How do you store/ keep it clean ?

[rigger4343]

I was outside today giving my little TT a bath and quick cleaning on the inside. While I was cleaning the inside I started thinking about what others do for cleaning and storage. One thing I hate is when I step into a camper that smells bad!

For the outside....
I would like to get a full cover for mine but for now I keep a tarp over the top of my TT. It does not cover the whole trailer but it does keep all the tree **** off of the top at least. It is big enough to cover the roof and come about 24" down the sides all the way around. (We have a lot of trees in our yard.) It also allows me to still wash and enter the camper whenever I want. One more plus is that it is very cost effective.

I would also like to throw some wax at mine. I have not done that yet. I have had some people tell me there is no need to wax mine. (It is an aluminum sided Jayco.) But I still like the idea of rubbing some wax over the camper. It certainly can not hurt to do it.

On the inside....
I keep a small bucket of Damp Rid on the counter. I also keep a very small fan fan on the floor that I leave on. It moves just a little air in the camper and I think it helps keep it from smelling stale inside.
Other than that, I just keep it clean on the inside.

Anybody have tips or tricks for keeping their camper looking and smelling good?

[TheBar]

It also depends on your climate. If you live in a constant high humidity environment like 90% 24/7 even new cars on the dealers lot form moisture inside. No cover will cure that.

[ExxWhy]

I'm spoiled, store mine indoors. 5 yr's old and looks brand new, it really makes a difference!

Yes to the wax!

[spoon059]

Bought a metal carport and park it underneath. That stores it and keeps rain, dirt, UV, leaves, etc off the roof. Being stored clean, it doesn't get washed often.

[jplante4]

Try this stuff when you put it away at the end of the season. Releases chlorine dioxide gas and cuts mold and rot. Every fall we set up a display in the store using an aquarium divided with plexi-glass. We throw some apples and bread etc in both sides and put NosGuard or Marine Magic in one side. It sits for a few month and the difference is amazing.

Having a hard time finding Marine Magic this year. It must cause cancer in California or something.

[jamesu]

Over the years I was able to store TT on my property in the open next to the house. I washed it when dirty and experimented with covering it with a huge tarp or with a purchased TT cover or with not covering it at all. Because covering brought moldy-type crud to the finish I found over the years that I was happier not covering it at all. So I stopped covering it.

We moved to our retirement home 5 years ago. HOA covenants do not allow me to store it on my property. Actually a blessing because we found a local storage yard with secure covered parking for the TT at an affordable price. I love it. No more watching it fade in the sun and/or toughing out in rain and snow storms out in the open. No more leaning the 6’ stepladder up against the side and pulling a foot of snow off the roof with the yard broom in one of our wet, heavy snowfalls. That is a lot of weight on a flat roof.

[rigger4343]

I have no bad smells or issues of any kind right now and I would prefer to keep it that way. 🙂

I would like to get a good cover for it one day. So far I have had no issues with the tarp that I do have on it. No rubbing spots and no mold under it. I think I maybe lucky with that because mine still has good air flow under it. The roof AC holds it up so it does not hold any water on it.

[JimK-NY]

Does you RV smell musty after storage? If so, I would check thoroughly for leaks. Mine has no odor when stored for months and months.

[TheBar]

30' covers require a lot of work putting up and especially taking down and folding back up. After a couple of seasons I decided it was less work to wash the roof more often. I applied Liquid Roof 4 years ago and mold seems to love it for some reason. I've used Blue Coral car wash/wax for 20 years to wash the sides. I found it also cuts down on the mold spots on the roof. Applied every 6 months it keeps the gel coat shiny and new on my 20 year old rig. Some decals have a little hairline cracking from expansion and contraction but are not faded at all. If your finish is already oxidized and dull it isn't going to cure that. Just use Febreeze air freshener, one in the front and one in back to keep the inside smelling fresh. I also use 2 of the big containers of Damp Rid to keep moisture down which forms in any enclosed space.

[janstey58]

X2 on the PURE Peppermint Oil.

[tdiller]

I'm lucky in that I have a 70X90 pole barn that I store my trailer in. It also has running hot water in the barn to use for washing the trailer as well. We used to have horses and the water was used for grooming the horses. Now it is my inside storage and wash center for the trailer.

[Veebyes]

If it was put into storage all clean & freshly waxed it will be so much easier to put back into service after months of storage.

Tarps can work as long as it is not a cheap & nasty plastic tarp. No matter the type of tarp chafe is the worst enemy. Storing boats under tarps I would always get some old bath towels, fold them, & tape them over corners or anywhere the tarp might rub. This saved the tarp from premature wear & saved whatever was under the towel from chafe too.

Lots of preparation for storage work but the payoff is no damage & lots of time saved when putting back into service.

[FLY_4_FUN]

Right off the bat forget EVER using a tarp. They do not fit snugly and will rub and chafe and destroy things in a real hurry. If you get a lot of debris and stuff on the roof then a quality cover that is fit to your rig is the way to go.

For sure using quality wash and wax products will help keep your rig looking good. Pay attention to the decals as they tend to deteriorate with UV. I use a product 303 aerospace on decals/tires/trim as its like "sunblock" for those areas. For inside be sure to prop ur fridge/freezer open between trips when its shut down. Clean with lysol wipes and air the rig out after trips as the outdoors smells nasty once you bring it home! Otherwise I say treat it like your car, dont leave garbage inside more than a day or so, vacuum carpets often and wash lino. Keep toilet valve seal in water so fumes dont come back into rig. Dont wash food bits down sinks as they will smell very bad!

enjoy

[1320Fastback]

Just washed truck and trailer about a hour ago. This was the first time after our 5,200 mile trip we just did and now that we're back home and it's parked will wash them about once a month or so. I don't keep it covered but might do it after our next little trip in a few weeks. I have a cover for it but it's brand new in box still.

[midnightsadie]

peppemint oil smells nice and helps keep critters away.