crzytall
The road
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I've been thinking about different ways to make some cash while on the road- what about RV washing? With a pressure washer and some elbow grease it could be a good thing. What are your thoughts?
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HarryWM
Wherever we are parked this time.
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Joined: 08/23/2004
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Would be a good idea but, in 10 years of fulltiming, we have found very few RV parks that allow vehicle washing. If it were allowed at a given park, it is almost a certainty that you will be paying management to use their water.
Harry
With wife Carole 10 yrs fulltiming
Retired U.S. Army
2002 Carriage LS 37' 5er; 2006 Lance 1181
2008 F-450 King Ranch 4x4 fully loaded
2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee toad
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hemlox
Western Illinois
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First off, most CG's do not allow that type of washing. Maybe a spray bottle and a rag. Second, I would never use a pressure washer on our RV. They are too powerful. It will rip off stickers, and you would still have to wash the rig with a rag, the pressure washer does not remove the road grime that a soapy rag will. My opinion, not a good idea to make money.
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daverich
Northwest Missouri
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hemlox wrote:First off, most CG's do not allow that type of washing. Maybe a spray bottle and a rag. Second, I would never use a pressure washer on our RV. They are too powerful. It will rip off stickers, and you would still have to wash the rig with a rag, the pressure washer does not remove the road grime that a soapy rag will. My opinion, not a good idea to make money.
Ditto
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Laura-N-Sasha
Dumfries, VA
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Joined: 04/24/2006
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daverich wrote:hemlox wrote:First off, most CG's do not allow that type of washing. Maybe a spray bottle and a rag. Second, I would never use a pressure washer on our RV. They are too powerful. It will rip off stickers, and you would still have to wash the rig with a rag, the pressure washer does not remove the road grime that a soapy rag will. My opinion, not a good idea to make money.
Ditto
double ditto
You would have to have a truck with water in order to do this RV washing. There is a company that comes into this campground, but he brings his own water and does not seem to get on the roof. Which does not make sense, since all the dirt is up there anyway.
I'd look for something else.
Laura Jevtich
Laura-N-Sasha.com
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Kirk
Livingston, Texas.
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If you have the right equipment, it could be a very lucrative business, but as others say, you need some pretty expensive items. You will need a water source and a place to keep the equipment and you will also compete against the local business people who do that same thing. There is probably room for another in most locations, but the locals will have the edge because they already know the park owners and who will allow them in.
The unit that washed our RV on site in San Antonio was one that was trailer mounted, with about 300 gallons of water, a water heater with propane, a soap and wax injection system, and a pressure pump and all of that powered by an on-board engine. The trailer was a heavy duty one with three axles. With the supplies they carried they were able to wash three to four RVs before they went for more water.
I have no idea of what such a system would cost, but it can't be cheap. In addition you would need some way to tow that as well as your RV. I think that such service by an RV owner would be a good thing, but I suggest that you make sure you know what is involved before you start to spend your money. It also becomes more complicated if you plan to be in a different area every month or even each season. It takes time to build a clientele.
Good travelin! ........Kirk
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Islandman
NW Washington
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Agree with several of the others that it isn't a good idea. When our MH gets dirty while traveling, I look for a truck wash where I can drive it in and give it a good wash. Wash it again when we return home, more thoroughly and give it a wax job too if needed (and I'm up to it).
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horizon451
Henderson, NV
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Agree with others. You would also have to find a source for DI water in each area you planned to wash rigs, or buy some expensive equipment to make your own DI water. It would take a lot of washing to pay for the equipment you would need and you couldn't have a toad since you would be towing a trailer with your wash gear. You might be better off if you took courses and became a certified RV tech and did repairs on the road.
'02 Itasca Horizon 36LD
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crzytall
The road
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Thanks to everyone for your responses! ~Steven
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lanerd
Ridgecrest, CA
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Well, while I agree with those who say most rv parks won't allow rv washing, I have found that those (more upscale) parks that have either concrete or asphalt parking spaces DO allow rv washing and those are the parks that you will find the larger, more expensive motorhomes that whose owners would probably be more wanting to use the service you're inquiring about.
However, I think that a pressure washer would NOT be the type of equipment I would want to be used on mine. Most of the "portable" rv wash companies use a vehicle that has its own pressurized water tank and use soft bristle brushes to actually wash with.
A charge of a couple of bucks per each foot of rv length is usually the going rate. Contact the parks in your area and see if they will allow rv washing on site and if you can use their water or if you have to bring your own. They might even post your phone number on their info sheets for their customers.
I have a cousin in Tucson who does this for a living...and a very good living I might add. He even does waxing and detailing (inside and out) and has a crew of four that can go through a 40 footer in two hours. Of course he charges a little more for waxing and detailing...but still very reasonable.
Good luck
Ron
Ron & Sandie
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RETIRED!! How sweet it is....
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