How to clean your motorhome properly

If you’re used to traveling in a motorhome, you know that after several days on the road your vehicle does not look the same as it did when you left. To prevent the onset of rust or even a vehicle malfunction, we’ll be looking at how to regularly clean the interior and exterior of your motorhome, which is even more important during the Covid-19 sanitary crisis.

Clean the exterior of the motorhome

When cleaning your motorhome, start with the outside and in particular the roof because this is the place that accumulates the most residue and therefore needs a little more attention.

Of course, the difficulty is to get to this upper part of the motorhome, but normally most vehicles are sold with a ladder. To wash it, use a bucket of soapy water and scrub with a sponge or a telescopic brush.

Clean motorhome’s solar panels

Some vehicles are equipped with solar panels, placed on the roof, they are particularly exposed to certain types of dirt such as bird or insect droppings, dust, rain, etc.

Take advantage of being on the roof to clean the motorhome’s solar panels. Doing it regularly not only prolongs their lifespan but also preserves their productivity. To clean them, nothing could be simpler, take a sponge and soapy water as for the bodywork and voila. Tip: You can also use window cleaner.

Clean the body of the motorhome

Let's continue by cleaning the body of the motorhome. For this we do not recommend karcher or high pressure washing because there are many places where water can infiltrate or stagnate (air vents, windows, grilles, etc ...).

To be able to clean the bodywork, there are several products: sodium bicarbonate, household alcohol, natural liquid black soap or a sponge and a microfiber cloth. The use of a telescopic broom is possible, it is very practical to reach the top of the vehicle. (tip: washing is done from top to bottom)

When you clean the exterior of your motorhome, take the opportunity to check the tightness of the joints and hide or remove any scratches on the bodywork that there may be. In addition, clean your rims to remove all the accumulated dirt (salt, tar, mud, etc.) in order to keep an aesthetic aspect but above all to protect them. Also don't forget the hold, a little vacuuming will be very useful to clear away the encrusted dirt during the journeys.

Clean the motorhome's water tank and cassette

To clean the camper van's clean water tank, we could just empty the tanks and fill them with fresh water every two days, but the most effective solution is to use products that can "disinfect" the water.

We advise you to insert white vinegar or bleach (small amount) in the tank and mix it with a few liters of water. Then to drive on small roads so that all that can mix and that each wall is disinfected. Finally, the last step is to rinse and drain.

To clean the waste water tank of the motorhome, it must be emptied, add about ten liters of clean water plus two tablets of bleach. and drive a few kilometers to mix. (Bleach also helps remove bad odors).

Wash the interior of the motorhome or campervan

To clean the interior of the motorhome you will need a vacuum cleaner, a broom, a shovel, microfiber cloths, special window cleaning products as well as the traditional cleaners that you use for your House.

Before starting to ventilate your motorhome, which may have been idle for a few months, empty out all bulky objects that could bother you during cleaning and above all turn off the appliances.

3, 2, 1 GOOOO: plug in the vacuum cleaner and remove all dust from the cabin, floor, furniture, ledges, seats or even benches. For those nooks that are sometimes difficult to reach with the vacuum cleaner, you use a rag.

The biggest part is done, it is now necessary to proceed to a more specific cleaning in each section of the motorhome.

Clean the motorhome kitchen

Here it is like at home, the kitchen area must be well maintained. For the gas hobs you can use your usual products then use white vinegar for all smooth surfaces such as the sink, worktop, cupboards, etc ...

Clean motorhome fridge

Then you can tackle cleaning the refrigerator which requires specific and more complex cleaning. First of all start by emptying it completely and then clean it with soap, you must avoid too aggressive products which may be dangerous. The proper functioning of a motorhome refrigerator depends in part on regular maintenance, in particular on the ventilation grilles, which you can simply put in the dishwasher.

Clean motorhome fridge burner

It is important to clean the burner of the motorhome refrigerator which is located at the back of the fridge, generally at the bottom right, behind a metal cover.

For that you need to:

remove the screw that holds it;

remove the burner;

unscrew the large screw on the top which allows to remove the spark plug and the thermocouple;

remove the gas inlet.

For the cleaning itself, brush all the parts, except the injector which should be cleaned with a cloth. Do not hesitate to blow on the parts a little blocked.

Once washed, you just have to wind it up!

The bathroom

Your bathroom is a special space that must be properly pampered. We advise you to take an antibacterial solution! Otherwise you can also use white vinegar which again does the trick. 

Clean motorhome toilet cassette

To clean the cassette of the motorhome toilets, corrosive products such as chlorine must be avoided. For the outside, prefer cleaning with a sponge with a little washing-up liquid.

Over time, chemical toilets emit an unpleasant odor, to remedy this you can fill the cassette with water and vinegar for a few hours. This will eliminate all traces of lime and bad odors.

Bedroom

Cleaning the bedroom is a quick part of the cabin as it is often small and does not have a lot of furniture.

It is time to change all the sheets as well as the cushion covers and duvets to wash them.

Tip: if you have a carpet on the floor, in order to remove all kinds of stains or traces or even bad smells, you must sprinkle it generously with baking soda and leave to act for at least 30 minutes. All you have to do is vacuum.

Some rooms have a mosquito net. To clean the mosquito net of a motorhome you can quite simply let it soak in soapy water (or diluted with a little detergent) for half an hour then rub it gently. Then rinse the canvas with clean water and finally let it dry before putting it back in place.

Professional motorhome cleaning at home

For people unable or lacking time to wash it, there is home motorhome cleaning where professionals come either to your home or to your workplace to thoroughly clean your vehicle. and some even offer small renovations.

How much does it cost for a motorhome cleaning service

For motorhome cleaning, the price is between £30 and £150, it all depends on what you want to clean: the entire vehicle or just a specific part that you could not clean yourself.

Then most cleaning companies offer several packages, often with options, it's up to you to choose the best deal.