Cleaning your caravan is a big task, if you’re going to do it thoroughly. But if you’re prepared to invest the time and money, your pride and joy will stay looking good for longer.

Here are the three steps to proper caravan care.

Cleaning

Start off by washing your caravan thoroughly with household detergent to remove wax and grime.

Then remove stubborn contaminants on the paint with a clay bar. The clay bar is a lifesaver, it will remove bugs, sap, bird dropping and almost anything else that’s hard to get rid of.

After your paint surface is clean and dry, pull off a one-fifth segment of clay bar and flatten it. The clay needs to glide over the paint surface, so use a lubricant such as soapy water. Rub the clay over the surface in a forwards and backwards motion with light pressure until you feel the paint is smooth. Wipe off excess lubricant with a microfiber cloth.

Give the caravan a quick rinse and dry.

Polishing

For powder-coated vans that have weathered a little, use a mildly abrasive one-step polish/sealer on the paint to remove the oxidised top layer. If you’ve just bought your van brand-new, a non-abrasive sealer might do the trick.

If you notice swirl marks in the clear-coated paint areas, use a multi-stage light cutting compound to remove any imperfections. 

Wipe off the polish residue with a microfiber cloth and regularly change the cloth or it will make your job much harder.

Waxing

Waxing will give the paint a deep lustre and will be relatively quick to apply if you’ve already cleaned and polished your van.

A good quality wax like carnauba wax is expensive but should stretch to two coats on average sized van.

No one said cleaning and maintaining your van would be easy but once you get started, it will be easier to keep up.  

This article was originally featured on caravanworld.com.au