You know the smell.
It’s that musty, unpleasant,
not-quite-humid-but-not-quite-right thickness in the air that tells you your RV
isn’t as clean as you might have thought it was. And worse yet, you have no
idea where the mustiness is coming from. Then you realize it: you’ve got
mildew.
If you want to avoid this scenario and ensure that your RV
will be ready for your next big trip, it’s time to learn what makes mildew
tick—and avoid the following mil-don’t’s:
1: Don’t ignore your roof and entryways. You
might think you’re leaving your RV in
perfect dryness every time you step out of it, but if your RV isn’t truly
sealed up tight, it’s going to eventually let in water and moisture. Moisture,
of course, helps foster the growth of mildew, so you want to avoid it at all
cost. Regularly inspect your RV entryway, roof, and window sealings to ensure
that unwanted water isn’t finding its way in.
2: Don’t leave your
RV unless it’s dry. Once you’re sure that your RV is a dry environment,
it’s up to you to maintain it and keep
it that way. That means that if you head to the beach and haul back a bunch of
damp beach towels, you should take them with you back into the house or leave
them out on a clothesline—whatever you do, don’t leave them in the RV. And that
goes for the rest of your RV. Clean and dry fresh spills, be careful to watch
your water systems for leaks, and when you use the bathroom, make sure that
there’s plenty of airflow to dry everything back down again.
3: Don’t wait until
mildew springs up. The best way to keep a dry and fresh RV is to prevent
mildew from ever building up in the first place. You’d be amazed at how many RV
owners won’t even inspect their faucet system regularly to make sure that there
aren’t any leaks that are getting in the way of your efforts. Make mildew
prevention a part of your regular RV cleaning and maintenance routine.
4: Don’t surface
clean porous materials. If you think that you’re cleaning your RV
thoroughly and you still get mildew,
you might want to check the more porous materials for mildew. It’s tough to
clean in every nook and cranny, after all; even thorough cleaners can sometimes
miss the spots that seem to foster mildew. Give porous materials extra scrutiny
when you clean.
5: Don’t just expect
mildew to clean itself. A regular washing isn’t enough; you need Mildew Remover if
you expect your RV to ever have that fresh, new RV smell again. It’s not enough
to use soap and water; you’ve got to fight mildew at its source and ensure that
you use the previous tips to prevent mildew from building up again.
Preventing mildew is all about good habits; keep these
mil-don’t’s in mind the next time you clean your RV and you’ll be able to enjoy
a fresh, clean, dry environment on your next road trip.
