All Shined-Up and Ready to Roll

Last year I hand waxed my camper only to find that it needed it again after a few months. So, after much research, I decided to try to bring the finish on my little egg back to life with a process that should last several years and require noting more that water to clean when needed. The method I chose was inexpensive and not as much work as it sounded. The supplies needed and the tools used are as follows:

Park your camper in a shaded area (away from falling leaves and such)

  Tools:

Dawn Dish Detergent

RedMax Floor Was (found at Lowes)

BarKeepers Friend (Powdered) found next to the Ajax or Comet. BKF is non-abrasive.

Ammonia – I used Lemon Scented

Micro Fiber Cloths – NOTE: Use White or Light Colored Towels - The pack I purchased were yellow – I rinsed them in hot water several times to remove any die. Good to have extra-I dropped a couple in the dirt. 

Bowl or Pan that will hold about 1 pint.  I cut a plastic gallon milk jug open & used it.

Bucket

Water & Hose

Rubber Gloves

CLEANING:

Wash all surfaces with Dawn / Water

Rinse

Put plenty of BarKeepers Friend on a rag and scrub all surfaces to be waxed.

Rinse

Wash all surfaces with Dawn /Water

Rinse

Wearing Rubber Gloves - Mix a strong solution of Ammonia and Water apply to surface.  (Ammonia will help cut any old wax – let it sit for a few min. I also applied pure ammonia to a rag and wiped it on.) BE CAREFUL NOT TO BECOME OVERCOME BY THE FUMES 

Rinse

Using Barkeepers Friend clean one last time making sure all spots / stains / dirt are removed.

Rinse & Rinse Again.

I took my time with the cleaning process starting around 9a.m. and finishing around noon.  

 As you can see from the photo above that isn't any shine after cleaning.

APPLYING THE REDMAX

 The next morning around 9a.m., checked for any spots I had missed and scrubbed with BarKeepers Friend, then rinsed entire camper. Let camper air dry while I went inside for Breakfast.

Put about 4 of your microfiber cloths in a bucket of clean water to soak.

Put about a ½ pint of RedMax in you bowl. Refill as needed

Squeeze the water from one of you rags.

Dip in RedMax. Squeeze out excess – you do not want it to drip!!!

Starting at the top beginning wiping the surface of your RV.

By the time I finished one coat, the surface was dry and I could start the next coat.
Apply 6 coats.

THINGS TO KNOW:
 

• The prep work is the most important part. All surface area must be clean and old wax must be removed.
• IF wax gets on your windows – wipe off before it dries with a wet cloth.
• I recommended having about 4 rags on hand in the bucked if needed – I got a clean rag from the water bucked each time I put more wax in my pan. Also, I dropped a couple and got dirt on them. Glad I had extra.
• Ware Gloves when applying the wax – This is heavy duty wax which will dry on your skin. HARD TO SCRUB OFF.
• TAKE PICTURES. Before and After

 SHE SHINES LIKE NEW

As I said, that should keep you RV shinning for a few years and all that is needed to wash is water. AVOID PRODUCTS like wash-n-wax or strong soap. Most likely no detergent will be required. But if you encounter anything that doesn’t hose off, just spot clean with mild-soap.