Hi I'm Liz from Caravan Guard insurance. Cleaning your motorhome roof can be a
difficult task but it's important to keep on top of black streaks and also if
you have a solar panel fitted it's important to keep it clean to maximize
the charge to your motorhomes leisure battery. It's also an opportunity to
check the roof and make sure that everything's in order and there's no
damage. We're here at Richard Baldwin Motorhomes
where we're going to clean the roof of this very dirty motorhome. But, before we
start let's have a look at some of the equipment that we're going to use.
So, to clean a motorhome roof you only need a few pieces of equipment and these
include a long-handled brush - preferably one with a hose attachment.
A squeegee for drying,
some microfibre cloths and sponge;
a water source, such as a hose pipe or a pump sprayer;
a clean bucket;
some shampoo and polish;
an appropriate ladder
and for tricky areas a clean paintbrush.
Before we make a start let's discuss ladders...
Make sure you use a ladder that is the correct height for the job.
Also, inspect the ladder before use and follow label instructions.
Set ladders on a stable, level ground, and always maintain three points of contact
that means two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand, on the ladder at any one time.
And finally have some help to pass equipment and steady the ladder for you.
It's vitally important that you never stand on the ladders' top step.
In a lot of cases it isn't a step, it's just part of the hinge mechanism.
As we're at a dealership today, we're using this sturdy, lockable platform. This allows
good access and a platform to walk around. As these lock in place they do
not require extra footing from a second person.
Before starting to clean the roof, park the motorhome up hill to encourage water run-off.
if you're on level ground use some leveling ramps to raise the front of the motorhome.
On this occasion we're parked slightly uphill to encourage water to run-off the back of the motorhome,.
If you have a hosepipe don't get too
close to any of the vents or roof lights but use the spray to disperse any debris
off the roof. If you're using a pump sprayer just moisten the roof as best you can.
Dilute some shampoo in a bucket and moisten a microfibre cloth or sponge
then pop inside the motorhome and raise any TV antennas and open the roof lights.
Wipe around the edge of the roof lights with a sponge or microfibre cloth.
Once clean close them up again and nip outside to begin cleaning the roof
Using the long-handled brush dip it into the shampoo solution and divide the roof into
six equal parts. For example, the front left, the front side, and the left back.
Then focus on each segment.
Start by cleaning around the rooflights that we've already cleaned.
Occasionally dip the brush into the shampoo as you
continue to clean the dirt from the roof. Brush around any vents and fixings but
please be gentle. You may not be able to get too close to under those items and
in that case use a microfibre cloth or sponge to get in and under the items.
For more tricky areas we are using a clean household paint brush with some Silky
cream cleaner. Areas such as gutters and TV antennas can really benefit from some
intensive cleaning, so work this product in well and remove any dirt or algae
from the moulding. Wash down and wipe clean.
At this point it's worth discussing the shapes and layouts of motorhome roofs...
For campervans and some smaller coachbuilt motorhomes,
the roof can be quite flat and easy to access.
However, for overcab sleeping layouts the
task of cleaning this can be quite tricky. We suggest using the
long-handled brush with a hosepipe attachment that has a constant stream of
flushing water through the brush head. Use this to wash as much as you can.
You may need to re-position the ladder in a couple of places and even stand on the
floor, but try not to stretch or lean over the motorhome as this can be quite unsafe.
Once the entire roof has been cleaned, wash down once more and then
carry on drying the roof.
To dry the roof you can use a squeegee and use this
to soak up as much water as you can and then wring it out to remove the excess.
For items such as solar panels it's important to keep this as clean as you can.
This will maximize the charge that the solar panel can put into the leisure
battery whilst in storage.
If you are cleaning the roof before winter storage
you might want to consider an overwinterising product like this one or
use a good polish to minimise algae or moss build-up.
And there we have it.
A nice, clean motorhome roof and I'm sure you'll agree is a vast improvement.
So there you go, there's our top tips to getting your motorhome roof nice and clean.
The downside is, you'll now have to clean the motorhome sides as we're doing here.
We'd like to say a big thank you to Richard Baldwin Motorhomes for allowing
us to clean this very dirty roof.
For more hints and tips why not head on over to the Caravan Guard website.
Thanks for watching!