Preparing your travel trailer for storage may seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be.
Winters can make you sad as you have to pack your travel trailer.
You must be taking suitable measures for the travel trailer storage as you want the best of it in the right season.
First, you need to find the location where you would be storing the travel trailer. Once you are sure about the site, other things will come into play!
Read on for more information.
Preparing Your Travel Trailer for The Storage
The purpose of the travel trailer is to make fond memories while on the road. It’s like a home away from home! Or you can say that it gives you the chance to travel with your home.
While using a travel trailer can be a wonderful experience, you must care for it and store it the right way. After all, you want to make the most of it for the upcoming vacations in your life.
1. Check Your Travel Trailer Thoroughly
You must check your travel trailer thoroughly. Look for any cracks or leaks. If there is an issue, you have to address it right away.
Make sure you fix all the issues as you don’t want to surprise yourself with the fixes and additional costs when it’s finally time to use your travel trailer to make some fond memories.
2. Deep Clean Your Travel Trailer
It would be best to focus on cleaning your travel trailer when storing it away. However, if possible, you can also hire professional cleaners so that your travel trailer is spotless and sparkling clean.
The goal here is to ensure that you are getting rid of the germs and bacteria, as you don’t want any unwanted mold or mildew in your travel trailer when you are back!
3. Remove Unnecessary Items And Food Crumbs
If there are unnecessary items lying around the travel trailer, get rid of them! First, you must get rid of the food crumbs and other frozen food items.
If you haven’t stored your travel trailer perfectly, rodents and other pests will invade it and have a blast! While they enjoy a feast, your travel trailer would suffer. So, do your best and ensure you are getting rid of all the unwanted items in the travel trailer.
Throw away the garbage and anything that isn’t useful or causes clutter. You can also donate the unwanted items in the travel trailer.
4. Cover Your Travel Trailer
When storing the travel trailer for winters, it’s best to cover it. Whether you are storing in your house or any other site, it’s best to use the right cover to store your travel trailer.
Check the material of the cover and see if it would be suitable. You can check the customers’ reviews to get an idea of what to expect. Always familiarize yourself with the material of the fabric.
5. Don’t Forget The Bathroom
When there is a bathroom in your travel trailer, it requires extra attention to clean it. Now that you are storing the trailer away, it’s time to make it squeaky clean.
Make sure you dry it thoroughly and empty it. There must be no water since you won’t be using the travel trailer for some time now.
6. Wash And Wax The Exterior of The Travel Trailer
Now that you have cleaned the interiors, it’s time to focus on the outer surface of your travel trailer.
When you are storing it for the long term, it’s time to clean the outer surface, wash it to remove all the dirt and debris, and wax the outer surface before storing your travel trailer. Doing so would keep it protected, and you would be ready to use your travel trailer when the time is right.
7. Leave Room for Ventilation
Though you are covering your travel trailer, it’s best to leave room for ventilation. You don’t want any mold or bacterial growth, so it would be best to leave the rooftop vents open and use such covers that would help achieve this purpose.
8. Let Some Sunshine Through Your Travel Trailer
You may feel tempted to cover your travel trailer fully, but it’s best to leave some room for sunshine. Sunlight would help stop the growth of bacteria, which is why it would be great for your travel trailer.
So, you have to be wise about what points to open that would let some light in. Of course, you can use the right shades also!
9. Make Sure Your Travel Trailer Is Secured
You would try your best to find the best site or location for your travel trailer, but you have invested some money to get your dream ride. Now, spare some more amount and invest in the security!
After all, you don’t want anyone to steal your precious treasure. It would be a wise investment so think about it.
10. Avoid Too Much Sunlight
As said previously, you have to be smart with letting the light inside the travel trailer. However, don’t be so generous in allowing all the sunshine as it can affect the color of the carpet and other things inside the travel trailer.
11. Think About The Batteries
You have to be mindful of the batteries of your travel trailer. Although it seems like an easy and the most viable solution to leave the batteries, it won’t be ideal.
You don’t want winters to affect the batteries of your travel trailer. It would be best to store the batteries in a separate location where it’s not too hot and not too cold. It would be best to recharge the batteries to keep them in working condition now and then.
12. Keep Plumbing Issues In Check
It may be tempting to leave the travel trailer in the same condition, but it won’t be ideal.
First, it’s best to let a plumber check your travel trailer for any plumbing issues if you are not sure about such problems. Then, empty all the tanks and make sure there is no underlying issue waiting for you as a surprise when you return to use your travel trailer!
