By William Coleman
Cleaning out the caravan to get it ready for winter storage is always a sad day, but with these handy tips, it can be an easy task that means getting back on the road will be much more straightforward.
At this time of year, a lot of people decide it’s time to let the van rest up for a few months and take a break from touring, which means winter prep tasks need to be completed.
Preparing the van for winter usually involves a deep clean so nothing is left to fester during the offseason. With these handy tips and hacks, the clean-up will take half the time and be twice as effective.
Fresh lemons not lemon Pledge
The microwave has always been an unpleasant clean. It is small, narrow and seems to have so many dirt traps inside.
Who would have thought that a whole lemon would be the most effective tool in microwave cleanliness? If you loathe this job as much as we do, then this life hack will make the task almost effortless.
Step 1 Get a medium to large size lemon (two small ones will do), as fresh as possible to yield the best results. Firmly roll the lemon on a hard, flat surface, which will make the juices flow a lot easier when the lemon is cut open.
Step 2 Cut the lemon directly in half and place it in a plastic bowl or Tupperware without the lid, flesh side up.
Step 3 Microwave on full power for ten minutes and then very carefully remove the container holding the lemon and any 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 has been lemon-steamed off 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, creating a lemony fresh aroma for a couple of hours.
Cheap, non-toxic cleaning
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 branded cleaning products, chemicals and fill up precious storage space with bottle upon bottle of thick bleach.
Or, 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 acidity of the orange squash will cut through the smells just as well as any household cleaning product.
The squeegee
What works for your shower screen indoors also makes for an amazing surface wiper. A lot better than a cloth or sponge in fact.
The blade completely wipes the surface without leaving parts of food or water smears behind. You will cut your cleaning time in half and the end result will be much better.
The best advice would be to use some of the leftover microwave lemon water and pour it on your worktops and then use that as a fresh lemon cleaner. It will smell nice and leave your worktops absolutely spotless.
If you can get yourself a squeegee 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.
