With winter quickly approaching and the long, warm days of summer nearly entirely behind us, consider preparing your touring or static caravan for the cold weather of the winter season. As winter isn’t a very popular time for caravan owners, it presents the perfect opportunity to completely shut down your caravan and be refreshed in time for when spring breaks.
At Alan Henderson Upholstery, we provide a range of quality upholstery services, including caravan upholstery, and we understand the importance of the yearly retirement of both your touring caravan and static caravan. That’s why our team has put together some tips to make sure your caravan is fully prepared for winter!
Why Is It Important to Prepare Your Caravan?
One of the most essential parts about caravan ownership is often something you don’t really think about – maintaining it. Preparing your caravan for winter is just a part of this, but if you do everything right, it will mean your caravan will be in the best condition to begin your holiday adventures once again.
Aside from leisure, preparing your caravan is also important for insurance reasons, as it minimises the risk of damage occurring, which could mean a claim on your insurance. To get started for getting your caravan ready for winter, it’s essential to:
Consider Storage: We recommend keeping your touring caravan somewhere inside, safe from the most extremes the UK weather can throw at it during winter.
Covering Up: If you are unable to move or store your caravan, consider using a protective coating or tarp large enough to cover the top and sides of your caravan.
Stay Informed: It’s important to check your caravan handbook to see if the manufacturer provided any information for winter preparation.
With the basics explored, let our team guide you on an in-depth look at some of the steps you should take to prepare your caravan for winter.
Clean the Inside
Whether you have the standard interior of a caravan or you’ve had the interior reupholstered, it’s important to make sure it is clean before shutting it down for winter. Start by cleaning hard surfaces with a quality cleaner and soft cloth, and when working on soft furnishings, make sure to vacuum the area and then wipe down with a damp cloth and soapy water. Some furnishings or stains may require further care, and the team at Alan Henderson Upholstery will be able to advise you further if you get in touch!
Check Onboard Water Filter
More so than other times of year, checking and emptying the water filter on your caravan is essential during the winter. Cold temperatures can lead to the water inside freezing and expanding, which can lead to breakage of the container itself, or water damage to other areas of the caravan when that ice melts again. We recommend removing the filter completely for the season to prevent the risk of any damage while you’re away from your caravan for an extended period of time.
Close Curtains, Not Blinds
When storing your caravan in winter, we would not recommend closing the blinds covering windows. You could risk compromising the integrity of the blind mechanism, with the cold weather having the potential for ruining the springs. We recommend leaving them open and covering any windows with curtains instead. In addition to preventing damage to the blind mechanism, this method can also help in maintaining the overall condition of the window structures, safeguarding against potential frost damage and condensation buildup.
Remove Battery
In cold conditions, batteries don’t tend to perform well, which goes for many other electronics. However, having a battery lose its integrity over winter can mean a costly last-minute replacement when caravanning season rolls around again. Instead, we recommend removing the battery or taking the time to charge it every few weeks to make sure it is running correctly in preparation for returning to travel. This even applies to static caravans, where the batteries will power the electrical appliances within the caravan.
For professional caravan upholstery, contact Alan Henderson Upholstery now!
If you would like more information for preparing your caravan for winter, or to chat with our team about our phenomenal caravan upholstery services, please get in touch with Alan Henderson Upholstery! We offer a vast range of upholstery services, so whether you’re looking to breathe new life into your caravan, or reupholster your pub seating, gym, clinic, or home furnishings, we can help!
Reach out now or check out some of our recent work to see the quality of service we deliver!