Washing your Motorhome while on the road ?

[blues_sunris]

Just curious, where do you wash your MH while traveling … has anyone used the truckstop rig wash ? and the approx .. cost ? Do private camp grounds normally provide an area to wash your MH ?

[Waiter21]

When we head south for the winter, we usually arrive at our destination with a good amount of road salt, crud, dirt, etc on the MH..

Most campgrounds / RV parks frown on washing RVs. Not sure why.. Sometimes, I'll sneak the wash early in the morning, or during a light rain. Work fast, use the minimum amount of water.

ALSO We've found a few car wash places along our route that we can stop at and wash most of this off.. These are the 4 bay pressure wash places that have a high bay for trucks / RVs. cost about $3 - $5 in quarters. First pass just to blow stuff off, then a bucket full of water with a little soap to sponge it, then a quick pressure wash rinse.


Use a squeegee on the windows so no water spots.

[TonyDi]

If I can find a Blue Beacon truck wash on the road I will use them. They are gentle on my MH and it always comes out sparkly clean.
$30-40 depending on MH length. You can also have the toad washed while it’s hooked up for $15..
Some CGs will allow you to wash, some will charge you if you want to wash. Some don’t allow it at all. They usually have mobile washers that you can hire.

[EZDZIT]

We usually have a mobile service do ours. Many campgrounds will have one or more vendors to recommend. We have the mobile service do a wash and hand wax once or twice a year. Have not used Blue Beacon yet but will try them in the future. We run the towed thru an automated car wash a few times on each three month trip.

[FIRE UP]

Originally Posted by blues_sunris

Just curious, where do you wash your MH while traveling … has anyone used the truckstop rig wash ? and the approx .. cost ? Do private camp grounds normally provide an area to wash your MH ?

blues,
First off, in all the traveling we've done, which encompasses about 3/4 of the U.S., probably around a hundred or so campsites/RV parks etc., about 99.999999% of them DO NOT PROVIDE for washing of the coach. Some, will allow for a private detail service to come in and do it for you but, you will not be allowed to do it yourself. Now, on occasion, rare but, it happens, you can do it, based on a potential price the front desk will want to charge you. But, those situations are few and far between.

So with all that being said, we have a simple solution. I carry a small, 1.2 GPM pressure washer in the coach. Our plan is simple. If the coach is dirty from driving, rain, whatever, we will find a vacant parking lot like a Lowes, Home Depot, Walmart or any place that looks like we'll not be in the way of anyone or anything, for the short duration of our M/H washing.

Usually it's in a far corner of a parking lot. Once parked, I break out the pressure washer, a roll-up 50' nylon hose and the short, 6' foldable ladder. I get a bucket with soapy water and fire up the pressure washer which, is supplied by the house water pump. I get selected areas wet, wash them, then rinse with the pressure washer and move on. When done washing, the Dear Wife drys all the lower sections and I tackle the higher ones. As for those that might be concerned about "run-off" of water. Well, not to worry. A 1.2GPM pressure washer wastes no water. It's just enough to rinse the coach without pouring water all over a parking lot or street. For the most part, you can't even tell we were there.

All in all, from the time we set the parking brake to the time we release it and pull out of the parking lot, right at about 1 hour, done. When we pull into our campsite for that evening, we have clean, nice and shiny coach. I can break out the chairs and a drink and sit and relax knowing it's all clean.
Scott

[TXTiger]

While traveling on the road I will stop at Blue Beacon Truck Wash for about $60. I have a 43 foot Class A and they charge by the foot. About $1.50 a foot. When I get to my location I will be staying at I call a Mobil RV wash. They usually charge about $400 for a hand wash, including the roof, dry and wax including a window cleaning. I think its way overpriced but I am handicapped and can’t do it my self, can’t even get on the roof.

[spsm]

Blue Beacons are great, but why not wash her down, (even in a rest area) with brush, water pail and your electrical power sprayer for rinse. Beats a $100.00 bill. Forget campground water, you're using your own, and with soft water, better yet.

[Crasher]

Campgrounds rarely allow washing as has been previously stated. That said, San Pedro RV resort in Benson where we had a home for 10 years allowed you to wash your coach for $10 in advance. We could park our coach in a site behind our home which was very convenient for a guest home etc. Our son does as Scott mentioned. He has a pressure washer built into his coach along with an RO system. He pulls into a parking lot close to his destination and washes it. It drys spotlessly clean. Makes the rest of us seem a little neglectful, but I get over it quickly. I'll use Blue Beacon when convenient or call a mobile service when the trip is over.

[mmhh22]

Is there any concern with going through a truck wash with solar panels?

[tropical36]

Originally Posted by blues_sunris

Just curious, where do you wash your MH while traveling … has anyone used the truckstop rig wash ? and the approx .. cost ? Do private camp grounds normally provide an area to wash your MH ?

We use a mobile service on occasion, while staying at a campground. Best job and price ever, included the roof, for $100 or $2.5/foot. They threw in, for doing the toad as well.

[Pepper2]

We have found that some RV parks will charge a fee of $5.00 for washing your own RV. We have never been refused rinsing bugs off the front end of our MH at the end of a travel day. That's been our experience for the last 1 1/2 yrs.

[bobmac]

I have used Blue Beacon for 10 plus years and in most that I have visited, the manager will ask what you would like in terms of service. They all - generally - know not to use close range high pressure - so they are safe. You can stand at the front of the bay and monitor their work. With full body paint, dirt does not seem to require excessive pressure. I have the coach sprayed with Rain-X which is the last thing they do - it helps the coach shed any grime during rain storms. I have 4 solar panels which benefit greatly from the cleaning. They wash the roof using sprayers mounted on the ceiling so the likelyhood of damage is negligible Costs about $50-60 total. Have only had one bad experience and that was last year when they damaged one of the air lines on a Crossfire unit.

[Milford 47]

Originally Posted by tropical36

We use a mobile service on occasion, while staying at a campground. Best job and price ever, included the roof, for $100 or $2.5/foot. They threw in, for doing the toad as well.

I have been used to similar pricing and service however this last fall in Woodland Park CO the local mobile guys wanted 4.5 per foot which was almost twice what we paid in Garden of the Gods CG the prior year

There are a lot of larger newer car/truck washes that you can get a Coach into and out easily as well and that is what I do when they are available

[momdoc]

We usually use a mobile service (campgrounds always have recommendations) and cost is usually about $140-$160.