A pop-top caravan, like a home, needs regular cleaning to make it a healthy and pleasant place to stay, and ensure that it can command a decent resale value. Most pop-top caravan owners will give their caravan a good clean before going on their first trip of the holiday season, and before returning their caravan to storage – unless you’re particularly hard on your van, this is probably sufficient.

Interior pop-top caravan cleaning

Clean the interior of your pop-top caravan in the same way as you would your house – vacuum carpets and dust surfaces, and clean your kitchen and bathroom areas using the same cleaning products you use at home. If you clean as you go, you won’t face such a big task when it comes to the end of the season.

Exterior pop-top caravan cleaning

Cleaning the exterior of a pop-top caravan is not so easy. Pop-top caravans are made up of a wide range of materials, including aluminium, acrylic, glass and vinyl or canvas – other than water and a bit of muscle, it’s extremely tricky to find a cleaning solution that works for all. Check your manufacturer’s handbook for recommended cleaning procedures and products.

Invest in some good tools to help make your caravan cleaning routine quicker and easier. Ideally, you should have a soft bristle brush on a pole, a purpose-made wheel brush (with stiff plastic fibre bristles), a microfibre cleaning cloth and an open-weave cotton cloth. A high-pressure hose will also come in handy, but you’ll need to be sure that it won’t damage your caravan or fittings.

Owners of pop-top caravans will need to pay particular attention to their pop-up ‘roofs’. Clean and lubricate all moving parts, and clean and treat the vinyl or canvas fabric components. 

Body panel sealant

If you’re not a fan of scrubbing, you can pay to have your pop-top caravan treated with a body panel sealant. This treatment creates a barrier against dirt, streaking and bird lime, leaving little for you to do in the way of hard cleaning.