polished for 6 months (on new caravans or new panels in the case of repair work) as this will allow all traces of surface film to disappear (the surface film is a result of manufacture and is broken down by ultra violet light).

windows
These are double glazed Polyplastic acrylic frameless windows which, when closed, seal onto rubber mouldings around the window aperture. There are no metal components going right through, thus preventing “cold bridging”.

Grit and dust should be removed by spraying with clean water. Do not use a sponge or cloth. Dry with a feather or “Vileda” type cloth. The catches and stays do not require lubricating.

Never polish the windows with a dry cloth. Never use acetone, petrol or other solvents, as these may damage the acrylic and plastic materials.

Small surface scratches may be removed by using Farecla L105. Use a soft clean polishing cloth, rinse afterwards with plenty of clean water. It is advisable to test a small area of the surface to determine the suitability of the polish or spray.

You can buy Autoglym and Farecla products from ourselves and Autoglym is also available from all Halford Superstores and some, but not all, of their High Street Stores carry a range of Autoglym products. If you have problems finding a supplier, Autoglym have a freephone number 0800 - 515779, which you can ring and obtain details of your nearest 5 Star Autoglym Stockist.