General cleaning questions

[Bcc75]

We have brand new 2021 International. First AS so I have some general questions regarding cleaning:
I am a bit OCD about cleaning so bear with me. I will do most of my cleaning at home, only issue is we have well water which will leave spotting on windows and cars if not dried immediately. (which is why we use commercial car washes for our vehicles) Anyway, can't really do that with the AS so what products out there are good for washing (maybe waterless?) that will assist in reducing spotting?

also - as far as the front plexiglass window guards. - is a cleaner like Spray Away OK?? Again trying to avoid a soap and water wash if possible

waxing - Is walbernize the best? -what about products NuFinish? - I use these on our cars and it works great.

finally - somehow in my kicthen sink, some very small rust spots showed up out of nowhere - would a chemical like CLR be too harsh for this ? I assume the sink is some kind of coated steel. Looks like Stainless but if it were stainless it should not rust??? I don't want to damage the finish, or any of the plumbing and seals in the grey tank.

Thanks for the advice.

[kpfate]

I can say that I would NOT use CLR on any interior part of your AS. If rust is already showing on your sink, then I think a call to the dealer would be my first step.

The only "chemical" I have used in my AS is Windex. Otherwise it is microfiber cloths, one rinsed and wringed in hot water, the other dry...wipe-n-dry.

[thewarden]

Your owner's manual will tell you what products Airstream recommends for various cleaning tasks. Walbernize is a good product for the outer skin. There are better ones, but it is what I use and have good luck with.

NuFinish is not one of them but it will be fine if that is what you want to use. Any product that can be used on today's modern car finishes can be used on your Airstream.

As far as the issue with your stainless steel sink, you could use whatever you would use at home on your kitchen sink. I would make sure that whatever you do use is confined to the inside of the sink. Personally, I would ask your local Airstream service manager about your sink issue and let them deal with it as it is on warranty.

We have a few rules regarding what cleaning products can/cannot be used inside the trailer. Anything with bleach is out. Ditto, CLR. Accidentally getting it on the counters, flooring, or upholstery will ruin your day.

We use Swiffer wet on the floors and fiber cloths (wet and dry) for pretty much everything else. We also use a toilet cleaner that is specially made for RV toilets to avoid issues with the toilet seal and black tank drain seals. I think regular household cleaners are much harsher, and frankly not necessary for an Airstream.

[Tim A.]

Walbernize is, of course, good for the exterior as are many other automotive waxes/polishes. Somebody will surely mention Boeshield to avoid filiform corrosion of the clearcoated exterior.

As for the interior, for 18 years we have used many products for our Airstream. We do avoid harsh abrasives. After extended trips and washing things with detergent and water, we have found Walbernize to be an excellent cleaner and polish for plastic surfaces, including the interior of our refrigerator, the shower stall, and the plastic toilet.

To remove hard-water spots inside the trailer, vinegar can work well. It is an acid, so should be rinsed off.

Despite what seems to be a common view, stainless steel can rust and rust spots on some stainless steel alloys are not necessarily an indication of poor quality. There are many good stainless steel polishes available that can be used to remove rust spots.

Tim

[lsbrodsky]

Buy a small ion exchanger, generally sold for car enthusiasts. It will assure you of rinse water that is spotless, hooked up to your hose.
Larry

[Bcc75]

Thanks for the responses. What about the plastic window guards? Just soap and water ?
Also anybody have success with the waterless cleaners?

[BayouBiker]

Great advice on cleaners and use of a deionizer, I won't comment much more except I have seen mentions of waterless cleaners and have seen some people use them while camping.

On the sink, stainless steel is not actually rust proof, it is rust resistant and really not even that. Instead it is like chrome in that the oxidation product forms a very thin and very hard film that prevents further oxidation (rusting). If something breaks through this film, that area will pit and rust. This is what happened to your sink. Maybe a dropped knife? Maybe an impurity when manufactured. In any case you just need to remove the rust using vinegar, remove the pitting if there is some (sandpaper works nicely, 400 grit then 800, 1000, 1200 and 1500 then 2000) depending on the original finish degree of polish stop when the finish matches. Then use polishing compound and finally a polish or wax and the sink will look good as new. Do this anytime you're not happy with the sink appearance.

In my trailer the stainless in the galley is much higher quality than the stainless in the bathroom. I have "refreshed" the bathroom sink 3 times now in 16 months.

[ROBERT CROSS]

If the 'waterless' is just air no problem. I don't use and wouldn't even consider it for the AS.

I have used Griot's Wash on the AS for years.

I recently got a Chemical Guys Wash Cannon for the DW's car and will use this on 'Cloudsplitter'.

On the stainless...if a magnet reacts to it, it will 'rust', if not it will 'clean' well.🤔

I've used Griot's for years with excellent results, the One Step replaced the Walberstuff years ago. Their Microfiber 👍

Bob
🇺🇸

[Tim A.]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

IOn the stainless...if a magnet reacts to it, it will 'rust', if not it will 'clean' well.

Unfortunately not necessarily true. Although it is mostly about stainless steel appliances, this by Consumer Reports covers a lot of questions about stainless and rusting: https://www.consumerreports.org/kitc...nces-can-rust/.

Scotch Brite pads work well to restore the finish of stainless steel.

Tim

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Tim A.

Unfortunately not necessarily true. Although it is mostly about stainless steel appliances, this by Consumer Reports covers a lot of questions about stainless and rusting: https://www.consumerreports.org/kitc...nces-can-rust/.

