You just pulled into the driveway after an incredible weeks-long road trip. The memories are great, but the fatigue is real. All you want to do is grab your bags, lock the camper doors, and sleep in your own bed. But parking your rig and walking away is a guaranteed recipe for disaster. Before you rent storage space and park your rig for the season, you need to properly winterize and prep it. Skipping these chores leads to foul odors, dead batteries, and expensive water damage. Taking the time to put your motorhome or travel trailer away correctly ensures it will be ready to roll the second the travel bug bites again. Here is exactly how to prep your camper for a long slumber.
Empty and Deep Clean the Interior
The very first thing you need to do is get everything out. It’s tempting to leave canned goods or dry pantry items behind for the next trip, but leftover food is an open invitation for mice and insects. Empty every single cabinet, drawer, and hidden storage bin.
Once the food is gone, turn your attention to the refrigerator. Defrost the freezer completely and wipe up every drop of standing water. Leave the refrigerator and freezer doors propped open. If you close them, mold and mildew will take over the dark, damp interior, leaving a terrible smell that’s nearly impossible to get rid of. Wipe down all the countertops, sweep the floors, and remove all your linens. Moisture is the enemy of an unused camper, so pulling out blankets and towels keeps things smelling fresh.
Purge and Protect the Plumbing
Leaving water in your plumbing lines is a fast track to broken pipes. Even if you live in a mild climate, a sudden freeze will expand the water, cracking your fittings and flooding your floors.
Start by visiting a dump station to empty your black and gray water holding tanks. Flush the black tank thoroughly to remove any lingering waste. Next, drain your fresh water tank and open all the low-point drain valves to let gravity pull the remaining water out. If you’re storing your camper through the winter, you must winterize the lines. Pump RV-safe antifreeze through the system until it flows pink out of every faucet, or use an air compressor to blow the lines completely dry. Don’t forget to drain the water heater, but make sure to turn off the heating element first so you don’t burn out the system.
Disconnect the Power and Batteries
Batteries lose their charge over time, and parasitic drains from carbon monoxide detectors, radio clocks, and appliance circuit boards will drain a battery completely flat in just a few weeks. To prevent this, disconnect your batteries entirely.
If you live in a cold climate, pull the batteries out of the camper and store them in a climate-controlled garage. Hook them up to a trickle charger so they stay healthy while not in use. If your rig has a generator, you need to prep that as well. Gasoline degrades over time, turning into a sticky varnish that clogs carburetors. Add a fuel stabilizer to the gas tank and run the generator for a bit so the treated fuel makes its way through the entire system.
Wash the Exterior and Check the Seals
Road trips coat your rig in a thick layer of bug splatter, road grime, and tree sap. Leaving this mess baked onto the exterior will damage the clear coat and paint. Give the outside of your camper a thorough wash from the roof down to the wheels.
While you’re up on the roof, inspect every inch of the caulking. Look around the air conditioning unit, the skylights, and the seams where the roof meets the sidewalls. If you spot any cracked or peeling sealant, touch it up with self-leveling lap sealant. Water always finds a way in, and a tiny crack on the roof will rot out your ceiling panels before you even realize a leak exists.
Shield the Tires from Sun and Flat Spots
Tires are expensive, and sitting idle is surprisingly hard on them. Ultraviolet rays from the sun cause the rubber to dry rot over time, which compromises the sidewalls.
Before parking the rig for months, inflate all the tires to the manufacturer’s recommended cold pressure. If you’re storing the camper on dirt or grass, park the tires on wooden boards or concrete pavers to keep moisture from seeping up into the rubber. Finally, snap on a set of tire covers. Blocking the sun drastically extends the life of your tread and sidewalls, saving you from a costly replacement before your next vacation.
Lock Out Pests and Rodents
Mice love making nests in unused campers. They chew through wiring and destroy upholstery. Your best defense is physically blocking their entry points.
Crawl under the camper and look for any gaps where plumbing pipes or electrical wires pass through the floor. Fill these holes with expanding foam or steel wool. Put covers over your furnace exhaust, water heater vent, and refrigerator panels to keep wasps and birds from building nests inside the exterior compartments. You can also place natural deterrents like peppermint oil inside the living area as a secondary line of defense against unwanted critters.
Final Thoughts on RV Preparation
Prepping your camper for downtime requires a solid afternoon of elbow grease when you probably just want to rest. However, your rig is a significant financial investment, and preventative maintenance is the best insurance policy you can buy. By cleaning the interior, draining the pipes, and protecting the exterior, you guarantee that your home on wheels will be in perfect condition the moment you decide to hit the highway again.
