The best caravan cleaner will provide a straightforward way of getting rid of the buildup of grime, black streaks, green algae and general dirt that accumulates on our tourers. These are products that have been specifically formulated to deal with the muck that appears on our caravans, allowing us to tour with pride in a streak-free and glistening van.
There’s no getting away from it – cleaning a caravan will always feel like a daunting task, whether you’re getting your van out of storage or want to give it a wash after an enjoyable tour. However, investing in a good caravan cleaning product will make it a much simpler and less time-consuming process. Once you’ve achieved a gleaming tourer, you can start thinking about applying the best caravan polish to offer your van some extra protection too.
Choosing the right caravan cleaner can feel easier said than done though – after all, this is a market with a wide number of caravan cleaning products on offer. That’s where the Practical Caravan Awards 2024 come in, as our expert judging panel have combined our industry experience to not only shortlist the standout caravan cleaners out there, but to also share our choice for the number one product.
This year, we picked out Autoglym Caravan and Motorhome Cleaner as the best caravan cleaner on the market. What stood out to us was its effectiveness as a cleaner, as well as its suitability for a wide-range of surfaces. Its win this year is all the more impressive as it prevented Fenwick’s Caravan Cleaner from winning the category for the third year in a row. Here, we’re taking a closer look at it, as well as revealing the options we shortlisted, featuring products from Dirtbusters, Silky, and more.
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If you’re in a rush and looking for a particular type of caravan cleaner, we’ve made it easier than ever to find the one for you. Alternatively, keep scrolling to see what we thought of each cleaner.
What is the best thing to clean a caravan with?
The best caravan cleaners are:
Autoglym Caravan and Motorhome Cleaner
Fenwick’s Caravan Cleaner
Silky Deep Cleaner
Dirtbusters Premium Caravan Cleaner
Rhino Goo! Caravan and Motorhome Cleaner
Silky Cream Cleaner
The best caravan shampoos:
The best cleaner for cleaning wheels:
What is the best caravan cleaner?
Image courtesy of Autoglym
Autoglym Caravan & Motorhome Cleaner
Sizes: 1-litre
Reason to buy:
- Effective cleaner, suitable for wide range of surfaces
Reason to avoid:
- Fairly expensive
Well done to Autoglym Caravan & Motorhome Cleaner, our winner of the best caravan cleaner category! It’s all the more impressive as the win for Autoglym prevents Fenwick’s from retaining its title for a third year in a row.
We think the traits of a good caravan cleaner are relatively simple – it should help you keep your tourer in tip-top condition, simplifying the process of removing the dirt and grime that can build up during a season on the road or while it’s in storage. In our opinion, Autoglym’s cleaning product certainly delivers.
For instance, we like how it provides an effective method for removing algae and black streaks. Another feature we’re fans of is the versatility the caravan cleaner offers, as it can be used on a wide range of internal and external surfaces, including paintwork, metals, rubber, fibreglass, plastics, carpets, hobs and more. The end result will be a squeaky-clean caravan.
The best caravan cleaning products – our pick of the rest:
There are plenty of other caravan cleaning products on the market. These are the products we shortlisted for the best caravan cleaner at the Practical Caravan Awards 2024. If you’re looking for something to tidy your tourer’s interior instead, our guide to the best caravan vacuum cleaners is also worth a look.
Fenwicks Caravan Cleaner
- Size: 1-litre
Reason to buy:
- Previous winner of best caravan cleaner title, budget-friendly, no aggressive agents
Reason to avoid:
- Some may find the spray top seen in Autoglym Caravan and Motorhome Cleaner easier to use
The winner of the best caravan cleaner title for the previous two years is a product we rate very highly. We really like how it can be relied upon to achieve a streak-free finish, giving you an efficient cleaning solution. However, we should point out that some may find the screw top lid it comes with trickier to use than the spray top lid seen on the Autoglym cleaner.
However, as it’s made specifically for tourers, this Fenwick’s cleaner is well suited to eradicating a wide range of grime that can build up on a caravan, including green algae, black streaks and general dirt. We like how it should be fairly long lasting too.
One of our favourite things about the cleaner is the absence of aggressive agents in it, reducing the chance of damage to the caravan, which harsher cleaning agents can run the risk of doing.
Another thing we really rate about this cleaner is it’s suitable for all caravan surfaces – this includes fibreglass, GRP, sealants and plastics! For a great all round cleaner, Fenwick’s Caravan Cleaner is hard to beat.
