Washing Airstream

[easler7267]

My wife & I bought our 2015 Flying Cloud 25FB last year and have really been having a blast with it.

We have never washed the exterior though. I'm wondering how often we should wash it, soaps to use/avoid and how you do it. Pressure wash at home on a ladder? Try to take it to one of those do it yourself car wash bays with the wand pressure washer and a ladder? Try to find an RV car wash?

How do you guys do it?


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[ROBERT CROSS]

Search or ask? Then choose

Bob

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Search or ask? Then choose

Bob

I checked your link, as a new AS owner too interested in washing advice, and unfortunately, none of the links that came up answered the question posed by the OP.

[AWCHIEF]

At home Use plain old liquid car soap and water with Microsoft cloths. On the road I use a commercial truck wash facility if the trailer has gotten really grimy. $20 bucks or so for a good hand wash. Next best is a good wipe down in a good strong rain. This is one of those subjects that is not rocket science or needs input from an Internet engineer.

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

At home Use plain old liquid car soap and water with Microsoft cloths. On the road I use a commercial truck wash facility if the trailer has gotten really grimy. $20 bucks or so for a good hand wash. Next best is a good wipe down in a good strong rain. This is one of those subjects that is not rocket science or needs input from an Internet engineer.

Now Bill Gates is into car detailing?

Don't you just love spellcheckers?

Al

[featherbedder]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

At home Use plain old liquid car soap and water with Microsoft cloths. On the road I use a commercial truck wash facility if the trailer has gotten really grimy. $20 bucks or so for a good hand wash. Next best is a good wipe down in a good strong rain. This is one of those subjects that is not rocket science or needs input from an Internet engineer.

I use car wash with wax in it such as turtle wax or any of other car soaps with wax in, very soft bristle brush and micro soft mitt and cloths. I would be very careful of truck washes as they recycle water and use acids for alum. fuel tanks and shiny trailers. [Truck paints very dif. than AS coatings.] There is small amount of acid but builds up in water over time. Large trucks reasonable to get washed. I would like to no where can get hand wash for $ 20.00 or so as car hand wash in our area is min. $20.00 this is not a large trailer only cars. Auto matic car wash is min. $8.00 plus for basic no extras, unless go to one that has brushes less money but tend to scratch finish.

[Al and Missy]

I use a small pressure washer first to remove as much surface dirt as possible. Years ago I would have never thought about this, but I attended a car care seminar put on by a detail shop that details $150K cars in Atlanta. The owner said they do it routinely and it reduces the possibility of scratching the finish while washing. He said if you can hold your hand under the spray it will not hurt the finish. I have been washing all my cars this way for years without incident. He also recommended another thing I would have never thought of - the use of a boar's hair bristle brush. It turns out that the boar's hair bristles are split at the end and very soft. They clean a car finish without scratching and do not hold dirt like a sponge or wash cloth.

Another little trick is to use wet dryer sheets to remove bug debris. They work great, but will leave a residue if you don't rinse thoroughly right afterwards. I work on small areas at a time.

I use a good car wash like Mother's or Meguiars. I got a long handled wash tool at WM. It has an extension handle and the wash pad is like LONG shag carpet over a foam back. Using that and a ladder, I can easily clean the roof in addition to reaching the complete sides from ground level.

Al

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Adventure.AS

I checked your link, as a new AS owner too interested in washing advice, and unfortunately, none of the links that came up answered the question posed by the OP.

So Sorry Just what I do, Dawn is for dishes & ducks, no brushes no matter how "soft"....other opinions will vary.

Oh...and I do use a power washer. Wide angle head only at 3' & beyond.

Bob

[AWCHIEF]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

Now Bill Gates is into car detailing?

Don't you just love spellcheckers?



Al

must be nice to be perfect in every way.

Originally Posted by featherbedder

I use car wash with wax in it such as turtle wax or any of other car soaps with wax in, very soft bristle brush and micro soft mitt and cloths. I would be very careful of truck washes as they recycle water and use acids for alum. fuel tanks and shiny trailers. [Truck paints very dif. than AS coatings.] There is small amount of acid but builds up in water over time. Large trucks reasonable to get washed. I would like to no where can get hand wash for $ 20.00 or so as car hand wash in our area is min. $20.00 this is not a large trailer only cars. Auto matic car wash is min. $8.00 plus for basic no extras, unless go to one that has brushes less money but tend to scratch finish.

