April 19th, 2018 by Chris Chapman

Caravan care is easily the most important part of owning a caravan. If you’re planning on using your caravan or motorhome for a summer getaway, you’ll be living in it for the time you’re away so it needs to be comfortable for you. In many ways caravans are like homes and cars rolled into one, however unlike both of those things you’ll probably only use your caravan for a few weeks out of the year! This means you need to spend a bit of time every now and then cleaning, checking and maintaining your caravan to make sure your stay in it is as comfortable as possible. Make your caravan the smartest on the campsite with this handy guide! Read on for a no-nonsense guide to caravan care that’ll last you all year long!

Charge Your Batteries

Don't be left without any juice in your battery! Don’t let your leisure battery drain! This is one of the key things that can scupper your trip, but it’s also one of the things that people forget about. If you let your battery drain too much and you don’t charge it properly, it can permanently weaken your battery. For best results look into trickle chargers. These use a low amperage and will charge your battery slowly over time. This is generally better for your battery, and it means it’ll hold charge for longer. Even better, you could go for a smart trickle charger, which can detect the charge level of your battery and adjust its output accordingly. Trickle chargers are a bit of a luxury, but they are one that could save you money and hassle in the long run.

Careful Security

Being careful and investing in security measures, like wheel clamps, for your caravan is a great idea. However, don’t forget to be careful you don’t scratch your paintwork when you put the clamp on! It’s also a good idea to check around the clamp regularly during damp or humid weather to make sure there’s no discolouration or rust forming around the wheel area. If it has, a bit of Troll’s Breath alloy cleaner will sort that right out!

Get It Covered

Don't let your caravan get too overgrown! Investing in a protective cover or tarpaulin is wise, especially for those long winter months where you probably won’t want to use your caravan. However, even with a cover, you’re still likely to find algae, mould and mystifying dirty marks and scuffs appearing. It’s best to clean your caravan regularly through the winter to stave this off. That way, when you’re finally ready to take a trip in your caravan come springtime, you won’t have to clean off 6 months’ worth of grime to do so!

Keep It Clean

Caravan and Motorhome Cleaner When you do go for that big clean, make sure you’re thorough! Use a quality wash – like our Caravan and Motorhome Cleaner, as an entirely random example – and follow that up with an after wash of Pro-Kleen Spray and Shine to form a protective, waterproof and mould resistant barrier around your caravan. This will stop the surface of your caravan attracting moisture and creating a perfect breeding ground for mould and algae. Caravan cleaning is much less of a chore if you stay on top of it!

Toilet Training

We don't have any nice relevant images for this, so here's a nice relaxing image instead! You knew it was coming! It’s hard to have a discussion of caravanning without everyone’s favourite activity, the toilet cleaning. Making sure this process is as painless as possible will make your trips much more comfortable! A regular deep clean of your toilet and Saniflo unit is necessary as the last thing you want is to miss a spot of, ahem, ‘debris’ that can fester while your caravan is in storage. Use a toilet macerator to clean your pipes and get rid of any limescale or grime that may build up. Doing so will decrease the risk of any blockages forming. We’re sure we don’t have to say that’s the last thing you want on a caravanning trip. Following these 5 top tips is a good start, but if you want more personal advice on caring for your home away from home, call us on 0800 091 3171 or use the live chat function on prokleen.co.uk.