Silky Deep Cleaner
- Size: 1-litre, 2.5-litre
Reason to buy:
- Can be applied with a pressure washer
Reason to avoid:
- Only for exterior use
This Silky product is a caravan cleaner that we reckon will be ideal for getting rid of any of those tough-to-eradicate bits of grime and film that can build up. Suitable for application via a pressure washer (it can also be used manually), it can be relied upon to get your van ready for the first tour of the new season.
It’s available in both 1- and 2.5-litre bottles – if you have the space for it, we’d recommend going for the latter option, as it provides the best value for money option.
Image courtesy of Dirtbusters
Dirtbusters Premium Caravan Motorhome Wash & Wax with Carnauba Wax
- Size: 5-litres
Reason to buy:
- Comes with Carnauba Wax
Reason to avoid:
- Premium price tag, only comes in a single size which some may find too big to store
Give your tourer a professional wash with this premium caravan cleaning product. We like how the quick drying formula will leave a tourer with a gleaming finish, free of streaks, allowing you to get rid of the dirt, mud and oil deposits that could appear on your tourer.
We also like that it comes with Carnauba Wax – this creates a barrier that will continue to protect your tourer’s paintwork after application. While it’s a more expensive cleaning product, it should still last a fairly long time, depending on how often you use it – you only need two capfuls per bucket, a five litre bottle should create up to 1,000 litres of cleaning solution.
Image courtesy of Rhino Goo!
Rhino Goo! Caravan and Motorhome Cleaner
- Size: five-litres
Reason to buy:
- Helps to prevent future growth
Reason to avoid:
- Premium price tag, only comes in a single size which some may find too big to store, only for exterior use
Anything that can make the cleaning process that bit more efficient is something we always welcome when it’s time to spruce up a tourer. This is something Rhino Goo! helps with – not only does it get rid of algae and mould, but it can also prevent future growth, subsequently making the process quicker and easier down the line. We like that it’s suitable for use on rubber seals, acrylic windows and aluminium too, while we’re also fans of the hydrophobic wax finish, which helps to repel water.
It may be a more premium caravan cleaner than some in our guide, but a five-litre bottle should give you up to 50 litres of cleaning solution, so it should be relatively long-lasting. However, we’d point out that you’ll need to make sure you have room to store the product, something which is less of an issue with the one litre sizes offered by other caravan cleaners in our guide.
Silky Cream Cleaner
Image courtesy of Silky
Size: 480ml
Reason to buy:
- Comes with a virtually unchanged formula for over 40 years
Reason to avoid:
- Only for exterior use
The second Silky product to make it into our round-up is a non-scratching, non-abrasive cream. It provides that bit of extra reassurance of having remained virtually unchanged for more than 40 years now.
We also like that when you’re using Silky Cream Cleaner, it should remove any dirt from your caravan without messing with the PVC or plastics.
Autoglym Interior Shampoo
Reason to buy:
- Suitable for all fabrics
Reason to avoid:
- Not suitable for the exterior
Whether you’re at the end of the touring season or are preparing for your next trip, you’ll want to make sure your tourer is back to its sparkling best.
That’s where Autoglym Interior Shampoo comes into its own. Suitable for all fabrics, it’s a product that is sure to effortlessly remove any dirt that has accumulated during the offseason or while you’re on your tours.
We also like that it’s incredibly easy to use, whether you’re looking to clean a hard or fabric surface. Get ready to enjoy your next tour in a sparkling van!
Bilt Hamber Auto-Wheel
- Size: 1-litre, 5-litre, 25-litre
Reason to buy:
- Effective caravan wheel cleaner
Reason to avoid:
- Only for use on wheels
When you’re looking for a caravan cleaner, you don’t want to overlook your vehicle’s wheels. That’s where Auto-Wheel from Bilt Hamber comes in.
This useful product is able to clean aluminium, steel and alloy wheels, whether they’re lacquered or painted, giving you a spotless finish. While some acid-based alloy wheel cleaners can end up dulling the finish, this product doesn’t damage the surface. Instead, it just gives you a spotless wheel.
To use, simply spray it on while avoiding the centre caps, watch it for a few minutes as the colour changes to show the release of any embedded particles, and then, after it turns red, hose it off. For added ease, it’s also available in a number of sizes, ranging from 1 litre to 25 litres.
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