With this checklist you’ll winterize your caravan

The first point on our checklist “Winterize your caravan” is: Clear out everything you can. This means that you should not leave food, clothing, bedding, towels, etc. in the caravan over the winter. Why this applies to food is logical. These are perishable and can be better utilized by you at home, than forgotten in any cupboards. Why all the textiles have to be removed? Simple, they are nasty moisture magnets. And we definitely don’t want moisture in our home on four wheels. Here we go again to the (bullet) point:

So we know: the winter season is usually cold and …? That’s right, damp. But as already mentioned, we want to banish moisture from our caravan or mobile home as much as possible to prevent possible mold growth. The following points on your checklist “Winterize your caravan” you should therefore absolutely work off:

• Raise mattresses and cushions to prevent the formation of condensation and mildew stains
• Place dry granules and replace them regularly
• Leave closet doors open to allow air exchange with interior space
• Leave refrigerator and, if applicable, icebox open
• Ventilate regularly
• Any tarpaulin should not be placed directly on top and should in any case be permeable to air

Don’t worry, you don’t have to leave your faithful travel companion spotless for the well-deserved winter break. After all, what’s the point of spring cleaning, which was mentioned briefly earlier? But if you can’t suppress your obsession with cleaning and want to give your fridge, kitchenette, furniture, cushions, bathroom and other items a good clean, we wouldn’t want to stop you. For the thorough cleaning and care of your camping vehicle, we can recommend our camping set.

However, the set is not only suitable for interior cleaning, but also for exterior cleaning. And this is an unavoidable “To Do” on our checklist “Winterize the caravan”:

• Thoroughly wash the body surface and undercarriage – also remember the wheel guards
• Then preserve the paintwork with wax
• Clean windows, blinds, roof hatches
• Clean marquee and awning
• Optional: clean interior (including refrigerator, camping kitchen, furniture, cushions, wet cell)

Another important point on our checklist for winterizing the caravan or mobile home? The often forgotten care of hinges, rubber seals, etc. Moving parts on the marquee, handbrake, support wheel, hinged window or skylight will thank you if you regularly keep them supple with a fitting spray or multi-spray and thus protect them from seizing up. The same applies to rubber seals. You can keep them from becoming brittle with a silicone spray. Short and sweet:

• Protect rubber seals from becoming brittle with care products
• Keep hinges supple with special sprays

Before you finally send your beloved vacation destination into hibernation, you should take care of the technology on board. After all, you certainly don’t want water tanks and pumps to freeze or problems with the gas line.

For mobile homes and some newer caravans, remember to charge the vehicle battery completely, then disconnect it and store it in a dry place. Alternatively, you can always recharge it using a 230-volt cable. You should also release the handbrake before wintering the mobile home to avoid rusting.

• Empty and clean water tanks/system
• Shut off the pump and open the water taps
• Allow gas to escape from lines, close gas valves on cylinder and shut-off valves, close chimneys

Unfortunately, your camping vehicle cannot lie down comfortably for its winter sleep. On the contrary, it stands its ground and is usually hardly moved or not moved at all. In order to avoid damage to the vehicle, we would like to give you the following tips along the way:

• Place the vehicle as straight as possible – you can compensate for unevenness with shims
• Extend the caravan supports slightly to relieve the load on the tires and support wheel
• Increase tire pressure (up to 0.5 bar more than usual)
• Possibly use additional tire cradles to prevent flat tires
• Attach theft protection