Cleaning outside of the camper

[spicyville1]

I bought my NTU 1996 Jayco 1406 in January of this year. I knew the camper had what looked like "faded paint" on the outside. I repacked the wheel bearings on both axles yesterday afternoon and I thought that while I was at it, I would try and clean the outside some. I tried a spray that I purchased that is to remove and black streaks from the exterior and it seemed to do ok and I saw that in fact the paint was still really good.I had to scrub quite a bit. I thought "what about Simple Green".
I have a gallon of concentrated Simple Green and I mixed it with 1 part Green and 4 parts water. I sprayed it on and let it sit for about a minute then I got a kitchen pad and went to work. Not much elbow grease needed here as the camper paint came to life! I could not believe that product!  It took off the years of road grim and brought the area back to the original finish! I did about a 3x4 ft area and there must now be at least 5 shades of color difference. I will do the rest of the camper this afternoon. I am so glad that the product worked. I cannot wait to show it to the rest of my camping friends!  If I can get pics up, I will do so as a before and after.  What a great product and it is safe for the environment too.

[PattieAM]

Isn't it a great feeling when a product works well?  Thanks for posting.

[OC Campers]

Woolite works great on the canvas too.

Jacqui

[austinado16]

Simple Green is great for so many things.  Try it straight, on the carpet in your home or car.  Pour onto a towel, use the towel to scrub the area, then pour fresh water onto a new towel and scrub again.

Once you have the camper body clean, seal the finish with a good quality liquid wax like Meguiar's No.26  You can go on before the No.26 with their No.6 cleaner wax, and then their No.7 Show Car Glaze, and then follow up with the No.26.

But whatever you do, now that you've opened up the pores in the finish, you'll want to seal them so it doesn't fade fast.

[wavery]

austinado16 is very right about putting a good coat of wax on the surface. In fact, about 3 coats would be good.

The problem with Simple Green and many other like products is that they can remove the very thin layer of clear coat (clear coat is a top layer of clear paint that is applied for UV and scratch protection) that is put on at the factory. If that is what happened in your case, that may be why you are seeing a nice bright color come to life. However, it may be very easily sun-damaged now because you may not have any UV protection. The paint may soon turn chalky and when you wash it again, the paint may come off (a little at a time). A good yearly waxing may help.

It's best to wash your camper (or car) with "Car Wash" soap. It will not damage the clear coat.

[spicyville1]

austinado16 is very right about putting a good coat of wax on the surface. In fact, about 3 coats would be good.

The problem with Simple Green and many other like products is that they can remove the very thin layer of clear coat (clear coat is a top layer of clear paint that is applied for UV and scratch protection) that is put on at the factory. If that is what happened in your case, that may be why you are seeing a nice bright color come to life. However, it may be very easily sun-damaged now because you may not have any UV protection. The paint may soon turn chalky and when you wash it again, the paint may come off (a little at a time). A good yearly waxing may help.

It's best to wash your camper (or car) with "Car Wash" soap. It will not damage the clear coat.

Thnx for the advice! I completed the drivers side last night and now to start on the passengers side. I will put a really good wax on it once finished. Before I wax it I am going to take it to the car wash and wash it real good and get any dried residue of that I may have missed.  Maybe I can find a wax out there that may have a UV protectant in it. I do not know of such a thing but it never hurts to look. Either way I will not sacrifice the finish of the pup with a cheap wax.

[austinado16]

You don't want to go to the car wash.  Caustic soap, under pressure, is the last thing a car or camper, or anything else you care about the finish on; really needs.

Simple Green is very aggressive, even when diluted.

Follow the steps I outlined and you'll have a nice durable finish.

Then in the future, to clean your camper safely, you can use a product called "Prolong Waterless Wash and Shine"  from //www.prolong.com.  Fantastic stuff.  Mist on, buff off with a big towel.  Take you 30min to do the whole camper, and it will leave it clean and slick without you having to get the camper wet at all.  Then as Wavery suggests, wax a couple times a year.

For UV protection, use a product called 303 Aerospace protectant.  Excellent product.  Use it on the tires too.

Just consider this "automotive detailing" and use the same good quality products that you'd want to use on your car and truck.

[spicyville1]

You don't want to go to the car wash.  Caustic soap, under pressure, is the last thing a car or camper, or anything else you care about the finish on; really needs.

Simple Green is very aggressive, even when diluted.

Follow the steps I outlined and you'll have a nice durable finish.

Then in the future, to clean your camper safely, you can use a product called "Prolong Waterless Wash and Shine"  from //www.prolong.com.  Fantastic stuff.  Mist on, buff off with a big towel.  Take you 30min to do the whole camper, and it will leave it clean and slick without you having to get the camper wet at all.  Then as Wavery suggests, wax a couple times a year.

For UV protection, use a product called 303 Aerospace protectant.  Excellent product.  Use it on the tires too.

Just consider this "automotive detailing" and use the same good quality products that you'd want to use on your car and truck.

I will see if I can get the product you mentioned. that does sound like a better alternative than the car wash. Thx