Newbie ? on QS maintenance and winterizing

[Hey Voss]

Being new to the camper world, I have many questions, that I'm hoping you fine folks can  help me with.

While washing my tent top (for the first time since we bought it a year ago), it occured to me that I should probably be doing more frequent maintenance. I was able to get most of the spots and scuff marks off the exterior, however the spots inside proved impossible to remove. I don't want to use something abrasive, as I don't want to compromise the vinyl exterior or fabric inside.

Is there a specific cleaner that i should be using for the outside or inside? Is it safe to scrub with a brush or scotch brite pad? Is there some sort of UV protectant that I should be applying? Is there a way to make the tent top more stain resistant?

While washing the camper, it also occurred to me, that we did nothing to winterize the camper last year, save for emptying the water tank, and putting some damp rid in there. I guess we got lucky that the tonneau cover didn't leak, because we didn't take the tent off, or the cushions out, or even put a winter cover on it. Total newbie mistake, right?!

Luckily, we didn't have any issues with mice or moisture last year, even though it is stored outside. I don't want to push my luck, but I'd rather not remove everything, if I don't have to.

Should we be removing the tent and the cushions? Will mice get in and chew stuff up? Would just a winter cover be sufficient to prevent moisture from getting in? Is there someway to deter rodents from getting in and wrecking the place?

Am I missing anything? Is there other yearly maintenance that we should be doing, to ensure the safety and longevity of our camper?

I'm looking forward to your responses. Thank you in advance!

[Merlin]

I'm hoping someone with experience weighs in on this because I have the same staining, cleaning, and care questions for the awning on my Camplite. The Dometic site does not offer very practical advice for those of us who store popups or awnings outside because they expect it to be kept dry!

http://67.238.126.140/pdf/Awnings.pdf

[Steve Sanders]

As I recall, you have an 8.0. That being the case, winterizing is really more about long term storage.

We store ours in the basement, so take this for what it cost you.

There's not enough plumbing to cause much trouble, except for the sink valve. Make sure it is either empty or water or pump some RV antifreeze into it.

Given my recent experience with repairing the 8.1 that got really wet inside, I recommend removing the tent, cushions and everything fabric before long term storage outside. You don't want the mess that I just fixed!

I understand that rodents don't like mint and insects don't like bay leaves. So I would sprinkle peppermint oil and a container of bay leaves inside. A good perimeter of insecticide around it wouldn't hurt either.

Make sure that the cover you use will allow it to breathe. You don't want to trap moisture under the cover!

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[Steve Sanders]

I've never heard of anything to clean the inside of the tent.

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[Hey Voss]

Merlin- to be perfectly honest I scrubbed the dickens out of our awning, with a scrub brush and mild detergent, and now it's gleaming. I guess I wasn't as concerned with the integrity of the awning, since for us it's mostly been a sun shade and I have a spare. The tent however, I want to be more careful with, as I did notice some slight fraying on the fabric side of the awning.

I wonder if a carpet cleaner, like spot shot (which is essentially concentrated dry cleaning fluid), would do the trick for the fabric interior, of the vinyl tent top or awning? I don't know enough about chemistry to know if there would be a reaction between the product and the vinyl?

[Hey Voss]

Hi Steve! Glad to see you on this forum. Thank you for weighing in on this. I guess I'll be in the market for some large totes to store everything. Do you think the mattresses could be folded and put in a space bag, to save on storage?

I like your idea of using essential oils and herbs as a deterrent. Maybe I can find some cinnamon oil to keep the ants out as well.

Curious to hear your thoughts on using carpet cleaner for the vinyl interior. I don't know enough about chemistry to know if there would be a reaction. I have some awful bug stains (from mosquitoes who were unlucky enough to get trapped in the camper), that I'm eager to see gone. Might hydrogen peroxide or oxi clean work? I'm really good at getting stains out of natural fabrics but this synthetic stuff has me perplexed....

[Steve Sanders]

Do you have room to store the mattresses under a bed in the house? A space bag might work, but laying it flat somewhere would be a lot easier.

Hydrogen peroxide or oxi clean might work. Probably worth trying. I haven't found anything that works on the tent material, but I haven't tried too many things either. I probably should have used the mildewed tent from our 8.1 for experiments, but it was SO NASTY, I just threw it out.

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