13. Don’t Forget The Tires of Your Travel Trailer
It’s easy to look past the tires as you may forget to notice them. Cover the tires of your travel trailer properly if you plan to be back on the road after winters.
You don’t want to compromise the quality of your tires, which is why it’s best to secure them with a suitable cover.
14. Keep The Refrigerator And Other Places Dry
If you have been using the refrigerator and now storing the travel trailer away, it’s time to look at the things.
First, thoroughly dry the fridge and all the areas that may stay wet when you store your travel trailer. The problem is that if anything remains wet, it will lead to mold and bacteria growth.
There could be tons of questions on your mind regarding the storage of the travel trailer. Here are a few:
Where Can I Store My Travel Trailer?
Storing your travel trailer requires some innovative thinking when you don’t have a spot available at your end.
Consider the following:
See if a friend or family member is willing to help and have the space on their property to store your travel trailer.
See if there is a spot available in the RV park.
Check with your city or state what options are available at your end to store the travel trailers.
Ask on social media for authentic recommendations.
It depends on what’s easily available and accessible to you when it comes to the storage of the travel trailer.
Is It Necessary to Store The Travel Trailer?
You may find it unnecessary, but it’s wise to store the travel trailer for winters when you are not using it.
However, you have to be smart in storing it correctly as you don’t want bacteria, mold, or any other issues. Also, during winters, your travel trailer may not have the insulation, and thus, it may freeze.
Can I Leave Food Inside The Travel Trailer?
You can’t leave the food inside your travel trailer when storing it for winter. So it’s essential to clean the travel trailer inside and out. If there is food or even food crumbs inside, it could be an open invitation to the pests in the area.
How to Keep Pests Away from The Travel Trailer?
The pests may find your travel trailer a vacation spot and thus may want to hang around it.
The best way to keep the pests at bay is to clean your travel trailer thoroughly. Don’t leave any food crumbs behind. Remove anything that could be a source of attraction for the pests.
Should I Remove My Batteries from The Travel Trailer for Winter Storage?
It’s best to remove the batteries when you put the travel trailer away for the winter. However, it would be best to charge them thoroughly before putting these away.
Also, remember that it’s best to store the batteries separately in a location where it’s not too hot and not too cold. Keep an eye on the batteries from time to time.
Can You Use Travel Trailer In Winter?
If your travel trailer is not insulated, then it would be challenging to live in the travel trailer in winter. The pipes would freeze, and it would be cold inside. Also, it depends on where you live, and if you live in areas with extreme chilly weather, it would be too hard for you.
What Kind of Cover to Use for Covering The Travel Trailer?
When covering the travel trailer for winters, make sure the cover is made of breathable material. Then, you can see the covers available online, read reviews, and see what other people say about their experiences. It’s vital to get what’s best for your travel trailer.
Tips To Keep In Mind for The Storage of Your Travel Trailer
Apart from the points mentioned above, several other things may come across your mind, such as:
- When you come back from vacation, check the travel trailer thoroughly to ensure it’s in working condition.
- Despite that you have cleaned it thoroughly, clean it again.
- Check the travel trailer thoroughly for pests. If there is an infestation or if you spot critters, it’s time to call pest control.
- There must not be openings or cracks in your travel trailer. If you spot one, deal with the issue at hand, so it doesn’t bother you later. However, if you notice the damage after coming back, it’s best to inspect the travel trailer thoroughly for any serious damage.
- When storing the travel trailer and covering the tires, it’s best to see the manufacturer’s recommendations for storage. It’s best to follow experts’ opinions to increase the lifespan of the travel trailer and the tires.
- Vacuum the travel trailer to make it squeaky clean.
- Wash the areas that are easy to dry later on. The goal is to make the travel trailer germ free and suitable for storage.
- Check the drawers and cabinets of your travel trailer. There must be no food particles or any water. You don’t want to invite cockroaches to the travel trailer in your absence.
Take all the effective measures, but sometimes it’s hard to keep track of all the information. Take your time and ask for help if you are unsure how to take care of your travel trailer and how to store it the right way.
Final Words
Now that you know how to prepare the travel trailer for storage, it’s time to do your best. Make sure you follow the tips mentioned above, and if you know some new information about storing the travel trailers, share it in the comments. You must be making fond memories in this travel trailer. The way you take care of your things counts and increases their life cycle!
So, get ready for the storage of your travel trailer today!
