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Caravan Cleaning

L

Lee_5111965

Im new to caravanning and have just bought a 1990 Elddis Cyclone GTX which is looking a bit tired and dull externally. Has anybody got any suggestions on how to get that sparkle and gleem back on my new pride and joy.
 
Just an opinion but.

With a Tired look you need to clean of the lime and the algy,then polish.

I would use Fenwicks caravan cleaner then Fenwicks rinse.The lime streaks come off without having to rub hard. I once rubbed hard with Mer (which I use on the car) and it took the surface off. I do not blame Mer as I rubbed very hard but to me when I discovered Fenwicks it was like magic, the lime streaks just wiped off. Good for all terain bikes as well.

Available at caravan accessary shops.

ttfn
 
thanks for that,

will fenwicks bring the paintwork back looking shiny as it looks dull now. Ive been told that using jiff cream will bring it back looking loike new what do you think of this.

I dont want to try anything that will take the paint off.
 
Jif will bring it up shinning like a US Airstream caravan, the metal will shine and the paint will go. Stick to caravan products. After washing use Fenwicks Bobby dazler to rinse and dry with a Chamious leather, brings the van up like new.
 
Never had any problems using Mer car shampoo and polish on the van, but I think I will have a look at the Fenwicks products in future after the reccomendation from Mike and Del
 
Hi,

and when you put the van away for Winter use Fenwicks Overwinter which puts a waxy coat on the van. Then when you come to wash it off the following Spring it cleans up really well, withouta lot of hard work.

Other Clive
 
Lee,

We have an Eriba caravan and run an Eriba owners web-site, and we see Eriba caravans from the 1950's through to brand new.

We recommend this procedure for the thorough cleaning of an aluminium and GRP bodied caravan:

Wash:

Using a good caravan shampoo to clean the caravan from top to bottom. (Fenwicks is highly rated, we use it, but we've also heard good reports of the Tesco "value" car shampoo).

Don't use a mixed "Wash and Wax" car shampoo - that's fine for routine cleaning - but you don't want a wax coat before you finish the cleaning process and it also hides surface imperfections.

Rinse:

Rinse the caravan to remove any soapy deposits - this is easier if you add a splash of wetting agent to the rinse water (Fenwicks Bobby Dazzler is good, but the car rinse aids are also OK)

Examination:

You should now have a clean van, with any black streaks or green growths removed.

Allow the caravan to dry - this lets you see if the surface is basically OK or if it has gone matt - and carefully examine the surface - and try to identify what the caravan is made from - painted aluminium panels, natural aluminium parts, moulded GRP (fibre-glass) components. Each of these will be further treated:

Painted Aluminium:

Take care, the paint on your caravan could be very thin and you should only polish this with a pure wax polish.

We've heard good reports of Mer, it is very easy to apply but it does have a very fine cutting action - hasn't been a problem but don't be to vigorous.

Rather better is a traditional paste car wax - like Turtle Car Wax in the small green tub. This has a much higher wax content and lasts considerably longer. But be prepared for quite a bit more physical activity on your part - it's quite a bit harder to polish off compared to Mer.

If the paint is matt, then a very light application of a cutting paste like T-cut will remove the oxidised layer - but be very careful.

Natural Aluminium Parts:

If the awning rail and other aluminium parts look a bit "snotty" then using a mild cutting paste like T-Cut will remove the bad surface.

The bare aluminium surface instantly creates a protective oxide layer, but you can further protect this with a coat of Turtle wax.

GRP mouldings and panels:

I expect the aluminium parts to be in good condition, but depending on how the van was stored - or if it has seen a lot of sun - then the GRP panels may be a bit dull.

Sunlight attacks the top layer of plastic and ultimately makes it look matt or even chalky. GRP is self coloured (unless someone has painted it) and the top 1 mm or 2 mm is pure resin (called Gel-coat) then the bulk of the plastic is reinforced with glass-fibre (hence glass reinforced plastic or GRP).

If the Gel-coat is matt and you want to make it shiny, you'll need to remove this layer with T-cut and you can safely do this on Gel-coat - each T-cut application will only remove a few thousandths of a mm.

If it's really chalky and the surface is flaking, then a more aggressive cutting agent (like very fine wet and dry paper) and a repaint with a GRP paint is required. On a 1990 van this is unlikely.

In any case a good waxing is needed afterwards to protect the surface.

Robert
 
One product that works well is called Muc-Off, it is available from Towsure. It will clean off green mould and the black streaks that are common if the van is left any length of time. One piece of advice, use your Marigolds with any washing cleaner, they have ingredients that can damage your skin eventually. Better to look silly than have problems with your delicate skin.

I also agree with the comments regarding using any abrasive polish. The paint skin on caravans is very thin, much less than on cars and it is easy to get down to the bare metal. On ABS panels it is less of a problem but decals can also be vulnerable. The other 'problem' I have discovered is that the acrylic windows are very sensitive. Using a soft brush on the van caused some scratch marks to appear even though copius water was used. What was annoying was I did not, and can not see them in normal light, but let the sun shine through and there they are, grinning at me.
 
One product that works well is called Muc-Off, it is available from Towsure. It will clean off green mould and the black streaks that are common if the van is left any length of time. One piece of advice, use your Marigolds with any washing cleaner, they have ingredients that can damage your skin eventually. Better to look silly than have problems with your delicate skin.

I also agree with the comments regarding using any abrasive polish. The paint skin on caravans is very thin, much less than on cars and it is easy to get down to the bare metal. On ABS panels it is less of a problem but decals can also be vulnerable. The other 'problem' I have discovered is that the acrylic windows are very sensitive. Using a soft brush on the van caused some scratch marks to appear even though copius water was used. What was annoying was I did not, and can not see them in normal light, but let the sun shine through and there they are, grinning at me.
Click to expand...
great information on cleaning the caravan but could someone please give me some advise on how to get scratches of the windows, wife going mad at me cause i cleaned the caravan had it gleaming only to discover that i had scratched the windows while doing it. HELP
 
Keith,

How to remove light scratches from acrylic windows:

Farecia (Caravan Pride Scratch Remover), Mer and other companies make a very fine polishing / cutting compound that is used to renovate windows.

The procedure is:

1. Make sure the window is as clean as possible.

2. Helps if you take the window off and lay it on a soft surface indoors - a thick pile of old towels on a work bench is good.

3. Fill a garden spray bottle with clean water - you will use this to keep the window wet during the polishing process.

4. Use an open weave 100% cotton cloth and apply the scratch remover over the entire surface.

5. Making sure that the window stays wet, which stops the surface of the acrylic getting hot, get polishing.

If you have a purpose made electric polisher - you can use this - it's much faster and easier - use lots of water spray

You can (just about) use a variable speed electric drill - but only on the very, very lowest speed setting - 100 rpm or slower is OK - but you have a much bigger chance of overheating the window and really messing it up.

If you really put deep scratches into the acrylic, then you will need to use some 1200 wet and dry paper (with loads of water) to remove the edges of the scratch - then 1500 grade paper - then polish with the scratch remover.

Washing the windows:

Don't ever use a sponge again - grit hides in the pores.

A wash brush with plenty of water doesn't hold grit and doesn't scratch.

Robert
 
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