Top Tips On How To Clean Your RV’s Vertical Surfaces

Mike Zanche • August 4, 2021

Do you ever come face-to-face with a dirty wall in your RV that you know you need to clean but have no idea where to start? 

We understand vertical surfaces can be a real challenge to wash and sometimes, no matter how hard you try, they always somehow end up looking dirty after cleaning. 


Today we’re going to let you in on some industry insider tips on how you can clean vertical surfaces in your RV easily, quickly, and efficiently. 


You won’t have to scrub (and re-scrub) if you take our helpful vertical surface cleaning advice on board. 


Five tips for washing vertical surfaces in your RV


Vertical surfaces can be a challenging area to clean but you can make the job a lot easier by using the right method and the right supplies. 


Follow these five tips for cleaning vertical surfaces in your RV to save time and effort during your cleaning sessions. 


1 - Always wash from the bottom up 

When cleaning vertical surfaces like walls or cupboard doors, the most important thing to remember is to always start washing from the bottom and work your way up to the top. 


If you start washing from the middle or from the top down, your cleaning water is just going to run, creating streaks on the dried surface - and nobody wants their surfaces looking like a referee’s jersey!


Why are these streaks bad?


When your cleaner streaks down onto the unwashed, dry surface and sticks to it, it creates annoying marks that will take some extra elbow grease from you and your cleaning supplies to remove. 


So instead of putting yourself through the extra trouble of cleaning the same area twice, always wash your vertical surfaces from the bottom up and avoid annoying streaks of cleaner. 


2 - Always rinse with fresh water

Now that you’ve cleaned your surface with the appropriate cleaner and you’ve avoided streaking the surface it’s time to rinse. 


Always rinse your cleaned surface with fresh water. There’s no point in rinsing your newly cleaned surface with the bucket of dirty water you’ve collected, that’s just counterintuitive and will only cause you to create more mess!


So rinse your vertical surface with fresh water and work from the top down to ensure your surfaces are shining.


3 - Dry the vertical surface afterward

Now, you don’t have to do this step, but it will give you the satisfaction of stepping back and admiring your perfectly clean wall. 


If you do decide to dry your vertical surface after washing it, use a
dry, absorbent cloth and dry your surface from the top down. 


Drying the surface won’t clean it ,but it’ll let you see the results of your efforts immediately. You’ll be able to spot if you’ve missed any dirt or grime as opposed to if you waited for it to air dry. 


4 - Use a squeegee to your advantage

A great tip for cleaning vertical surfaces, especially if it’s in a shower or tub area, is to use a shower squeegee to remove all the water into the shower or tub base and into the drain. 


A good shower squeegee is a quick and easy way to remove any soap scum or hard water spots. It’ll also keep your surfaces cleaner for longer!


5 - Use the right cleaners

When cleaning vertical surfaces it’s important to have the right tools for the job, and this includes cleaners. 


Here at Gabe’s Pride, we offer our customers eco-friendly cleaning supplies free from harsh chemicals and toxic ingredients. 


We recommend checking out our
bathroom cleaner when cleaning any vertical surfaces in your shower or tub. We also have an RV essentials pack that’s full of eco-friendly cleaning supplies that are ideal for keeping your RV clean all year round. 


Remember that bleach isn’t your friend and you shouldn’t be using it to clean your vertical surfaces. Bleach won’t clean your space properly and it’s incredibly bad for your health. 


Instead of bleach-filled products consider checking out our
eco-friendly multi surface cleaner. 


By cleaning smarter and more efficiently with eco-friendly products you’ll be able to get your surfaces clean in no time. 


We hope this guide on how to properly clean vertical surfaces has helped you out. 


If you’re in need of some RV cleaning supplies to clean your surfaces out then check out our full selection of environmentally friendly cleaning supplies on
our online shop where you can find everything you need. 


From multi-surface sprays and bathroom cleaners to mops and toilet brushes, we have everything available
in our eco-friendly cleaning supplies store.

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August 15, 2025
At Gabe’s Pride , we really enjoy our peeps in the RV community! Because we appreciate independence and time on the road, our conversations about cleaning needs cover a lot of ground. We’re thankful for our regular customers! And we appreciate the questions and specific cleaning challenges you bring us at Gabe’s Pride. While we ARE RV and home cleaning experts, gray tanks require a particular knack. That’s why we reached out to the team at Kleen Tank . We urge you to keep in mind that cleaning your gray tank demands time, care and most of all, safety. Why Does the Gray Tank Stink? Believe it or not, gray tanks can have worse odors and be more of a health risk than black tanks – especially galley grays. While black tanks are collecting urine, feces, water, cleaning materials and whatever didn’t “agree with you” last night, gray tanks get everything else. Laundry, Dishes & Heat. Oh My! Germs, bacteria and mold. All three are living things and all three require something from their environment to thrive. Those are: Food Water Heat Shelter  Unfortunately, we can find all of those in your RV’s gray tank. Food particles and a warm, moist environment inside your gray tank make this a perfect breeding ground for germs, bacteria and mold. Most people don’t think about Mold As we discussed in a previous blog, when cleaning your black , the most important ingredient is water! Mold can be trouble enough on its own. However, when mold gets dried out, it can become airborne. Once inhaled, mold can wreak all manner of havoc on your health . Headaches, congestion, cough, and many other symptoms are associated with exposure to mold spores. So what do you do? Because gray tanks generally don’t come with an on-board sprayer, using a reverse flush device is the best way for an RV owner to get extra water into that tank to help flush out food particulates. You may also consider using a water meter to prevent tank overflow. It's important to test the water meter before each use to make sure it's working correctly. To use or not to use an additive. Tank cleaning companies such as Kleen Tank do recommend using additives for cleaning your gray tank. Traditionally they use a Calgon base solution. This is used to coat the sides and prevent waste from sticking. The Kleen Tank team says “use plenty of water” to keep things liquid and moving both before and during the cleaning process. Should you choose to use a tank treatment product, consistency is important. Product formulations may be similar but are not identical. For this reason, frequently changing these may create a chemical reaction. Be careful and always read the instructions and use the product accordingly. When you’re looking for cleaning tips and tools for your RV or home, check us out our products and blogs . Since we’re part of the RV community ourselves, you may see us during this season’s rallies. Our Eco-Friendly cleaning materials are made right here in the USA. And we’re always happy to answer your home and RV cleaning questions. If you have a question that can’t wait, contact us here !
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