You can buy regular awning cleaner but I just use spic an span and water and use my brush on the telescoping pole to wash then spray with clean water.Plan on getting wet and dress accordingly

We're washing our cars right now....just realized that to wash a fifth wheel it will need a brush on a very long handle.....and a ladder right?  Where do you find such brushes with telescoping handles? 

Also, what do you use to wash the body of the RV....the cleaning solution.  Ours will have gel coating.

Thanks for all of your comments and help along the way!

-- Edited by Melstar on Sunday 3rd of October 2010 03:41:48 PM

Melanie,
I bought my brush at Wal-Mart(is there any other store?) and use car washing solution on my fifth wheel.I carry an 8 foot step ladder bungied to my ladder on the back of the rig. Spic n Span works good on the roof and awning.

Good, I'm glad we can get one at Wal-Mart.... it's always Wal-Mart for stuff!    I thought perhaps we'd have to go to Camping World and pay 3 prices for it.

Try spraying a solution water, bleach and soap on both sides of the awning and then rolling it up for about an hour.  Then scrub the spots that did not dissolve and rinse it off with clean water.  This will help prevent mildew from coming back as quickly as the bleach kills the spores

I have found over the years, that most extension brushes for autos only work on medium profile rigs.  Since we bought out high profile 5th wheel, I got tired of barely having enough reach on the higher areas.  Then I found an extension pole at Flying J that is used on the commercial rigs and trailers.  It is fiberglass, making it fairly rig and extend from 6'-->12' and can be locked at any length in between.  Also has the standard thread connection that fits any type of brush or sponge. No more soap running down my arms!  No more ladder to reach the high parts!

I also use auto soap to wash our rig.  I have found that touching up the nose of the rig after every cleaning with Eagle Brand NanoWax helps keep the bug juice from sticking too tight and make keeping it clean very easy.

-- Edited by RickandJanice on Sunday 3rd of October 2010 05:57:35 PM

Txyellowrose,  the best thing I have found is the clean eraser mop (already has the long handled included), a little bucket of water to rinse the mop head out ocasionally and your ready to go.  No bleach, no scrubbing, no spraying--and a very clean underside of an awning. Take the mop head off and throw it away stow the mop handle until you need it again.  About as easy as it gets. 
 
Flyone

speaking of awnings....as we were doing the "walk though" this afternoon in our 2006 5er we just purchased, I saw that the awning was torn in more places then when we first inspected it.   The salesman went to check and came back to say that they would give us a new awning at no charge! So, the decales were changed, getting a new awning, cleaned inside and out....it looks great!

-- Edited by Melstar on Tuesday 5th of October 2010 09:21:18 PM

RickandJanice wrote:

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Try spraying a solution water, bleach and soap on both sides of the awning and then rolling it up for about an hour.  Then scrub the spots that did not dissolve and rinse it off with clean water.  This will help prevent mildew from coming back as quickly as the bleach kills the spores


-- Edited by RickandJanice on Sunday 3rd of October 2010 05:57:35 PM

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I would be a little concerned about using bleach on anything other than a white awning.Ours is tan and white and I would be concerned aboud bleaching the color out.

 

Rayon awnings can be cleaned with awning cleaner but acrylic awnings need to be cleaned with mild soap.  The high end awnings are acrylic. Try hydrogen peroxide  carefully on stains instead of bleach, wet a cloth and press it against the stain and have a sprayer with water ready to clean it off.

We use Mr Clean magic erasers and spray nine...works excellent....we opened our awning one spring to see black everywhere...we scrubbed and scrubbed..the magic erasers and spray nine as a combo did the trick..without alot of elbow grease :)