Cleaning a caravan roof 

A quick tip to help get rid of the muck and water off the roof quicker as you are washing. Lift the rear steadies a few inches, wind up the jockey wheel a reasonable amount, re-steady, then wash from front to back, doing about 6 foot one side then 6 foot the other side, meeting in the middle, then rinse the cleaned section, and so on along the length of the caravan. As the water is running down the still dirty section it softens the dirt and it lifts off easier. Needless to say, after doing the roof, it is prudent to wash all sides at the same time to prevent streaking. I try to do mine when it's drizzling or raining, the dirt lifts off much quicker and the rain helps with the rinsing. :-) For newcomers to caravanning, try not to wash the van on a hot sunny day, or you may find yourself spending another half hour or so playing catchup getting rid of the streaks resulting from the shampoo drying before you could rinse it off. ;-)

If I can add something to this. The first thing I do is lift all the skylights and use a dish washing brush /toothbrush with warm water and car wash liquid soap and spend time cleaning the dirt from around the sky light openings from the inside using short step ladders, then from the outside on taller step ladders. Then close the skylights and attack the main roof.

Great video DT it's hard when storage to get a good scrub, thanks again 🇬🇧

Another great informative video....I would love to see a future video on how you and fellow caravan enthusiasts tackle awning floor coverings...ie single or several layers, how to tackle muddy pitches, foam mats etc.👍🏻

Great video and advice. We have recently put our caravan on a storage site and our plot is directly under trees. I fear we will be cleaning the roof on a regular basis. I have considered a top cover but that would cover our solar panel.

Ah.... the Beauty of a Cover! I only need to clean the roof once a year. When its washed I use a 'waterless' was wash & wax applied w product moistened microfibre cloth on a floor 'flat mop' then buff the same way with a dry microfibre cloth. My van is 2007 & looks like new. The interior is always wiped down with Anti-bac after every outing. fridge & loo cleaned too so that all is ready for the next outing. All that while the wife tackles the clothes washing. The Van has its own clothes, socks, undies shirts, etc so there is no need to pack for a trip. Just the fresh food - Hook up & run takes about 30 mins after getting home from church. my wife says I have 'house-burglars'. LOL. great Vid doing the roof is never fun.

Thanks Dan ! I LOVE a clean car so no doubt our new caravan will get the same treatment on the drive when it comes home from its storage barn. I'll make sure I keep the hose on low pressure around the vulnerable bits.

Thanks for the vid, some nice tips. 3 years of caravanning, maybe i'll clean the roof now.

Hi Dan. Really helpful video as always. We purchased a Maypole fitted cover for our van when we purchased it. I was sceptical at first having heard about damp and researching the causes, however we have never had any issues at all. I ensure the van is very clean after a trip away and put it on between trips all year. I have it down to a fine art now for putting it on myself in 15 minutes and the joy is that the van is perfect when we choose to go away. Best £120 I have ever spent! As a belt and braces, I have 2 of the Aero 360 damp tramps in the van, which work really well. Worth thinking about!

Love your videos by the way.

eh up pal ..i like your tips and i do some of them..for cleaning my roof i made a A frame tressle with a youngerman board so i can do the lenghth of the van without moving the step ladder,..tressles can be bought from ebay..

Great video again guys and great job on the caravan roof it's certainly not my favourite part of the caravan cleaning regime

Great channel. Very interesting

Helpful video thanks 👍

Very useful video 🎉

Cobblers to that! Lol. I store mine on a storage site but we are not allowed to wash our vans in situ.I normally take mine to a local hand car wash site when we come back from our trip away. I spoke to the owner and explained no high pressure hose . We came to an agreement and he only charges me a tenner for the caravan without the roof. I only have the roof done once a year when we come back from Spain.

Good vid 👍

Great vid Dan, Our van is usual stored under cover in a barn and shares it winter home with pigeons who sit on the beams above and leave deposits all over the roof, and due to storage condition e.t.c we only wash our van when on holiday, so as you can imagine we get large piles of pigeon poo poo which is set like concrete, worst thing is if it's raining when we go out for the first time, well I'll leave it to your imagination as to how our van looks NOT A PRETTY SIGHT. Best wishes Jon

One down, what another 50+ to go...lol. great video. Tip... if you have a Karcher Window vac it can come in handy to help remove excess dirty water as you clean.

Should I clean my roof before every season? Thank you

great vids watched a few now. 1st caravan had it a year now thanks

Good vid again. Don't think the hubster turns his aerial up..I will pass that idea on. I still have to show him the windows vid. We are lucky we have ours at home, and it is one you can stand on roof. According to the sales blurb it can take a car! We use one of those rubber glass squeegee thingys to remove surplus water.

Great video and really helpful as I bought a caravan last weekend and am giving it a full clean tomorrow. I have just subscribed to your channel and I wonder what are your thoughts on caravan covers, the dealer we bought our caravan from strongly recommended getting one but none of the vans (aside from 1) in our storage site have covers on. Is it a case of regularly cleaning and waxing will do the job?

Excellent video, many thanks. Could I please ask what wax you use on your Caravan? We have only been Caravanning a year so a bit of a novice so I am open to any advice. We have a new Bailey Pegasus Rimini and we love it and I want to be able to look after it. Many thanks again.

