Cleaning your Pop-Up Travel Trailer
Cleaning your Pop-Up Travel Trailer
Pop-up travel trailers are highly convenient and lots of fun. Not only are they small enough for easy storage and transportation, they also provide a distinctive experience that mixes the outdoor feel of tent camping with the protection and comfort of a travel trailer. But with all their moving parts, it's important to keep your pop-up travel trailer clean and free of dirt or mildew. This short guide will teach you what to use, when to use it, and why you should use it. If your pop-up travel trailer is due for repairs, stop by Herold Trailer Sales in Indianola, Iowa. Our highly-trained and experienced technicians help customers from Indianola, Des Moines, Clive, and Ankeny, Iowa.
Spruce up the Canvas
The canvas of your pop-up camper could probably use some love. After years of travel, the friction of deploying and retracting your pop-up combined with wear from the elements can leave the canvas looking pretty unsightly. Even worse, if your canvas gets stowed away while it's wet you can wind up with a mildew problem which should be treated as soon as possible.
Before you start cleaning your canvas, make sure you consult your owner's manual for any specific washing instructions, while we're going to cover cleaning products that are generally safe for use on most canvas, specific brands may have treatments that require special care or materials.
For most canvas, you can use a capful of a gentle detergent like Woolite mixed with several gallons of water. If you're dealing with a mildew problem you'll want to upgrade this solution to a mixture of bleach, dish soap and water, or a product specifically for treating mildew.
Get a pair of sponges to start cleaning your canvas. Begin on the inside, using one sponge to scrub the tent walls with your detergent mixture, then wiping it away with a freshwater sponge. If you have more stubborn marks that won't come off when treated with your cleaning solution we can recommend some multi-surface cleaners that will be able to wipe away your tougher stains without harming the canvas. The outside of your canvas will need to be treated similarly, but you may want to scrub away dirt with a scrub brush instead of a sponge, to get a little more leverage against stuck on gunk. Instead of wiping down the outside of the canvas, you can give it a light spray with a hose to wash off the soapy residue, this will also give you an idea of any places where your pop-up will need some extra waterproofing.
Waterproofing
When you're rinsing your trailer off, you'll want to make sure that the water is pooling into droplets and rolling off. If you notice that your canvas is soaking up the water, you'll need to waterproof. Most pop-up camper canvases come with robust waterproofing when they're new, however most waterproofing lasts about five years or so, and even less if there's a high friction spot where the treatment will get rubbed away over time. To waterproof make sure that your detergent mix has been completely washed away, or it may interfere with the waterproofing product. After your canvas is rinsed, let it dry completely in the sun before you come back to treat it. Consult your owner's manual for any recommended products, however most waterproofing chemicals that are used for cars will work perfectly well. Make sure that when you're applying your waterproofing to the canvas that you avoid spraying your vinyl screens and other vinyl components, if you do get any waterproofing material on this part of your camper, wipe it away promptly to avoid damage.
Vinyl
With your canvas cleaned and waterproofed, you'll want to clean your RV's vinyl. Vinyl should be treated with a product like protect-all, or another comparable automotive cleaning product. Scrub the vinyl with your cleaner using a clean cloth, and wipe it away. This is the simplest and quickest part of cleaning your pop-up camper.
Hopefully you're ready to take on the task of cleaning your pop-up trailer. When you are getting ready to hit the road, it's a great feeling knowing your trailer is in good shape and ready for the action to come. Outdoor enthusiasts in the area of Indianola, Des Moines, Clive, and Ankeny, Iowa should stop by Herold Trailer Sales for further information about our parts and services for travel trailers. No matter the problem, we have the experience and know-how to help get you back on the road.