Scotch Brite pads work well to restore the finish of stainless steel.

Tim

Oh well, it's tough being rong.
😂

Bob
🇺🇸

[Tim A.]

Bob, perhaps there has been something going on between the 2001 date of the Scientific American article you link to and today, despite that article coming out on top of a Google search for "Stainless Steel Rust." Then again, the article is short and surely not comprehensive.

Reality is that stainless steel is rust resistant and not rust proof. A couple more internet sources to confirm that the stuff will rust (which the OP's sink attests to):
https://www.reliance-foundry.com/blo...ess-steel-rust
https://www.polymersolutions.com/blo...ss-steel-rust/ (mentions rusting sinks)

My point is that a couple of rust spots on an Airstream sink are not grounds for panic. They can be easily removed. If the offending sink is replaced by the same thing by a dealer, rust spots might well appear again on the newly installed sink because it will probably be the same alloy as the first sink.

Tim

[Ultraclassic]

Maybe the rust in the sink is just metal dust from building and can be cleaned off with sos pad

Originally Posted by Bcc75

We have brand new 2021 International. First AS so I have some general questions regarding cleaning:
I am a bit OCD about cleaning so bear with me. I will do most of my cleaning at home, only issue is we have well water which will leave spotting on windows and cars if not dried immediately. (which is why we use commercial car washes for our vehicles) Anyway, can't really do that with the AS so what products out there are good for washing (maybe waterless?) that will assist in reducing spotting?

also - as far as the front plexiglass window guards. - is a cleaner like Spray Away OK?? Again trying to avoid a soap and water wash if possible

waxing - Is walbernize the best? -what about products NuFinish? - I use these on our cars and it works great.

finally - somehow in my kicthen sink, some very small rust spots showed up out of nowhere - would a chemical like CLR be too harsh for this ? I assume the sink is some kind of coated steel. Looks like Stainless but if it were stainless it should not rust??? I don't want to damage the finish, or any of the plumbing and seals in the grey tank.

Thanks for the advice.

[lsbrodsky]

My experience is that the bathroom sink is an inferior stainless product. Unlike Brian, I got tired of refurbing the sink to make it look nice and just replaced it with a Kohler ceramic, white. Been happy about the bathroom sink ever since.
Larry

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by Tim A.

Bob, perhaps there has been something going on between the 2001 date of the Scientific American article you link to and today, despite that article coming out on top of a Google search for "Stainless Steel Rust." Then again, the article is short and surely not comprehensive.

Reality is that stainless steel is rust resistant and not rust proof. A couple more internet sources to confirm that the stuff will rust (which the OP's sink attests to):
https://www.reliance-foundry.com/blo...ess-steel-rust
https://www.polymersolutions.com/blo...ss-steel-rust/ (mentions rusting sinks)

My point is that a couple of rust spots on an Airstream sink are not grounds for panic. They can be easily removed. If the offending sink is replaced by the same thing by a dealer, rust spots might well appear again on the newly installed sink because it will probably be the same alloy as the first sink.

Tim

Tim,
What color is your rust? It should be red.
"Corrosion is the process in which metals, are deteriorated by action of air, moisture, chemicals etc. Rusting. Rusting is a type of corrosion which occur on the surface of iron material, when it's in contact with atmospheric oxygen."

Stainless like aluminum oxidizes, iron rusts. If your stainless is 'rusting' it's poor a alloy with to little chromium.

Bob
🇺🇸

[BayouBiker]

To add just a bit more precision, Iron Oxides can be red or black depending on a few factors, though red is most common. The iron in stainless steel can and does oxidize or "rust" if the chromium and other metal oxide(s) layer is disturbed either physically, or chemically (Dissimilar metal alloys in harsh chemical environments like a dishwasher does this commonly). Surface imperfections, inclusions, or impurities will also disturb chromium oxide formation locally. The key is to remove the stain or "rust", smooth out the area if it is rough and encourage the coating to reform.

[Bcc75]

First off, Merry Christmas to all

To be specific about the sink rust spots:
This is a brand new trailer. When we picked it up, the spots were not there.
Camped one time, used the sink, no spots. Discovered a leak in the galley drain pipes(among other ‘issues’). Took the unit to a dealer they fixed the leak. Noticed the spots when I got it back. Not sure if they put something in the sink that caused this. No visible scratches. The spots are reddish brown. All they said the did was run the pink antifreeze thru it to check for leaks again. Then the re-winterized the entire trailer.

[AnnaBelle33]

Brian - Merry Christmas to you, Midge & the kids! My bet would be they left a wrench in the sink while fixing the pipe underneath. Or a can of pipe glue. Probably wet....

[BayouBiker]

yeah the easiest low stress thing to do is just clean off the stain (Stainless sinks are not coated) with a cleaning pad, vinegar, or even polishing compound. If the area has a ding or roughness, sand it as mentioned, follow the grain of the original finish using progressively finer grit and stop when it matches(5000 grit will give you a mirror finish, 2000 a very light matte, 1000 a brushed finish), then polish and it will be good as new. You can get a variety of wet or dry sandpaper and polishing compound online or at an auto parts store.

[Hans627]

We use Bar Keepers Friend to keep the stainless steel sinks looking nice!

[BayouBiker]

Yes that is a good polish that provides some protection for stainless from staining. Furniture polish and auto wax/polish also works though not as well.