Caravan Storage: How to Keep Your Vehicle Safe and Ready for the Next Adventure

Popping your caravan or RV into storage is an essential part of keeping your road trip vehicle safe. 

When it’s been locked away somewhere private and secure, safe from the weather, rusting, and being broken into, you can get straight back on the road again whenever you want! 

But before you put your caravan into storage, there’s a few things you’ll need to do to prepare. 

After all, taking your caravan off the road and straight into a storage facility can leave it a little worse for wear! The next time you want to head off an adventure, you could need to do a few clean up and repair jobs first. 

And that’s no way to start a holiday! So let’s make sure costly vehicle maintenance doesn’t stop you from enjoying your caravan whenever you want. 

Here’s the Welshpool guide to caravan storage prep and maintenance. 

Clean both the interior and exterior

Cleaning a caravan is the most essential task to check off before you store it away. Caravans should never go into long-term storage (or be parked for long periods of time) when they’re dirty, caked in mud, and haven’t had a proper interior clean. 

It’s usually easiest to get the interior of the caravan done first, as this will make sure the inside is disinfected and tidied and can be shut up properly. 

Getting this done before using any washing or power tools on the exterior will help to prevent moisture from leaking in and potentially causing damp issues. The door will be locked!

When cleaning the interior, make sure you focus on tasks like these:

Remove any litter or debris 

This should be done before anything else, to prevent later mopping and vacuuming from being delayed by rubbish removal. It also makes the caravan a lot nicer to be in! 

Vacuum before using any wet cleaning items

Pick up all the crumbs, bits of leaves, dust, and other fine particles with the vacuum. If need be, use a dustpan and brush to get into the tiny nooks and crannies, if the hose extension won’t let you get into them otherwise. 

Use antibacterial wipes or spray

You only need one or the other! Spray and wipe down all surfaces in the caravan, starting with the most heavy-use areas. The kitchen unit should be disinfected first, then the caravan table, and then move onto cupboard interiors. 

Mop the floor

This makes sure any and all germs walked into the caravan have been taken care of. Don’t let the mop get too wet – if need be, wring it out before you first apply it to the floor. 

For the exterior clean:

Wash downwards with vehicle soap

Vehicles should always be cleaned from the highest point and then work downwards. This prevents the run-off from the sun roof getting grime all over the windshield and the tires. With a vehicle like a caravan, it also makes sure the most effort-heavy task is out of the way first! 

Empty out any perishables

This is another part of the interior cleaning checklist you should go through, but it deserves a section of its own. 

Don’t be tempted to save foodstuffs until your next adventure. Perishables should always be removed and thrown away before the caravan goes into storage. 

If there’s a fridge in your caravan, always give it one last check to make sure nothing is still inside. No bits of old cheese stuck to the back, or half a packet of salami in the bottom drawer. 

Any non-refrigerated food storage should be double checked as well. Items like crisps, nuts, and other snacks should be fully cleared and disposed of. 

Drain and empty your water tank and toilet

Most caravans come with their own mini plumbing and toilet system. This will need to be fully flushed, drained, emptied, and cleaned before storage as well. 

Water should never sit inside caravan plumbing for long periods of time. Even if the water inside the system is clean and fresh, it needs to be emptied out. 

Not only can it become a safety hazard, but it can cause damage to the interior pipes as well. Stagnant water can lead to interior blockages as well as rusting and limescale issues. 

Protect it from the rain

Rain can do a number on a caravan, especially one with canvas attachments like an awning or non-plastic sunroof. If you’re going to be storing the caravan, make sure you have a waterproof cover to go over it. 

This cover needs to completely block the top and sides of the caravan from the rain, and should fit well enough that pools of water don’t collect within it. 

Once again, stagnant rain puddles can cause damage by allowing bacteria to build up and preventing the cover from drying out completely. 

Because of this, you’ll also want to regularly check on this cover to see if it’s still as waterproof as it needs to be. A lot of rain protection items will degrade over time and become a lot less protective against moisture. 

You also don’t want a smelly and rotting bit of fabric over the top of your caravan that needs removing before you drive it again! 

Store your caravan somewhere safe

Once you’ve mucked it out and made sure there’s nothing perishable inside, it’s time to get your caravan into a proper storage space. 

For larger vehicles like caravans, where there’s more surface area for element damage to occur, it’s usually best to get them into a proper storage facility. 

Indeed, larger vehicles are also less likely to fit into outdoor storage spaces like road-side parking spots around your house, and you may have very few options in your area. 

Storage facilities will have the necessary space and security monitoring, as well as indoor spaces during stormy seasons, so they tend to be the most convenient way to ensure proper storage when off the road. 

And when your caravan is kept inside, you don’t have to worry about rain collecting or how waterproof its cover still is! 

Measure your vehicle dimensions

Before you contact any storage facility to get your caravan in somewhere safe, you’ll want to take a full measurement of its dimensions. 

This will make the booking process a lot easier, as you won’t need to ransack the house for a tape measure (and do your best to measure length and width on your own!), while in the middle of a booking enquiry. 

To take a full measurement, try to get the top of the tape measure equal to the top of the caravan. 

Then, let it hang down all the way to the ground – this will take the wheels into account as well. And trust us, there are a lot of people out there who forget that wheels add to a vehicle’s height. 

Measure length from the front bumper all the way to the rear exhaust. If your caravan has any attachments like a tow coupling (that cannot be removed), include this in your measurement. 

And voila! You’ve now got all the measurements you need to make a storage facility booking without any hassle. 

Book caravan storage from Welshpool Self Storage

Keep your caravan in the best condition and ready to go on your next adventure. Store it with us here at Welshpool Self Storage. 

At Welshpool Self Storage, we treat your caravans like guests. Our storage facility is ready made for larger vehicles like caravans and RVs, with the kind of privacy features that promise the ultimate peace of mind. 

Secure storage with 24/7 CCTV monitoring

Your caravan will always have a watchful eye over it with our 24/7 CCTV monitoring. Our entire storage facility premises are monitored at all times through our camera system.

Unique pin codes for 24/7 access

You’re the only person with access to your vehicle. Every vehicle space is locked with a unique pin code, with only the owner or someone you’ve authorised knowing what it is. 

Plus, you can come and check on your vehicle whenever you like, no matter the time of day. Pin codes work 24/7 and you can take your caravan in and out of storage if need be. 

Get your quote instantly

Got a caravan you’d like to keep safe and secure for the future? Don’t park it on the road or on your own drive. Let Welshpool Self Storage keep it safe for you. 

We offer competitive prices on storage stays as long as you need. Use our online booking system to instantly get a quote for caravan storage or use our online form to send us a message.

Let us know the length of your caravan and we’ll let you know what spaces are available and how much they cost to rent. 

Or if you’d rather, talk to one of our team. Email us or give us a call on 08 9451 3456.