Look around any RV park and you’re likely to spot some retired person standing on a ladder while tenderly wiping bugs and dust off his shiny RV. He’s making the rest of us look bad. For those of us who work all day, a DIY RV wash is the last thing we want do to during valuable down time.
Road tripping doesn’t come without a price to pay. Eventually, even the laziest RVer should admit it’s time to wash the old home on wheels. About ten days ago we owned up to our road grime while driving south to Fountain of Youth. We hadn’t washed it since spring.
But we didn’t bust out rags, RV wash and borrowed ladder this time around. That was back in the day, when we were too dumb to know that you could actually pay someone to do this kind of thing. And it was also before I knew about a cheap truck and RV wash just east of Indio.
The Lazy Traveler’s Cheap RV Wash
This time around, I decided we could suck it up and pay for someone else to tackle this dreaded part of RV ownership.
For $69 including wash and wax rinse, even this frugal RVer didn’t mind cracking open her wallet. We now have a shiny new rig ready to sparkle in the hot desert sun all winter long.
We still need to do a rubber roof treatment and hand-wax the rig, but with half the job done, the rest of it seems relatively do-able.
That is, if we can ever find the time to get out there and do it.
Maybe I’ll recruit that old retired guy down the road from us.
By the way, does anyone know of a fiberglass RV wax that actually works? We still haven’t found one that lives up to the claims. I would love to hear your recommendations.
Once a year I pay a mobile wash company $300 to wash and hand wax my 40 ft motorhome, then 6 months later I wash it and use 303 spray protectant. 303 is real easy to use. But I no longer do it in a day, LOL I got time so, I spend one day washing and 2 days applying the 303 protectant. Pony up for a good professional mobile wash and wax, its less than $1 a day. Just write one more article for the skis and its almost paid for.
Our rig is a 2005 and people are shocked to hear that after its washed. Except for the Diamond Shield. This reminds me, now that cooler weather has come to Houston, its time. LOL
Travel Safe
That sounds like a good trade off Larry, I think these two cheapskates are almost there! Will look into that 303 wax too. Thanks for the tip.
I like Wash Wax All for cleaning my rig and giving it a nice, shiny protective coating. Easy and relatively quick to apply. We get a surprising number of compliments. Lots of other people swear by Rejex, but working with it looks pretty time consuming to me. We’re also at FOY, in the upper dry camp.
Hi neighbor Dave! Thanks for the suggestion. Easier sounds good to me. I think we’ll give that one a try. Till then we look forward to seeing you and Kathy at the pools!