Every week, both by e-mail and on Facebook, I get a lot of questions from new and wannabe RVers, and many of them are the same ones over and over. “How do I get my mail when I’m on the road?” “What’s the best state for my domicile?” “Which is better, a motorhome, fifth wheel, or travel trailer?” “Gas or diesel?” “Can I get satellite TV in an RV?” “Should I tow a car, and if so on a dolly or four wheels down?” And on and on.
I have gotten to the point where it’s easier to refer people with those kinds of questions to John and Kathy Huggins’ excellent book So, You Want to be a Full-Time RVer? If there is a bible to the RV lifestyle this is it, and anybody who is considering serious RVing needs to read it and refer to it often. I wish it had been available when we were starting out.
But there are some questions that don’t come up as often and I thought I’d tackle one here that I don’t think John and Kathy covered in their book – “How do I clean my RV’s exterior, since a lot of RV parks don’t allow washing of RVs?”
It’s true that many RV parks do not allow washing of rigs by their guests. This is because water can be expensive and washing an RV uses a lot of water. Multiply that by a few dozen guests a month and it can add up fast and take a bite out of their bottom line. So what’s a fulltimer to do? It depends on where you are, how energetic you are, and how much money you want to spend.
One option is to use one of the many waterless RV cleaning products on the market. Go to any big RV rally and you’ll probably find several vendors selling their products. Then all you need is a ladder, towels, and some elbow grease.
Occasionally you will find campgrounds that will let you wash your RV on site for a fee, usually around $5. Others have an agreement with an outside company that is permitted to come to the location and wash RVs
In some area – Yuma, Arizona comes to mind, there are a lot of companies that provide this service at an affordable price. We had a mobile company wash and hand dry both our motorhome and SUV for $1 a foot for the RV and $10 total for the SUV. So for $50 we got both the Winnebago and the Explorer washed.
Another option is to find a do it yourself car wash with a bay high enough to accommodate your RV. You will have to do it in sections, pulling in enough to do the front, then moving forward a bit to do more, and on until you’re at the back of the rig.
Or you can take the quick and easy way and pull into a Blue Beacon truck wash, which can be found near major truck stops. The last time we used one of those places it cost us $100, as I recall. I’m lazy, so if I’m not in Yuma that’s the route I usually take.
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Thought For The Day – Don’t think too much or you might create a problem that wasn’t there in the first place.
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Nick Russell
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In a couple of places that don’t allow rv washing i have been able to wash the bus by using 8-10 gallons of distilled water that i bought, a 5 gallon bucket, and a garden sprayer. Couple of gallons and soap in the bucket, use the sprayer to wet a section, then wash it, then rinse and on to the next section. Can do it in about an hour. I talk to the office first and tell them how i do it and get their ok first.
A lot of places do not allow you to wash the rigs, that is why we started using Dri Wash n’ Guard (yes, we became dealers after using the product). It is a waterless car wash that also polishes. No water needed (great for the West).
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Nick, while I’ve read your blog for several years now I haven’t commented very often. But this isn’t about your blog today, It’s a personal thank you for mentioning MSM. My hands have really been bothering me, arthritis, and I started taking the MSM after reading about your success using it. It hasn’t even been a month and I can already see and feel a difference. So a huge thank you for letting your blog readers know about it!
I have never been refused permission in any park to use a waterless product on our 5’r. We used to use Dri Wash n Guard but have used Wash Wax All for 4 years now. Easy to use and even helps with oxidation. We still buy Dri Wash n Guard for the windows, it does a better job.