How to Clean and Protect Your Caravan After a Big Summer Trip (Feb 2026)

Never, ever wash your van in direct sunlight when it's 35 degrees out. The soap will dry instantly and leave spots that are a nightmare to remove. If you don't have a big shed, do it early in the morning or late in the arvo.

Double-check every window, hatch, and vent. I learned this the hard way when I left a roof vent cracked on a mate's camper and turned his bedding into a swimming pool. Not my finest moment.

Give the whole thing a good hose down with plain water. You want to knock off the loose chunks of mud and dust before you actually touch the paint with a mitt.

Always do the wheels first. They're the dirtiest part, and if you do them last, you'll just splash grime back onto your clean panels. Use a dedicated wheel brush to get into the spokes.

Cover the whole van in thick foam. Let it dwell for 5 minutes but don't let it dry. This helps lift that fine red dust away from the surface so you don't scrub it in and cause swirl marks.

It's a pain, I know, but you've got to start at the top. If you leave the roof until last, all that dirt will run down over your clean sides. Use your long-reach brush and be careful around solar panels and antennas.

Wash the sides in sections, working from the top down. Use the two-bucket method. Dunk your mitt in the soapy water, wash a section, then rinse it in the plain water bucket before going back for more soap.

The front of the van usually looks like a crime scene. Use your bug remover here. Let it sit for a minute, then gently agitate with your mitt. Don't scrub like you're trying to polish a diamond, let the chemicals do the work.

Don't wait until the end to rinse the whole thing. Rinse each side as you finish it to keep the soap from drying. Be gentle around the fridge vents and electrical inlets.

If you've been near the beach, this is the most important part. Get down there and flush out the chassis rails. Salt is the silent killer of Aussie caravans. I reckon a dedicated underbody wash attachment for your hose is worth every cent.

Don't let it air dry in the sun or you'll get water spots. Use those big microfiber towels. It's a bit of a workout, but it makes a massive difference to the final finish.

Most caravan windows are acrylic, not glass. Don't use Windex! The ammonia can craze the plastic over time. Use a dedicated plastic cleaner or just a clean, damp microfiber.

Once it's dry, apply a spray sealant. Something like Gtechniq C2V3 is dead easy to use. Just spray on, wipe off. It'll make the next wash ten times easier because the dust won't stick as much.