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0b1ad7a7b79268a1f4558db78e092446 How to Clean Your Horse Trailer | Cates Pressure Washing

Your brand-new horse trailer is pristine, sparkling, and squeaky clean when it is delivered to your home. When you first see your trailer, you're eager to take a vacation and use it right away, but you also want to make sure it always retains that wonderful new trailer smell.

After a few months of frequent trips to the mountains for weekend trail rides or to equestrian events, your horse trailer inevitably gets increasingly dirty. And if you don't frequently clean your horse trailer, the dust and filth can accumulate over time.

While cleaning a horse trailer might not be the most thrilling chore, it's one of the most crucial things you can do to ensure that your trailer lasts for a long time. Regular cleaning will keep your horse trailer in excellent shape and ensure that you are always prepared to leave for your favorite equestrian activities.

Cleaning your horse trailer not only makes the trailer look brand-new, but is also an excellent means to check your trailer for any damage that might need repair.

How to Clean Your Horse Trailer

You obviously know the importance of cleaning your horse trailer, but maybe you aren’t sure how to clean your horse trailer effectively. So, what is the best way to clean your horse trailer? Where do you even start with such a huge task? The goal of this article is to help you answer those questions.

1. Gather Your Necessary Supplies

Here are the supplies and tools needed to clean your horse trailer:

  • Pressure washer or a hose with a high-pressure nozzle
  • Soap cleaner safe for aluminum and stainless steel and automotive paint and finishes
  • Soft bristle, long-handled scrub brush
  • Soft bristle, short-handled scrub brush
  • Buckets
  • Shovel
  • Broom

2. Knowing the Best Place to Clean Your Horse Trailer

Try to place your trailer next to a source of running water. Parking the trailer with the front portion higher than the back is a smart idea. By doing this, you'll be able to drain water from the trailer as you clean. To increase safety, don't forget to block the trailer's wheels.

3. Cleaning the Exterior of Your Horse Trailer

Start with your horse trailer's exterior. Giving your trailer a thorough exterior wash just as you would wash a car not only makes it look gleaming and brand-new, but it also slows down the aging of the paint and trailer's metal frame. 

  • Close the windows and doors of the trailer. Rinse the exterior of the trailer with a hose or pressure washer, including the undercarriage, tires, wheel wells, and roof. Work from the top down. Before you start, it's a good idea to lightly spray the roof of your trailer to prevent dirt and dust from settling on the freshly cleaned walls of the trailer as you are cleaning.
  • Scrub your trailer's outside surfaces, especially the tires and wheel wells, thoroughly with an automotive soap and soft-bristled brush. Examine the exterior while you clean for scratches, chipped paint, or other damage.
  • Rinse the soap off the cleaned external surfaces thoroughly.
  • Be sure to rinse as you go for the best outcomes.

4. Cleaning the Interior of Your Horse Trailer

  • Start by opening all of your trailer's doors and windows. While cleaning, make sure there is adequate ventilation, and after cleaning, let the trailer thoroughly dry.
  • Remove all the rubbish, bedding, etc. from the trailer using a shovel. Use a broom to sweep up any remaining waste from the floor.
  • Remove any interior items from the trailer (floor mats, hay nets, lead ropes, etc.). You are now prepared to clean.
  • Rinse the interior of the trailer with a hose or pressure washer. Don't overlook the floor, stall dividers, and ceiling.
  • Clean the interior of the trailer with a soft-bristled brush and soap to get rid of any filth that the initial rinse failed to remove.
  • Rinse each internal surface thoroughly to ensure that all soap has been washed away.
  • Keep the windows and doors of the trailer open to let the interior air dry. A crucial step in the cleaning process is drying. If you don't let your trailer dry off entirely, mold and mildew could grow inside of it.
  • Replace the removed components (floor mats, hay nets, etc.) once your trailer has dried sufficiently.

5. Removing Rust from Your Horse Trailer

If you want to get rid of a little bit of rust on your horse trailer, wash the area with soap and water and then let it dry. Use an electric sander, steel wool, or fine-grit sandpaper to remove the rust once it has dried. Sand the area until all the rust is gone, then give it another wash and let it air dry. Before repainting the area, use one to three coats of primer.

If you have a rusted horse trailer with areas completely rusted through, you should have those surfaces professionally repaired, because they will probably necessitate structural modifications or even the replacement of the rusted metal sections.

6. How Frequently Should My Horse Trailer Be Cleaned?

You should clean your horse trailer after every trip. To avoid mold, always remove the wet hay and other damp things from your horse trailer after each trip. To keep your horse trailer in great condition, it's a good idea to clean it out once a month for routine trailer cleaning. Every six months, you should also plan a deep cleaning or horse trailer detailing.

Cates Pressure Washing 

If you are not interested in taking on the overwhelming project of deep cleaning your horse trailer, contact us at Cates Pressure Washing. We offer professional and quality work at affordable rates, and we offer a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee to all our customers.  

We will be happy to give you a price quote on having your Horse Trailer Washing taken care of by professionals. The crew at Cates Pressure Washing are the most knowledgeable and skilled pressure washing professionals in the area.