A high-quality caravan should provide your entire family with a great way to enjoy affordable holidays for many years. If you own a caravan of any size of style, it's good to know how to properly maintain it before and after any holiday, so it stays in tiptop shape and lasts as long as possible. Note a few tips for doing this and ensuring your caravan is always properly cared for throughout the years.
Air it out
Dampness and moisture build-up are common problems in caravans, and this moisture can cause mould, mildew, and odour in the carpeting, walls, furniture, and even tile flooring. To avoid this damage, clean your caravan with a strong disinfectant before putting it away for the winter. After cleaning, dry off all damp surfaces with a fresh towel or rag. Next, let the doors and windows of the caravan sit open as far as possible for several hours and even overnight if possible, to allow for maximum air circulation and drying before the caravan is stored for the season.
It's also good to keep windows open as much as possible while the caravan is in use, so that the bathroom and kitchen areas can dry out and not leave standing water. This water then evaporates and gets absorbed into carpeting, woodwork and other surfaces, causing that mould and mildew growth.
Check the tyres
Checking the tyres for proper inflation is always recommended before taking your caravan on the road, but you also want to check the wear pattern of those tyres. Uneven wear can indicate that the axles are bent or that the caravan needs an alignment. The caravan might also be improperly weighted. If you don't have these issues addressed, this can put added weight on the axles and the frame of the caravan, which can eventually lead to very expensive repair work.
Sterilise the tanks
The water tanks of a caravan should be flushed and sterilised regularly; your owner's manual can tell you how often this should be done. This is to remove any standing water and to ensure that no algae is forming inside the tanks or in the hoses connecting the tank to the caravan's plumbing. It's especially important for freshwater tanks to be cleaned and sanitised regularly, as this is the water used for bathing and washing dishes. Use a food-safe sanitising solution and not just bleach, so the water is safe to use and the tanks are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.
Share10 April 2017
My name is Donna, and I love my toys! I have an ATV, a caravan, a boat and a range of other "toys". I find that there is a lot of information online about auto service but not that much about servicing fun types of vehicles. Inspired by the phrase "be the change you want to see in the world", I decided to start a blog full of information that is usually hard to find online. I will write about servicing toys, vintage cars, sports cars and a range of other topics. I hope that you like these posts and that you learn from them. Thanks for reading and enjoy your toys.