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quoteby Liz King
Are you dreaming of lazy weekends away or do you already have a vision of your holiday in your caravan this year at home or abroad?
What ever it is, there are just a few things that you might need to do just before you start off on this year’s adventures; most of it is just basic housekeeping which you do regularly but if you haven’t used your caravan for a while, perhaps it’s just nice to do a little spring clean. Vacuuming lockers and floors are obvious but about a little more TLC?
Why not line shelves in the wardrobe and wherever else you keep your clothes with some fragranced drawer liners? Don’t forget to put some in the locker where you keep towels and bedding. Blobs of re-useable adhesive on the corners will keep it in place.
If you keep make-up or toiletries on board, then why not renew them? Even man-moisturiser and after shave can change character after a few months, and you don’t want to know about the bacteria that live in make-up pots; no please don’t ask for details, just believe me.
If you put non-slip matting, which you can buy in caravan accessory shops and D.I.Y. stores on shelves you’ll find it does stop items like saucepans from slipping around.
It’s a good idea to wipe the fridge out; if in doubt as to what to clean it with, you’ll find information in the owner’s handbook.
If we haven’t used our caravan for a while, I put a bit of disinfectant down the drains; I swear by Milton “if it was good enough for babies’ bottles then it’s good enough for me” is my mantra. Thinking of sinks leads me to ask you if the water filter needs changing. Oh, and will you remember to flush through the water system and containers with sterilising fluid, and test all the appliances including the water and heating system using gas and electric heat sources.
Do you keep a First Aid kit or basic medicines in your caravan? If not, maybe it’s a good idea to start one; if you do keep medicines on board, have you checked the expiry dates recently and replaced as necessary?
Is it time to take a long hard look at what you keep on board and in the exterior lockers? I’m thinking of a de-clutter hour, and “Do we really need it. When did we last use this fine thing?” I bet you find at least three items you haven’t used in over a year!
This is a good time to lubricate the under floor spare wheel carrier too as you don’t want to be struggling with that if you need to change the wheel. Oh, and when you check the tyres, don’t forget to check the spare as well, such an easy thing to overlook.
And finally, have you booked your caravan in for a service?
Now you can feel that after a couple of hours tidying up, you’re prepared for the season. Enjoy it!
For further tips, why not view the 2009 Freedom article ‘Get Ready To Roll.’.
you have given us information on starting up for the season ,what about what we need to do at the end of the season,also some info of how to prevent damp.
thanking you,
george
Hi George
This article dates back to January 2010, so the advice was timely for the time of year. If you’d like some advice on preparing your caravan for winter, we have another article here which may interest you.
Kind Regards
Heather