How to clean caravans and mobile homes by soft washing

March 11, 2021 2 Comments

Cleaning caravans and mobile homes is an excellent soft washing market. 

The process is simple and straight-forward. And cleaning several on the same day, in the same park, can be highly profitable.

What is the best product to soft wash caravans and mobile homes?

Lightning Cleanze diluted 10:1 – our recommended dilution for soft washing caravans and mobile homes – is officially classified as non-corrosive and will not damage glass, rubber, plastic or metal fittings.

So you can safely treat an entire caravan or mobile home with Lightning Cleanze, which is particularly beneficial if the surface is very dirty and colonised with algae. 

Btw: If an owner wants their caravan or mobile home cleaned on a regular basis, say monthly – when very little dirt or algae has accumulated – washing with a proprietary cleaner or car shampoo that includes a protective polish may be indicated.

What are caravans made of?

Today's caravan sides and roofs are usually constructed from glassfibre, or aluminium sheeting that has been anodised. Aluminium caravans may also have their sheeting coated with PVC or be painted.

Older caravans may be constructed from plywood, in which case Lightning Cleanze is still our recommended choice. But as when treating wood structures, be sure to rinse it from any exposed plywood asap after allowing 10-15 minutes for activation.

Quick tip: Lightning Cleanze will kill and remove green algae, the scourge of caravans. And the built-in surfactant will give caravans a thorough cleaning.

Washing with soapy water alone will not kill the algae, which is an important point to mention to potential customers when canvassing a caravan or mobile home park.

How to soft wash a caravan

1. Start with the roof. 
2. Rinse
3. Treat the sides up from the bottom, as you would when soft washing the wall render of a house or industrial cladding. 
4. Rinse

Give the surface a light rinse with a pressure washer (set at hose pipe pressure) and water-fed-pole fitted with a soft brush to remove any ingrained dirt. If a pressure washer is not available a hose pipe and soft broom can do the job, although it will be harder work and more time consuming.

Do not use a pressure washer other than at low pressure for rinsing, because high pressure can damage the seals and sealant around windows and doors.

That said, a pressure washer can be a time-saving boon when treating several caravans in the same park on the same day.

How to prevent streaking

Treat the roof first, rinse, then treat the sides of the caravan or mobile home from the bottom up.

After rinsing with tap water, especially if it is hard water, it can be a good idea to give a quick rinse with de-ionised water, as used for window cleaning. 

Squeegee or shammy the windows. And for the best possible job do the same with the sides. This will leave the caravan or mobile home looking impressively pristine and will encourage the owners in the rest of the park to employ you to clean their caravan or mobile home.

How to soft wash mobile homes

Pretty much the same applies to mobile homes as for caravans. Similarly, high pressure jet washing is not recommend, not least because by treating with Lightning Cleanze it is unnecessary.

The sides of mobile homes are often made from vinyl sheet or are PVC coated metal, or are painted metal. This is usually aluminium.

The cleaning process for both caravans and mobile homes is similar to treating industrial cladding.

How to remove tar spots

Use a proprietary tar spot remover. We've found Autoglym products to be excellent and use them for cleaning our vehicles (we are not on commission! :) )
 

How to remove rust stains and limescale

Treat with Benz Oxy Cleanze

How to treat canvas awnings

Click here to learn how to soft wash canvas awnings

How to protect the surrounding environment

Click here to learn how to take care of the grass and plants surrounding caravans and mobile homes

Marketing: After completing a clean of one property always knock on the doors of the others in the caravan or mobile home park, or at the very least pop a promotional leaflet through their letterboxes.

Point them to the caravan or mobile home you've just cleaned as an example of your work and what they can expect their own to look like.

Finally, remember to offer your customers a "Clean & Maintain" programme, so they can enjoy a year-round clean property and you can enjoy the regular repeat business.

As always, stay safe, have fun and look after the ones you love.

Ciao,

Ben. Leo & Fiona

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