Dan how do you clean under a solar panel. I just brought a three year bailey cabera. Its really dirty

well done guys :-)

Would you advise a jet wash (karcher) on the caravan?

Hi Dan Please could you tell me if you seal your roof after you have washed it. I have watched your video using the Mellerud products and I have ordered some on your recommendation, but I won’t be able to polish the roof on the site ( caravan lives on a site 100 miles from home). Your thoughts would be appreciated. Regards Stuart

Wondor if you'd help me I own static atlas lodge hvent been there for 2 years liking after my mum . I hv know returned to damp and a tide mark by the patio and behind the couch any help to get rid or do I hv to get atlas out many thanks

Was planning to clean roof in similar state. Do you use anything from dry sparkle now or still same method? What was the cleaning agent which you added to water?

Hi there , have you tried wet & forget for the roof?

I am going to check if my aerial has the pull out sides I might be able to get a signal then!

Another good video. Don't forget to put your aerial down again after you have finished.

Hi dan just cleaned my caravan roof to day in preparation for fittings 150w solar panel next weekend. One thing I can’t understand what are them telescopic antennas for on the tv aerial if you can’t reach them ? Do you know 🙁

Hi have you fitted a pageant 7 series awning grey skirt rail

This might be a silly question? but is the roof not designed to take the weight of a person so cleaning could be done faster, or was it just not accessible with the size of the ladder?, Love the videos, Cheers

Dan why do you not put caravan cover on it when you have cleaned it, we have a protec cover made for the van and it seems to keep it clean over the winter.

Thanks for this I was just wondering why you wouldn't put a caravan cover over your van to protect it. Is there any reason you don't use one. Cheers Glenda from Australia

How did you train Tom? Most teens would balk at the idea of helping dad, so tell the secret.

Wet and Forget. Use garden spray all over in Autumn. That’s it. Come back in spring and there will be no green moss, lichen, slime. On offer at Costco at present. £20 for five litres, makes 30 litres solution with water. No effort, uses little product. Also cleans paving, awnings, tent fabric, timber fencing. Used on mohair convertible roof too.

Anyone know weather a caravan cover would help to keep the caravan any cleaner? 👍.

Which pump-up sprayer is this please?

Hi Dan, Interesting video. Do you ever walk on your roof??

Get a low pressure battery operated ‘jet wash’ no where near the same pressure as a plug in one but much easier to clean away the excess dirt.

Take delivery of my first ever caravan next week. I am 69 and SWMBO is 68. Tiny two birth Swift Basecamp. Any tips!

I’m really worried about scratching it with a brush?

Just checking !!

All Weather Caravan Cover while its Parked up?

that explains why our vans roof is always green, we have are van in storage also near trees to that reminds me ours needs cleaning

The person next to you good use a bit of these cleaning things 😂

I have never seen two people buy and use so much equipment, and make a simple job so time consuming, I guess some people like to do things the hard way. I can only assume that they have never heard of "Greased Lightning"showroom shine. I have cleaned and polished all of my twin axle caravans roof in under 3 hours, on my own with no mess, no water and little effort.(No need to wash your caravan first) All that is needed is a bottle of "Greased Lighting" showroom shine and half a dozen quality micro fiber cloths (which can be washed afterwards). The results are amazing. The following day I cleaned all four sides of the caravan, I also use it all over my Audi Allroad tow car including all the glass. One bottle covers all your cleaning problems

Quick away is just get on top of the roof stand on top and wash it down then rinse it with the hosepipe

Hi dan brilliant video as normal I really think it helps others. just to let you know you have a typo in the description box

Just noticed that you have the blinds down. This might cause the caravan windows to mist up The sun reflects back and heats up the windows and can damage them . It might be better to leave the fly screens down if you want privacy. Good idea of solar panels to top up the battery

How do I clean under the solar panel ?

Someone needs a longer ladder :-)

Dan ever tried wet and forget ??

Who knew their are ariel;s in the TV antenna LOL

Commonsense will tell you to clean the roof more if you don't clean the The dirt will go down the sides when it raining so no Point then doing the sides more

This is not the way to gain access. Ladder should protrude well above roofline

has the bloke in the next caravan seen this video?

Bit late to this but. Never use a mains powered pressure washer on your caravan it can and will push your aluminium panels away from your seals. You will damage your van.!!!!!!!!

Never hold up your sunglasses!

If you had opened the skylights you could have cleaned the whole van.

I put the wife actually on the roof she does a lot better job than me. We haven’t done ours for 18 months now.

No way he cleans that every 3 months! That roof hasnt been done in years!

Wouldn't want my van parked by someone splashing about & up side van with ladders

then you should take tour coat off

Why don't you invest in a winter cover if your van sits near trees and you won't have a messy roof.... £80 well spent

Ma cosa dici lavoro io 80 anni ammalata. Nn cammino cuasi piu mi e morto io figlio grade dispiacere. Ma dai cosa mi dici

Hi guys. So sorry please don’t think I’m being rude. But just can’t understand why you don’t get a cover I know that I’m probably pointing out the obvious But. I was just saying sorry fellow caravaners.😜

How sad are those British caravans looking....

I clean my van roof every fortnight and it's spotless, your roof is very dirty to say the least.

Why does he clean like Posh Spice?

would it help if you had a cover