# How Do You Wash Your Trailer?



## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

With a hose. Lol

No but in all honesty try washing it just as you would a car. A nice bucket of soapy water and a sponge!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Now keep in mind that this is coming from someone that has not had more than a stock trailer on her property in close to 20 years....but I would guess that you should probably wash it much the same way you would wash your good pickup. Soap it up with a rag or a soft brush and rinse it off.

Do you have easy access to a pressure washer car wash? That would probably be easiest, though more expensive :wink:.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Cowgirls Boots said:


> With a hose. Lol
> 
> No but in all honesty try washing it just as you would a car. A nice bucket of soapy water and a sponge!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Uh! I was looking for the quick fix....lol...like a trailer washing gremlin or something...

I very rarely wash my pickup either....so it may explain the lack of desire to wash the trailer. The house and tack room, clean....trailer and pickup, not so much.


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

Lol I don't wash my truck either. Whoops...

Maybe try sneaking it into the self serve drive through car wash bays??
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

smrobs said:


> Now keep in mind that this is coming from someone that has not had more than a stock trailer on her property in close to 20 years....but I would guess that you should probably wash it much the same way you would wash your good pickup. Soap it up with a rag or a soft brush and rinse it off.
> 
> Do you have easy access to a pressure washer car wash? That would probably be easiest, though more expensive :wink:.


LOL... dang it!

Yes I just remembered there is a coin-op place that you can pull a semi through....I think that may be the way to go!


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## Lockwood (Nov 8, 2011)

A long broom/brush makes short work of it.
Kinda like they wash elephants with. You can find a nice soft one that won't leave swirl marks at the local hardware store. 
I mean how else is a 5' girl like me supposed to wash her big truck anyway, I ask you? :wink:


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

COWCHICK77 said:


> I used to wash the stock trailers out about once or twice a year when the creek was high (drive through really fast back and forth..ha ha) and take a garden hose to it.


Lol, ******* way, like unloading the back of your pickup, drive real fast in reverse & slam on the brakes! Just wash it like a vehicle, I even handwash the inside of mine, but I am picky about stuff. Oh & I wax it too.


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## azwantapaint (Feb 5, 2012)

Wallyworld sells a hose brush thingamajigger thats about 4' long that is perfect for making quick work of truck/trailer bath time. 
Hose down with a pressure washer/spray nozzle to get the heavy gunk off, brush the fine stuff with warm soapy water, rinse, and you're done.
Even makes it easy for me to do the cab of my 4x4 F350 in one swat!
If i do it by hand, i can only reach half...


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

A bucket, Clorox, long handle brush, and a pressure washer...Gremlins just take things from my house, they don't help with anything..


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

I wash and wax my trailers and truck. I use a soft bristle extended handle brush with a car wash soap in warm water. I wax them with a product called Ice, easy on easy off. Waxing helps keep them from fading. To me, they are too expensive to not...


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Thanks for the replies!


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## ThePonyWrangler (Dec 13, 2010)

Its always great to go through the self service car wash :lol: , gets it real clean too. 

I just bring mine to the car wash when I think its too dirty for me stand, which is about every few months, or I haul something in it besides horses. When I wash it at home, I use a hose, a ladder, and a broom that has a scrubbing head too, and of course some soap, I prefer the car washing stuff for the outside and I like to bleach the inside.


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## 2muchcoffeeman (May 29, 2011)

DrumRunner said:


> A bucket, Clorox, long handle brush, and a pressure washer...Gremlins just take things from my house, they don't help with anything..


No soap? Because all bleach does is stink and make a real mess of things. Gotta have soap.

and to be helpful and actually answer the question ... Inside, pressure washer with a soap dispenser, then air dry. Outside, we're going to the big-rig wash down the way.


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

2muchcoffeeman said:


> No soap? Because all bleach does is stink and make a real mess of things. Gotta have soap.
> 
> and to be helpful and actually answer the question ... Inside, pressure washer with a soap dispenser, then air dry. Outside, we're going to the big-rig wash down the way.


No soap. Some soaps are actually harsh on trailers and cars..it will dull the paint and such.. bleach doesn't just stink and make a mess..I have no idea where you got that from. It sanitizes and clears the smell of the urine and poop in the trailer..If you mix bleach and water together and then scrub the trailer with the brush you're getting much more "clean" and sanitary than you would with soap.. Soap may smell good but it doesn't remove all of the harshness, such as ammonia, it just removes dirt and the things you can see...If you really want a "clean" trailer, use bleach..

I also wasn't aware that I needed to tell the OP she needed to first spray the trailer with the pressure washer, pour the bleach into the bucket, then add water. Use the brush to mix the bleach and water well, then scrub the inside and outside of the trailer..After you have scrubbed very well, rinse with pressure washer, let dry...I assumed that was common sense...


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## 2muchcoffeeman (May 29, 2011)

DrumRunner said:


> No soap. Some soaps are actually harsh on trailers and cars..it will dull the paint and such..


The next time you're in your local BigMart, you might want to check out the variety of car-wash and RV-wash concentrates available for purchase. They're perfect for both you and your horse.



> bleach doesn't just stink and make a mess..I have no idea where you got that from. It sanitizes and clears the smell of the urine and poop in the trailer..


