Washing a Trailer

[Oh_this_guy]

Crazy question I have a very dirty very dull airstream. Before I get anything done, she needs a good wash. Are there any products I can order that will eat away dirt and grime with out killing my aluminum?
Power washing will leave gouges I have lots of black around my window gutters and grime rings that left the same color dripping down the body.
Also any products I can mix with water let it sit on the surface to work then rinse off!
I was thinking about using alloy wheel cleaner because I can buy a 5 gallon pale but wheels are typically forged and there purity is not close. I don't have CLAD, SO I am hesitant.
Thanks everyone

[Tim A.]

I have power-washed our Airstream for years without any damage, gouges or otherwise. I do use a spreader nozzle and don't get too close with it.

After spraying the problem areas with my power washer, a moderately stiff scrub brush takes off much of the accumulated gunk. A couple of cycles of that leaves everything very clean for me.

Tim

[AldeanFan]

Don’t use wheel cleaner on your trailer, it usually contains acid that will etch aluminum.

I wash my trailer the same way I wash my daily driver cars.
In the spring I scrub the trailer down with a car wash brush and sunlight dish detergent. The dish detergent will strip wax so don’t t use it all the time, it will also do wonders on mould, moss and grease.
I try to wash on a cloudy day otherwise the sun will dry the soap on the trailer.

After the scrub down and a good rinse I wax the trailer with nufinish. I’ve been polishing my trailer for a few years so the polishing step happens between washing and waxing, but don’t worry about that now.

After the nufinish wax I wash with car soap (I like meguiars) before and after every trip, sometime i give it another coat of wax before a rally or other big event.

My tundra has had this treatment since new and the paint is still perfect and the truck has never been parked in a garage. Works great on airstreams too.

Door of tundra


Airstream

[SilverHouseDreams]

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

Attachment 310307
Door of tundra

Attachment 310308
Airstream

Forget about silver, is that blue “thing” with the white stripes or commuter? Details?

[RandyNH]

I only buy cars with big white stripes down the center. This thread is not going to be about trailer washing now...

[ROBERT CROSS]

If you have black cars or silver trailers do not use CW 'brushes' or cheep soap...they have scratched ours.

These have worked better for us. Our shining 🇱🇷👍🇱🇷

BTW..The Victoria is an un-restored survivor, original paint. In the Family & registered every year since new.

Bob

[Adventure.AS]

Wash the aluminum in the direction of the grain. e.g. usually horizontally on side panels of newer trailers..

[ROBERT CROSS]

^
X2
👍

Bob
🇱🇷

[AldeanFan]

Originally Posted by SilverHouseDreams

Forget about silver, is that blue “thing” with the white stripes or commuter? Details?

Ultimate tow vehicle, Factory Five Replica Cobra

[AldeanFan]

Originally Posted by ROBERT CROSS

If you have black cars or silver trailers do not use CW 'brushes' or cheep soap...they have scratched ours.



These have worked better for us. Our shining [emoji1148][emoji106][emoji1148]



BTW..The Victoria is an un-restored survivor, original paint. In the Family & registered every year since new.



Bob

Beautiful car!

[ROBERT CROSS]

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

Beautiful car!

Thank's,


DW's Maternal Grandmothers first new car....we have been the custodians since 1976. 4th pic, her last drive Oct '76, the day we took over.

Bob
🇱🇷

[AldeanFan]

Great car and a great story

[malinois38]

[QUOTE=AldeanFan;2098088]Don’t use wheel cleaner on your trailer, it usually contains acid that will etch aluminum.

I wash my trailer the same way I wash my daily driver cars.
In the spring I scrub the trailer down with a car wash brush and sunlight dish detergent. The dish detergent will strip wax so don’t t use it all the time, it will also do wonders on mould, moss and grease.
I try to wash on a cloudy day otherwise the sun will dry the soap on the trailer.

After the scrub down and a good rinse I wax the trailer with nufinish. I’ve been polishing my trailer for a few years so the polishing step happens between washing and waxing, but don’t worry about that now.
Attachment 310307

I have always read that dish detergent will strip/breakdown the wax on a vehicles...Am I missing something here? Don’t get me wrong your vehicles look great. Maybe that particular dish detergent is different?? Dish detergents job is to strip grease/grime. Which is a why it breaks down & strips wax/clear coats off of vehicles.

[AldeanFan]

You are correct, the dish detergent strips the wax, but that’s my goal, to start with clean paint with no wax, grease or other contaminants.
Same concept as using a clay bar but less work. I save the clay bar for the cars that live inside.

After waxing I use a good car wash soap to maintain the wax over the summer, but by the spring the wax is pretty well all worn off anyway.

[islandtrader]

Originally Posted by Oh_this_guy

Crazy question I have a very dirty very dull airstream.
Thanks everyone

I have the same problem...this is what the Airstreamguy.com suggests.

Wash with a 5-1 ratio with muriatic acid.
Rinse with water
Then wash with Mineral spirits
Rinse with water

Then use truck box polish.

I'm only the messenger here... he moves out a lot of old AS and has a pretty good shop.

[AldeanFan]

This drastically over simplifies the process.

I’d be very hesitant to use any acid on an Airstream unless I was an expert detailer. My biggest concern is having acid trapped behind rivets and seams.

The first question when washing, waxing or polishing an Airstream should be does it still have clear coat. Coarse polish won’t do anything to a clear coated trailer except scratch the clear coat.

Polishing a freshly stripped trailer takes a lot of time an a progression from coarse to fine grades of polish. A pass with truck box polish will shine it up but won’t make it polished.

[CRH]

I wait until a rainy day. I put on a rainsuit and my Muckboots. I get a bucket of soapy water with whatever brand of car wash/wax that I have on hand and go to washing with a lambs wool mitt. No rinsing needed before or after.

[AldeanFan]

That’s a great way to conserve water.
My high school girlfriend’s car needed a paint job so one day when it was raining We put on our bathing suits and wet sanded the car in the rain, then sprayed it the next weekend in her dad’s garage. Paint job looked terrible but we had fun.

I don’t think I can talk Mrs AldeanFan in to helping wash the trailer in the rain wearing a bikini, but I’ll ask next time it’s raining.

[islandtrader]

Originally Posted by AldeanFan

This drastically over simplifies the process.

I’d be very hesitant to use any acid on an Airstream unless I was an expert detailer. My biggest concern is having acid trapped behind rivets and seams.

The first question when washing, waxing or polishing an Airstream should be does it still have clear coat. Coarse polish won’t do anything to a clear coated trailer except scratch the clear coat.

Polishing a freshly stripped trailer takes a lot of time an a progression from coarse to fine grades of polish. A pass with truck box polish will shine it up but won’t make it polished.

Everyone has offered sage advice...however if you checked what year trailer he has, I'm sure he does not care about clear coat or removing wax. He wants to get it clean.

Another product to check out is Aluma Kleen...no acid cleaner. I have use this and it brightens up the panels on Very Old Aluminum.

[Adventure.AS]

Originally Posted by Oh_this_guy

... I have a very dirty very dull airstream. ...

If the trailer is water tight (or you don't care) you could try taking it to a Blue Beacon Truck Wash. They also provide acid wash if you want it.