Washing the pod
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Printed Date: 15 May 2025 at 11:13am
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Topic: Washing the pod
Posted By: Lazy Goose
Subject: Washing the pod
Date Posted: 19 Mar 2019 at 10:07pm
| Just for kicks, what type of soap does anyone use to was their pod? |
Replies:
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 6:00am
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Dish soap, a bucket of water, and a sponge. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 7:28am
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I am a fan of Meguiar's® Ultimate Wash & Wax, the yellow stuff. WalMart, Auto Zone, etc.. Once or twice a year I go over it with their Cleaner Wax. Cheap buffer and wool bonnets to apply, wipe with 100% cotton soft towels.. ------------- |
Posted By: ron_whitt
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 7:29am
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Car soap ( any brand if on sale) pail, sponge and extendable handle soft brush and sponge.
------------- Ron & Shirley 2020 Tacoma 2012 177 rpod |
Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 8:13am
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Dish soap or for stubborn spots usually Simple Green. ------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: jato
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 9:00am
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+1 to furpod. YES, hard to beat the Meguiar's wash and wax (yellow). In the spring, once it gets warm I will bring the 177 out of hibernation and do a clay bar over the whole thing. Give it the Meguiar's love touch and then go over all the decals with ProtectAll. Our pod is 8 years old, still looks nearly new. ------------- God's pod '11 model 177 '17 Ford F-150 4WD 3.5 Ecoboost Jim and Diane by beautiful Torch Lake "...and you will know the Truth and the Truth will set you free." |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 9:43am
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+1 to lostagain. A capfull of Simple Green in a big bucket goes a long way. The outside of an R-pod is fiberglass with a gel coat (mostly), so almost any simple detergent will work fine. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: furpod
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 11:33am
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While I like simple green.. and have used it a lot... when it comes to the trailer.. I LOVE "Awesome Cleaner" from the dollar general.
------------- |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 5:20pm
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For those who care about such things, Simple Green contains environmentally toxic chemicals according to this article: https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/ewgs-hall-of-shame-of-toxic-household-cleaners/2/ - https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/ewgs-hall-of-shame-of-toxic-household-cleaners/2/ I used it once to clean grease off the bottom of my airplane (airplanes are not only big but have both tops and bottoms so they're a huge PITA to keep clean). I got some driping into my eyes while under there and after about 15 minutes I went pretty much blind. Scared the c*** out of me so bad I had my wife take me to the ER. Luckily it got better after a few hours. Anyway, I've never used the stuff since. Elbow grease and a gentle dish soap diluted in water works fine....Just my $0.02. ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: Lazy Goose
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 9:03pm
| Thank you all for the input. Happy camping. |
Posted By: crw8sr
Date Posted: 20 Mar 2019 at 9:59pm
|
Meguiar's
From interweb - - - - A common question is: Can you wash your car with dish soap? If you think about what dish soap is made for like removing grease and caked-on food then you’ll understand why it’s not good for your car. While it does a good job, it’s good because it’s considered an abrasive soap. But, when you use an abrasive soap on something like car paint, it accelerates the oxidation process and gives the car a dull look. Dish soap will also break down a car’s wax coat and can be tough on rubber.
Now that you know not to use dish soap to wash a car, what does that leave you with? Laundry soap, hand soap, and other household cleaners are also off limits. These soaps are not pH balanced and can also damage your vehicle’s paint. To get the results you want, you’ll simply need car soap. Car soap contains more lubricant, which you’ll notice when you move it behind your fingers. The slick formula is much better for your car’s surface.
------------- Chuck & Lyn Izzy, Morkie. RIP Zoe Joy & Gracie, Yorkie 2018 R Pod 190 2019 Traverse In moments of adversity;when life's a total wreck, I think of those worse off than me and really feel like heck. |
Posted By: offgrid
Date Posted: 21 Mar 2019 at 5:43am
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Here's a discussion from the Meguiar's site on Dawn dish soap, which is what I use. https://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?48296-Would-you-wash-your-car-with-Dawn - https://meguiarsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?48296-Would-you-wash-your-car-with-Dawn Like a lot of things it can turn into a big debate. Some swear its the greatest thing to ever come along, some say its like detonating a nuclear weapon on your paint job. I don't wash my vehicles very often, I used to fuss over them and it just created more potential for scratching the finish. Way too much bug bashing around here in the season to keep up with it. And besides, I'm lazy  . Now I wash and wax once in the spring and again in the fall, that's it. The rest of the time my vehicle surface maintenance efforts focus more on trying to keep the steel from rusting in the salt air.  ------------- 1994 Chinook Concourse 1995 RV6A Experimental Aircraft 2015 Rpod 179 - sold |
Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 21 Mar 2019 at 8:36am
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Keep in mind that the coating on the r-Pod is not a lacquer based car paint, but gelcoat; the same as is often found in many bathtubs and showers these days. And how often to you wash your Pod compared to your shower? Probably a mild solution of dish soap isn't going to strip off that wax you labored so hard last fall to put on, but it will get most of the dirt and bugs off. The important thing to do is to try to keep the gelcoat sealed with some protective coating such as a boat wax, especially if it has uv blockers and don't worry about occasional washing taking it off. Think of it this way: Boats get washed with some kind of soap, not to mention the lake or sea water, practically every time they go out and it is not likely that boaters, except those with obsessive compulsive disorder, wax them on every outing. There are tons of fiberglass boats in perfectly good condition after 60 years of service. It's not likely that you'll keep your Pod that long. In the words of Bobby McFerrin, "Don't worry, be happy."
------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: pshort
Date Posted: 26 Mar 2019 at 7:38pm
| Never use dish soap to wash a RV or automobile |
Posted By: lostagain
Date Posted: 26 Mar 2019 at 8:21pm
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pshort, do you have some reasons based on facts that support your opinion that one should not use ordinary dish soap on the gelcoat surface of an r-Pod [not other rv's or cars]? Dish soap has to be mild enough to not hurt delicate hands, and is often used to clean other fiberglass surfaces such as a bathtub or shower with no apparent damage. How is the r-Pod gelcoat different from other common fiberglass products? Thanks. ------------- Never leave footprints behind. Fred & Maria Kearney Sonoma 167RB Our Pod 172 2019 Ford F-150 4x4 2.7 EcoBoost |
Posted By: GlueGuy
Date Posted: 26 Mar 2019 at 9:24pm
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Yah. I've got the same question as lostagain. In my mind, dish soap is among the most mild of detergents. For one, they have to be mild because people put their hands in it. For another, you really don't need to use a heck of a lot. The main idea is to break the surface tension of water. Finally, dish soap is designed to rinse cleanly because people don't want soap residue on their dishes or utensils. When I use any kind of detergent to wash a vehicle; be it car, truck, or RV, I use about a cap full to a 2-gallon bucket. ------------- bp 2017 R-Pod 179 Hood River 2015 Ford F150 SuperCrew 4WD 3.5L Ecoboost |
Posted By: David and Danette
Date Posted: 27 Mar 2019 at 1:58am
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We use Gel-Gloss RV Wash and Wax, use it for our truck and RV.
------------- 2018 Vista Cruiser 19BFD (2018- 2012 Vibe 6503 (2014-2019) 2009 r-pod 171 (2009-2014) Middle Tn 2014 Ram 1500 Quad cab |