RV cleaning - where to go

[cridom]

Hullo all,

First-time burner coming from England without a clue as to how to get our RV cleaned so we dont get stung by the rental company when we give it back! I've read that some burners offer to do it, and there are places in Reno but havent seen any contact details. If anyone could be so kind as to provide anything further I'd be greatly appreciative.

Many thanks!

Cri
x



p.s. sorry if this has already been discussed, I did have a fairly thorough look through previous posts.

[dragonpilot]

Any cleaning, whether you DIY or pay is going to take 3-4 hours minimum. Be sure to factor that in. If you don't find a service be prepared to clean it yourself.

Before arriving on the playa, cover furnishings with old sheets. Try to lay down towels or sheets on the floors. Thoroughly cover the cockpit with towels and/or sheets, especially the dash board. Switch the AC to run on Max AC when you hit the playa. This will recirculate the air inside, rather than draw it and playa dust from outside. Make sure when you leave the RV to do a playa excursion that all the windows are shut and the awning, if equipped, is retracted. AAMOF, don't even deploy the awning...period!

Take it to a self-wash car wash and do a thorough exterior wash. Before washing spritz the exterior with a 1:10 solution of white vinegar and water. This will cut the alkali dust that seems magnetized to surfaces. Don't forget to get the under carriage,wheels, roof, AND THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT!

Carefully roll up the towels and sheets inside and bag them for disposal or later washing. Use the same vinegar solution to wipe down interior surface. Use baby wipes for this job. Use a window cleaner (Windex) to clean all the windows.

Buy a spray bottle of automobile vinyl dressing. After thoroughly cleaning, spray down the vinyl surfaces on the dash board and the floor mats. Most of these solutions can also dress up the tires after they've dried...nothing screams WE'RE KEEPING YOUR CLEANING DEPOSIT like dirty tires!

It's not a bad job. Assign each person a section of the RV to clean...bedroom/kitchen/bathroom, windows, exterior, cockpit. Use soft cloths/towels/baby wipes...paper towels are good for some things, but they tend to smear dust around rather than pick it up.

Good luck!

[Eric]

Here's a couple of older threads (one from way back in '06, but the info is still valid) that will help with both prep & cleanup. Prep is half the battle - the better job you do preparing the RV, the less you'll have to do for cleaning.

http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... 86&t=54180
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=46062
http://eplaya.burningman.org/viewtopic. ... ight=clean

Dragonpilot is completely right about using old sheets to cover things. Since you're flying from England, and probably don't want to carry old sheets, Google "thrift stores" in the city you're flying in to (Reno?). Head to them and buy some old sheets, which shouldn't cost you more than a few dollars each, and cover your surfaces with them.

[Canoe]

For the exterior,

Burning Man Update: The Jack Rabbit Speaks
Volume 17, Issue #29 LOCAL TOWNS & RESOURCES
July 18, 2013

CAR WASH

The Sacred Visions Powwow Committee will be sponsoring a carwash during Exodus for travelers next to the Natchez Elementary School, just as you enter Wadsworth on State Route 447. The wash will be available for vehicles of all sizes during daylight hours from August 31 - September 3. All funds raised will go to support the 6th Annual Sacred Visions Powwow.

Last year, they split it. One side of the road was washing RVs & trucks, the other side was doing cars.
They wanted $10 for the car and did a long and amazing job. I gave them $20. They earned it.

There were cupcakes for sale too!!!

[Drawingablank]

Since playa dust tends to turn to concrete when wet, I find that initial interior cleaning is best done dry - Swiffer dusters attract dust well but it takes a lot of them to do an RV. Once we have removed as much dust as possible, we then go to a vinegar solution and normal cleaning methods.

After the exterior wash, we pulled up in the Fernley Walmart and unload the RV in their parking lot. Clean the interior, then clean or place in large trash bags all our stuff before reloading the RV.

Don't forget to clean inside the cabinets too.

We did this in 2011 and got our full cleaning deposit back.

[cridom]

You guys all rock!

We're reckless veering down the "we're a bit lazy and would rather someone else do it" route, so might take the Sacred Visions Powwow committee up on their offer. $20 seems like a bargain!

Cri

[Dr. Pyro]

And might I suggest you have them hose down (using the hart sprayer on the nozzle) the undercarriage as well as the engine compartment. That's what gave us away our first year in an RV. We were blacklisted from them ever since. Happily they went out of business.

[cridom]

So it seems like most people DIY? I've also written to a few car washes in Reno to see if they do it.

Thanks everyone!

[Canoe]

Here's a couple of older threads (one from way back in '06, but the info is still valid) that will help with both prep & cleanup. Prep is half the battle - the better job you do preparing the RV, the less you'll have to do for cleaning...

go read them..., or suffer or pay or both accordingly