When you are busy exploring or travelling sometimes those cleaning jobs don’t get done as often as they should. So on top of basic daily cleaning, we try and give our van a really thorough clean every couple of months. So here are a few tips for cleaning your
Just like a conventional home, your
1. Be Gentle
When it comes to cleaning your
2. Caravan Cleaning Products
I try to only use products thaeco-friendlyiendly. I use these products because they are generally low in phosphates, low in sodium and contain no ammonia, bleach or chlorine. Most should also be labelled as being Grey Water and Septic Tank safe as well. The two brands I use the most are Green Action from Aldi and Earth Choice which is generally available at either Woolworths or Coles.
If you want to go a step further with eco-friendly cleaning products, check out the Australian-maden-made Camp Eco products. They will certainly help you do your bit for the environment when you are caravanning.
4. Cleaning Caravan Floors
Our van floor is the spot that gets the dirtiest. Most days, I give the floors a quick sweep with a soft bristle broom. I find this type of broom great for picking up dust and fine sand. As we use a flannelette quilt cover in winter, I find it sheds a bit of fluff so our handheld dustbuster is great for cleaning around the bed and running over our floor mats if I don’t want to take them outside.
When I do take the mats out, I use old-fashioned straw broom heads to brush them off.
When it comes to washing the floors I use a normal mop and warm water in a bucket. If I’m cleaning up a spill or a spot I just use a damp microfibre cloth.
One spot I always find hard to clean i the moulding where the floor and wall join together. It seems to catch all the dust but an old toothbrush does a good job of cleaning the groove.
5. Cleaning Caravan Bench Tops
When cleaning the benchtops I always use a damp sponge, like these cute biodegradable ones from Adventure Awaits.
I give the benches a quick spray then wipe them over with a damp cloth. Then I will generally dry them off with a microfibre cloth, to leave them streak free. I find cleaning our kitchen is a breeze as we do all our cooking outside on our Weber so there is no cooking residue on anything. Plus I love not having to clean an oven!
6. Cleaning Caravan Windows and Blinds
Again as the windows are made of perspex I don’t want to risk using anything too harsh on them so I find the Earth Choice Glass Cleaner and paper-towel does an excellent job.
The thing that works the absolute best for the fly screens is baby wipes. As they are so soft, they do a great job on the delicate mesh. I have also used them to wipe over the block-out part of the blind as well.
7. Cleaning Caravan Showers
The shower in our van is moulded fibreglass so again, I don’t like to use anything with harsh chemicals in it. Not to mention the fumes in a small space! Once again I use Earth Choice Bath and Shower Rapid Clean and a textured sponge.
The hardest part to clean is the floor as it has raised ‘dots’ on it. If really grubby I will use vinegar and bi-carb. Sprinkle the floor with bi-carb, then pour about a cup of vinegar over the top. Then let it sit for half an hour before giving it a scrub with a soft dish brush. Rinse off with water and your floor will be sparkly clean.
The added bonus of using vinegar and bi-carb is that it gives the drain and pipes a cleanout at the same time.
8. Cleaning the Caravan Toilet
I must admit, we don’t use our toilet a lot. Even when we are free camped somewhere, we will often find a spot that has a loo. When I am cleaning it I’m mindful of not cleaning it with anything that might damage the seals in the cassette. I give the bowl a spray multi-purpose cleaner, give it a scrub with a soft toilet brush and then a good rinse.
I wipe over the seat and around the edges of the bowl with anti-bacterial wipes.
9. Cleaning The Caravan Air Conditioner
When cleaning your
10. Cleaning the Outside of a Caravan
Being on the road full time, it can be really hard to find somewhere to wash the van, with water being as precious as it is. So when we find somewhere, it gets washed from top to bottom. Our van has had paint protection applied to it so when it does get washed, we use good quality car wash. We use a soft pad attachedpainter’sinters pole to reach up high without needing to use a ladder.
The one spot you will need a ladder to reach is the solar panels and the hatches over the bathroom. Keeping the solar panels clean helps with efficiency. As for the hatches over the bathroom, these in our van can’t be cleaned from inside as they have a screen over that which isn’t removable. So we use a microfibre cloth and some warm soapy water to clean them from the outside.
Do you have any great tips for cleaning your
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Listen in to their podcast episode https://allaroundoz.com.au/podcasts/travelling-and-working-around-australia/
Very helpful hints. Thank you. Will now put some into practice. So it’s off to the clean the shower walls, floor and door ……
You are welcome.
Oops! Didn’t mean to create more work for you 🙂
That’s great. I was thinking about what products use in van.
Thank you great tips
Glad you found them helpful.
Melissa these tips are very helpful – I was really worried about what products to use in the van. Thank you
That’s great. Glad you found them helpful.