Earlier this year I purchased a Compass Casita 860. A lovely caravan and I need to keep it that way. Any recommendations for caravan shampoo and wax please? Is there an all in one? Anything I need to be aware of in particular? Sounds silly but I'm sure the coating isn't as robust as a car and am weary of damaging or scratching it. Also some scratches have happened during holidays due to tree branches,any recommendations please.
Thanks in advance. Karl
Do you wash and look after your own car?
If so just use that wash & wax, if you don't have any a good reputable brand will do the trick.
------------- XVI yes?
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
I'm pretty lazy about cleaning my caravan, partly because it's in storage an hour from home and it becomes an all day job with travel (probably 6-7 hours home to home!), moving it to the service bay, washing, returning it to storage bay then getting home again, and only do it maybe once a year (or maybe pushed towards every two years!), but when I do it, it's a good thorough 'all the nooks and crannies' job, and it comes up near pristine, which for an 8 year old van is pretty good. It's a 4 hour stint to wash and rinse with a finishing agent that's supposed to repel dirt, then dry with a drying cloth to remove water mark streaks. I use a long handled wash brush and a 'noodle' wash glove for the details, and dry/polish off with a large microfibre drying cloth (far more effective on such a large area than a traditional Chamois Leather).
I use Fenwicks caravan shampoo and 'Bobby Dazler' finishing rinse which seems to work well. A lot of the acquired muck from journeys and outdoor storage without a cover does seem to wash away with a good shower of rain, and the dreaded black streaks from drainage points are minimal!
A quality car wash n wax shampoo should be fine. A couple of DON'TS - Don't use a pressure washer, at least not at high pressure and too close, you risk dislodging sealants and setting up a leak. Don't use abrasive restorers like 'T-Cut', caravan paint is VERY thin, and you seriously risk polishing through the paint to the primer and even the bare alloy/fibreglass panel! Repeated use is near guaranteeing damage!
I find a lot of the tree branch marks actually come off with a good wash and polish, any persistent ones I use Fenwicks Windowize which is only mildly abrasive, and intended for windows as the name implies!
Perhaps the greatest compliment on how well the van cleans up is from the various mobile service engineers over the years who've all commented on how well it's looked after! Not sure if that means mines very well cleaned, or the others they work on are 'utter piles of poo', but like to think mines clean!
If you have the time wash the van and dry it.
Then polish with Autoglym Super Resin Polish then apply Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection as this will seal the paintwork and dirt and rain will just bead and roll off.
You will need a dry day or indoors to polish as the Extra gloss protection takes hours as you apply it then I leave it for over an hour and tgen buff off.
It is well worth the effort and the extra gloss protection you only need to apply it 3 or 4 times a year.
Use stockinet polishing cloth similar to Halfords Polishing Cloth
Its the same stuff that you pay a car dealer stupid money for to seal the paint work on a new car.
Quote: Originally posted by Trek 39 on 21/12/2025
If you have the time wash the van and dry it.
Then polish with Autoglym Super Resin Polish then apply Autoglym Extra Gloss Protection
I will second this, so easy to apply and very little buffing required.
As well is two words!
How does a sage know everything about everything? or does he? or does he just think he does?
Remember, if you buy something you bought it, not brought it.
On pretty much the same day in October, they looked for recommendations for a caravan cover & they did thank folks for their suggestions. Probably just busy with Christmas…
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Caravan cleaning
via mobile 27/10/2025 at 12:36pm
