Looking after the interior of your caravan or motorhome
We all love the feeling we get when our motorhome is looking shiny and clean on the outside, but it’s equally important to make sure the interior, where we spend most of our time, is also well looked after.
Here, we share some simple measures to help keep your second home in tip-top condition, before storing away until your next adventure:
- Empty all waste bins and remove any items of food stored in the cupboards – nobody wants to come back to mouldy veg. Leave doors and drawers open to improve ventilation and reduce condensation.
- Remove any items in the fridge and don’t forget the freezer compartment. Thoroughly clean and leave the door ajar to prevent odours building up. Lodge the freezer compartment flap open.
- Drain any water stored in the freshwater tank and run the taps to empty any remaining in the pipes. This will prevent damage due to freezing.
- Remove any dry cell batteries from items stored aboard, e.g. for torches, clocks, etc.
- Turn off the gas supply and isolate the electricity supply by switching it off at the distribution panel.
- Sunlight through the windows can bleach your carpets and upholstery over time, so close any blinds or curtains to prevent this.
- Place moisture traps near windows to collect condensation and prevent that dreaded damp.
- Leave wardrobes and locker doors open to aid ventilation.
- Cushions are best left upstanding or removed alongside other soft furnishings until next use. This will keep them nice and soft.
How to prevent rodents getting into your motorhome
Ensure mice, rats and squirrels will not be attracted to spend the winter inside by thoroughly vacuuming the carpets and surfaces until no trace of food can be found. If they get inside, they could cause all manner of damage to wiring, fittings and anything else they can chew through. You need to block off as many entry points as you can to avoid this.
After dark, turn on and place as much bright lighting as you can inside, then go outside and look for points of light escaping, especially underneath.
Similarly, in strong daylight, close all the curtains and blinds and look for tell-tale beams of sunlight entering from outside. Check inside and behind drawer units and pay particular attention to points where wiring enters the caravan or motorhome from outside.
If you can see points of light entering, chances are that mice (or something larger) can get inside too. Any openings should be sealed with clear silicone or expanding foam, if the opening is quite large.
Leave nothing to chance by setting mouse traps and revisiting to re-arm them with fresh scraps every couple of weeks.
Get ready for the new season
Taking time to take care of your interior can not only save time when readying for that first trip of the season, it can also save unnecessary expenditure making your caravan or motorhome ship-shape again.
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