By William Coleman
Are you as excited about the upcoming season as we are? Although myself and the CaravanTimes team were able to get some winter breaks in, no winter prep for us, and we still have a few months left before the beginning of the new season so we have begun to spruce up the van in preparation for our next fully fledged holiday.
The cleaning of a van is a fine art and we all have our own methods of keeping things clean and sparkly but here are few little hacks that should save you time and even keep things cleaner for longer.
Fresh Lemons Not Lemon Pledge
If there is one part of the caravan I really dislike cleaning its the microwave, I just loathe the small gaps that never seem to ever get clean no matter how much effort you put into it.
I was on site during the summer and found myself in a bit of a huff trying to get those last bits out of the microwave when my neighbour noticed all the fuss. The concerned citizen came over and gave me a lemon and I have not looked back since.
Such a simple method with staggering results:
Step 1- Get a medium to large size lemon, 2 small will also work, and as fresh as possible will yield the best results. Firmly roll the lemon on a hard flat surface to the juice inside the lemon more active when you cut it open.
Step 2- Cut the lemon directly in half and place in a plastic bowl or tupperware without the lid, flesh side up. Fill the dish or container half way with cold water.
Step 3- Microwave on full power for 10 minutes and then very carefully remove the container holding the lemon and water. Be Careful as the water is going to be piping hot.
Step 4- Once you have removed the contents you should see that most, if not all, of the dirt inside and been lemon steamed off of the inner surfaces and will wipe away with minimal effort.
Not only does this totally clean the microwave but if you leave the microwave door open the smell will act as a natural air freshener and smell lemony fresh for 1-2 hours.
No Bleach & Non Toxic
The waste tank on a motorhome can sometimes produce some unpleasant smells and when it comes to cleaning you may need a hazmat suit to defend your nostrils.
You can buy expensive cleaning products, chemicals and fill up precious storage with bottle upon bottle of thick bleach.
A simple and cheap solution is to go to a £1 shop and buy a couple of large bottles of undiluted orange squash. Pour it down plug holes and say goodbye to those horrid smells and the lingering stench of bleach.
The Shower Screen Wiper
I have recently found that the shower screen wiper is the very best tool for cleaning pretty much every part of the caravan, bar your fabric covered areas like sofas and beds etc etc.
The blade completely wipes the surface without leaving parts of foods or water smears behind it, you will cut your cleaning time in half and the end result will be much better.
My best advice would be to use some of the leftover microwave lemon water and pour it on your work tops and then use that as a fresh lemon cleaner, it will smell nice and and leave your work tops absolutely spotless.
If you can get yourself one that has a detachable cleaning pole you will be able to get your floors gleaming and crumb free. Not only that but you will also save a fortune in dishcloths and sponges.
Save A Fortune On Air Freshener
When you’re away on holiday things can get a little stuffy inside the van, especially if there are 4+ people living inside.
One solution is to go through several bottles of air freshener, provided you do not mind breathing in all that synthetic chemical spray in such a confined space….
So dow do you keep the van smelling fresh without tons of spray, round the clock cleaning or spending fortunes of other nice smelling diffusers?
Do you have access to any lavender? One of nature’s most refreshing smells that last for days and days.
As well as keep an entire caravan smelling like a summer’s day, lavender also help to body to relax and can massively improve you sleep quality
Find yourself a mesh bag, a bit like the ones that use to come with certain washing machine detergents, and as many lavender bunches to fill the bag, a little goes a long way.
Place several bags throughout the caravan, especially on or around the sleeping areas, and within a few moments the lavender will engulf any musty smells lurking around.
Hopefully these tips will help you keep the van fresh for weeks on and and ultimately save you a few of your hard earned pounds of cleaning products.