Chlorine bleach is caustic as all get-out. It can cause skin burns and irritates your lungs, eyes, and mucous membranes.

(And before somebody brings it up: Muriatic acid, which is basically another name for hydrochloric acid, does similarly harmful things to your body with the addition of corroding your esophagus and causing vomiting and diarrhea.)

Wash it with car wash or RV wash, rinse it well, air it out ... same result, none of the side effects. Win!



> If you mix bleach and water together and then scrub the trailer with the brush you're getting much more "clean" and sanitary than you would with soap.. Soap may smell good but it doesn't remove all of the harshness, such as ammonia, it just removes dirt and the things you can see...If you really want a "clean" trailer, use bleach..


I don't want bleach anywhere near _anything_ with ammonia in it — even just ammonia residue. You're talking about unhealthy and potentially toxic results: chloramine, dichloramine, nitrogen trichloride, hydrazine. That's just basic high school chemistry.

Got a well? Got crops? It's also also not something you want in your ground water.

Soap and water washes it all away.

Soap and water removes dirt. Soap and water removes oils. Soap and water removes poop. Soap and water removes ammonia. *SAFELY.* And a pressure washer will take care of almost anything that's "stuck" on.

Wash it, rinse it, air it out. If you have a _legitimate_ concern about disease, spray the interior down with Lysol spray and let it dry.

If you do it the right way the first time, you _won't_ need to play with bleach.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

ThePonyWrangler said:


> I just bring mine to the car wash when I think its too dirty for me stand, which is about every few months, or I haul something in it besides horses.


Yep - our local car wash has large truck bays that we can drive the whole rig in. You can soak, soap and spray fairly quickly. Very nice in the winter (we haul/compete all winter.

In the summer - pressure washer at home. We have a type that will allow you to insert trailer washing soap.


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## PaintCowgirl (Jan 2, 2012)

wait for it to rain. thats what i do with trucks and trailers.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

We don't wash ours. It lives under a shelter so doesn't get particularly dirty, and we are out in the rain often enough that it takes care of it.

The inside we only hose out if one of the horses pees. Heard too many horror stories about the floors rotting out because people hosed them every time.


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## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

2muchcoffeeman said:


> The next time you're in your local BigMart, you might want to check out the variety of car-wash and RV-wash concentrates available for purchase. They're perfect for both you and your horse.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Laugh! Whatever you say, If that's the way you like to do things cool! I don't..I respect your opinion, I just disagree with it...Remember that we're all adults and it's not one way or the other when it comes to the correct way of washing a trailer..No one's life depends on it and you're taking this WAY out of proportion..


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

Yep I wash mine like I was my truck...in fact I usually just park them both in my driveway and do them both at the same time! ;-) And as with my truck, I always make sure I hose the underneath as well, to get all the dried mud out of there, esp under the wheel wells.

Oh and I'm anal retentive and take a soapy rag to the inside walls as well, since my mare likes to sneeze dirty snot all over the place in there LOL


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

I have little horse fairy's fly down and sprinkle pixie dust on mine, then they blow it off with magic nickers.

Wa la, clean as can be.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

We end up getting mold here on trailers. We hit ours in the spring with a chlorinated wash to get off the winter growth.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

PaintCowgirl said:


> wait for it to rain. thats what i do with trucks and trailers.


LOL, that is what I do....it's not working:lol:


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Darrin said:


> We end up getting mold here on trailers. We hit ours in the spring with a chlorinated wash to get off the winter growth.


That is another thing the humidity is horrible here, the mold grows so easily. I shovel it out every time I use it for that reason. And the rubber trim around the drop down windows have this nasty black mold that grows on it, same as the ceiling where the condensation builds up. I have to be careful that I don't leave it sealed up otherwise it gets bad! So I leave the windows down and everyday I open the tackroom up and let it air out.


I know where there is a coin-op wash that has a big semi truck wash bay with a platform so you can get to the high spots easily. I asked my husband the next time he gets home to help me pull out the mats so I can get all the crap that has filtered down into the cracks and next to wall out and wash the floor, then I will wait until it is completely dry to replace the mats as not to trap any moisture underneath.

Thanks everyone for the replies!


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## 2muchcoffeeman (May 29, 2011)

gunslinger said:


> I have little horse fairy's fly down and sprinkle pixie dust on mine, then they blow it off with magic nickers.
> 
> Wa la, clean as can be.


I might be interested in this cleaning method. Do they work cheap?


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

They work for underpants....

Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ? 
Phase 3: Profit!
;-)


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

gunslinger said:


> I have little horse fairy's fly down and sprinkle pixie dust on mine, then they blow it off with magic nickers.
> 
> Wa la, clean as can be.


Can you send them my way? 

I use the powerwasher w/car wash soap on the outside and then run industrial strength disinfectant through it for the inside. With my new one I may break down and wax it....or more likely pay some teenager to do it.


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## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

Gotta love a power washer!


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

goneriding said:


> Gotta love a power washer!


One of my favorite things ever! I like the instant gratification of seeing it make things look better right away. I can't wait to do my siding, decks, indoor arena, come on warm weather!


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

2muchcoffeeman said:


> I might be interested in this cleaning method. Do they work cheap?


Some do and some don't....like everything else, you get what you pay for....:lol:


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