If your tourer’s roof hasn’t been cleaned for a year or more, it’s likely to be pretty filthy. The good news, if this applies to your van, is the steps involved in how to clean a caravan roof can transform your tourer – and it can be done in a couple of hours.
Giving your van’s roof some attention is an important part of the caravan cleaning process. Tree sap and bird droppings are two common contaminants that can actually damage the finish of your roof, while road grime and algae just make it look bad and can become ingrained in the paint or plastic surface.
While the best caravan cover can help to protect your tourer during the offseason, it’s inevitable that dirt will build up during a season of touring. One thing’s for sure, the longer you leave the dirt, the harder it will be to remove when you do get around to the task. The key to effective caravan roof cleaning is to take a planned approach.
To watch this in action, I headed to Suffolk, to see Andrew E and his Adria Alpina Colorado to find out how to clean a caravan roof. His tourer was about to turn one year old and was surely in need of some roof-focused TLC. As luck would have it, we’d chosen a cool, dry day for the clean, which would be ideal.
Practical Caravan is supported by its audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more
A step by step guide to how to clean a caravan roof
1. Road grime, bird muck and algae can be resistant to cleaning, even more so when they have got into tight gaps that are hard to access.
2. First, you need to lower or raise the front of the caravan to give it a slight slope. This will speed water, and the grime it contains, flowing off the roof.
3. You’re most likely going to use a ladder to access your caravan roof. Large stepladders with wide bases are ideal for this purpose.
At home, I always use my Henchman stepladder, which is super stable, but Andrew had decided to go all creative, cannibalising some of the foam packaging from his newly acquired television set to create a protective barrier between his aluminium ladder and the roof edge of the Adria.
Handily, the C-shaped profile even prevents the packaging from slipping!
If you’re using a standard stepladder, take extra care that you don’t wobble and dent the side of the caravan.
Obviously, your ladder or trestle needs to be on solid, level ground and stable, to protect both the van and you.
As I’m wary about walking on any caravan roof, we’re carrying out our cleaning from the ladders. The van should be safely chocked and the steadies down.
4. Do not lean or stretch too far, because falling, even from 6ft, is going to chafe! Instead, the best way to clean a caravan roof will involve washing the roof in segments, moving the ladder along each time.
5. Soak the roof of the caravan to soften the dirt. Give the water a few minutes to do its job, while you prep the foam cleaner. Don’t use a pressure washer, or even a high-pressure hosepipe, because these can damage the sealant or force water inside the caravan.
6. Using the best caravan cleaner, such as Fenwick’s, will help to make the job that much easier.
7. Professionals recommend a range of products to clean a caravan. Many prefer a microfibre mitt to a sponge, believing that sponges rub the grime back into the surface, creating microscratches, whereas a mitt will lift off more dirt.
8. A soft, short-handled brush gives you the control to clean accurately in smaller spaces, reach further across, and clean fragile surfaces, such as solar panels.
9. Once the surface has been soaked and shampooed, a long-handled brush can be used to reach right into the middle of the caravan roof.
10. Andrew’s brush can be attached to a hosepipe to provide a constant flow of water to the brush head.
11. Cleaning your solar panel will improve its performance by a few percentage points, or even more if it’s very dirty.
12. While working at roof level, Andrew noticed that the solar panel cable had become detached. This can be repaired at the Adria’s first annual service.
13. As he was up the ladder, Andrew also took the opportunity to clean the awning rail with a cloth. These grooves hold dirt inside and can create black streaking down the side of the tourer.
14. Finally, still on the ladder, Andrew rinsed the roof down with a hose to remove any loose grime.
15. He then ‘chased’ the dirt from the roof off the sides of the van, removing a little light black streaking as he went.
At this point, some folk might consider applying a post-season cleaning product that slows the regrowth of algae and minimises the appearance of black streaks. One such product is Wet & Forget, popular with many caravanners.
16. Andrew also wiped off loose dirt from the roof that had gathered in the channels on the front of the Adria.
17. Now, an hour or two of grafting has completely transformed the caravan roof. Adding a layer of wax polish or a ceramic sealant, such as Diamondbrite or similar, would help keep your caravan looking better for even longer, and will make future cleaning easier, too.
Don’t forget to give your van a good polish too – if you’re wondering which option to go for, our guide to the best caravan polish will help you settle on the one you need.
Future Publishing Limited, the publisher of Practical Caravan, provides the information in this article in good faith and makes no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. Individuals carrying out the instructions do so at their own risk and must exercise their independent judgement in determining the appropriateness of the advice to their circumstances and skill level. Individuals should take appropriate safety precautions and be aware of the risk of electrocution when dealing with electrical products. To the fullest extent permitted by law, neither Future nor its employees or agents shall have any liability in connection with the use of this information. You should check that any van warranty will not be affected before proceeding with DIY projects.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this article, why not get the latest news, reviews and features delivered direct to your door or inbox every month. Take advantage of our brilliant Practical Caravan magazine SUBSCRIBERS’ OFFER and SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER for regular weekly updates on all things caravan related.