I googled it for you, ok you got me, current price $24.
http://www.bluebeacon.com/RVMotorCoa...ng/RVBenefits/

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by AWCHIEF

must be nice to be perfect in every way.
...

Michael took offense at my post. It wasn't intended to be about him. Sorry for any misinterpretations.

Al

[SeaLevel]

Originally Posted by Al and Missy

Michael took offense at my post. It wasn't intended to be about him. Sorry for any misinterpretations.

Al

I got it - Microsoft instead of microfiber - but it would be auto-correct instead of a spell checker.

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by SeaLevel

I got it - Microsoft instead of microfiber - but it would be auto-correct instead of a spell checker.

Oops - easy to see how Michael might be offended. The bad part is I mis-spoke. I need to improve my terminology.

Thanks.

Really sorry, Michael. My mistake.


Al

[easler7267]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

Search or ask? Then choose



Bob

Bob

For you to assume I didn't search is pretty presumptive of you. I did search & came up with things as helpful as your link: not helpful at all.

So either you can answer an honest question from a fellow
Airstreamer or you can't.


But don't be a dick. It's a nice rule to live by. Either be helpful or be quiet.


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[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by easler7267

Bob

For you to assume I didn't search is pretty presumptive of you. I did search & came up with things as helpful as your link: not helpful at all.

So either you can answer an honest question from a fellow
Airstreamer or you can't.


But don't be a dick. It's a nice rule to live by. Either be helpful or be quiet.


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OUCH!!!

So sorry if your feelings got hurt.

Bob

[rocco52]

I wax it with Walbernize yearly. I use a ladder and hose it off first then a long handled brush designed for car washing with car wash soap. I dry it off with soft, clean towels. I took it to Blue Beacon once after hearing about it on this forum. All they do is spray it off with multiple high pressure sprayers. They don't dry it off. I did not know this and was not prepared with a ladder and towels or chamois'. I tried to dry the windows with a small hand towel and noticed it was black with dirt after. I had to hand wash it at home when I got there. Not a good experience.

[Cowbell]

I use a long handled RV brush only on the roof, using a ladder. It works very well getting in between AC and vents, skylights, etc. After seeing fine scratches from the brush on my last trailer, I now only use a microfiber wash mitt on a pole.
Be careful not to drop it in the dirt! It's not as easy to use as the RV brush but you will not have any fine scratches using the microfiber.
I also use a car soap solution with wax. Not sure how effective the wax is but it can't hurt. Good luck!

[featherbedder]

There are also numerous postings about washing AS.

[Caffeinated]

Washing the AS is an issue for me because my house is on a steep if little hill. So that makes getting on a ladder a "interesting" experience. That said, I use me guides car soap wit the wax in it, a car wash mitt with synthetic material, and a rv brush that is extendable for the places on the roof I cat reach. It looks good after.

Mike

[easler7267]

Thanks everyone for the great replies and advice. I'm prepping to do any required maintenance when I come back from my current deployment in Afghanistan (my last hopefully).

Unfortunately I don't have the chance to get internet access over here very often or for very long. So I sincerely appreciate everyone who answered with real advice rather than just telling me to search (which I already had done).


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[Rich W]

Originally Posted by Caffeinated

Washing the AS is an issue for me because my house is on a steep if little hill. So that makes getting on a ladder a "interesting" experience. That said, I use me guides car soap wit the wax in it, a car wash mitt with synthetic material, and a rv brush that is extendable for the places on the roof I cat reach. It looks good after.

Mike

I throw a rope over the top of the AS and tie it to an alloy wheel, the other side to the top of the ladder on the other side of the AS. I put something soft between the ladder and the AS so as not to scratch it. I can move the ladder a couple of times before I have to reposition the rope. It's a bit of a hassle and it's not perfect, but it's more stable than not having anything.