water heater tank rinser

Recommended Post-Camping Trip Cleaning Rituals

At the end of each camping trip, and especially the longer ones, we come home with a dirty Scamp usually in need of a good cleanout.  We always prioritize bringing the Scamp back up to travel readiness as soon as we come home.  This way we know we will be ready to go on a moment’s notice next time and also don’t have to dread the cleanup days.  Additionally, doing the cleanup on the day of arrival eliminates the need for us to hitch up and pull the Scamp out of our garage for the cleaning.   In order to accomplish this task, we always plan to arrive back home midday so we can have lunch and then start the cleanup process.  We also usually wash our tow vehicle right after the Scamp on the same day.  We find with two people this is entirely doable.

To begin with and to make the entire process easier, make sure that your small travel trailer is waxed with a high quality wax.  If it’s a fiberglass travel trailer, like ours, use a premium marine wax on the fiberglass.  We waxed our Scamp 13’ with Meguiar’s Flagship Premium Wax right after we took delivery of our Scamp and continue to use this brand.  We find it easy to rub on and off and it provides a really nice shine and water resistant layer.  It’s also supposed to protect against UV damage and wear.  We’ve noticed the marine wax gives a nice gloss to our white gel coating.  Most importantly, just like the wax on a car, having a good quality wax coating makes it much easier to wash away the dirt after a camping trip.   Our plan is to put a fresh coat of wax on the Scamp before every summer.  Since our Scamp is stored in our garage and, in turn, not exposed to the elements when not travelling, it has stayed in really good shape.

The first thing we do when we pull up to our house after camping is to position the Scamp right in front of our driveway on the street.  This is the area where we wash the Scamp.  After parking, we disconnect the Scamp from the Tow vehicle so it doesn’t drain the SUV’s battery.  We immediately remove all the food out of the Scamp refrigerator and bring it inside our home so it can be refrigerated.  We also clear out all the clothes and other items we normally don’t store long term in the Scamp.  All dirty clothes go directly into the washing machine and the wash is started.  Then, we normally go inside our house, have lunch and relax for a few minutes.

After lunch, we open the Scamp’s fresh water drain valve (under the passenger side dinette bench) so that all remaining fresh water drains onto the street (to prevent algae and bacteria buildup which may result from water stored for long periods inside the Scamp fresh water tank).  We also open up the hot and cold water faucets for a few seconds to remove pressure in the system (on demand pump off) and then, using a ratcheted socket wrench, remove the anode from the hot water heater, and allow the water to drain out (see article “Drain and Clean Your Tanks Regularly”).  In addition, we use a water heater tank rinser to thoroughly flush out the sediment inside the hot water heater tank.  We set the anode rod aside on our garage work bench (or replace if over 75% consumed) for a day or two and let the hot water tank dry out.

We wash the Scamp with warm soapy water (we use car soap) and sponges.  We first use a strong spray of water to rinse off all loose dirt.  We then soak our sponges into the sudsy warm water and give the Scamp a thorough washing.  We use a small aluminum ladder next to the Scamp to reach the roof (be especially careful when on a ladder to prevent falls).  Areas toward the front of the Scamp generally have the most hard-to-get-off debris (like smashed bugs).  It sometimes takes persistent scrubbing to get off these bits (but having a nice wax coat makes the process much easier).  Our HD antenna also seems to catch the bugs fairly well!  With patience and plenty of warm soapy water, the trailer seems to clean fairly quickly and easily with two people working on it (especially a trailer as small as 13’, which is actually only 10’ when the 3’ hitch isn’t included).

After the outside of the Scamp is washed and dried (we use a couple of Absorbers to dry our cars and Scamp), we back the Scamp into our garage, unhitch, secure with blocks and rear stabilizers, and then turn our attention toward the inside of the Scamp.  First, we use a small broom to sweep out any loose dirt on the floor.  We clean the bathroom (toilet and shower) with natural disinfectant.  We remove the teak shower floor mat and toilet scrubber and wash them down outside and let them dry in the Sun.  We cleanse the surfaces of the kitchen stove top and dinette table.  We also clean the inside of the refrigerator and leave the door open so it can air out for a couple of days.  We pull out the sleeping bag, pillow covers, shower and dish towels, all dishware and utensils used on the trip, and wash in our home.  We clean the main floor area with natural disinfectant spray.  We open the rear window of the Scamp for a few days to allow fresh air in and moisture out of the camper.  We dump both Black and Grey tanks using our sewer cleanouts inside the garage (see article “Save Time & Money with a Home Dump”).  If we have time, we wash our tow vehicle and clean and vacuum the interior.  Lastly, we sanitize the Black and Grey tanks with Happy Camper (one cap flushed with 3 gallons of water in toilet and sink) – we leave in for a few days and then dump.  We charge up the Scamp battery with our garage AC overnight so that the battery is topped off.  Additionally, we recharge all the electric items we used on our trip (e.g. Jackery 500 power supply, cameras, and phones).

The next day, we usually refuel our tow vehicle and fill up our propane tank(s) at the local service station.  We secure the propane tanks back onto the Scamp when we get home and also resupply the Scamp with the clean sleeping bag, pillow covers, shower and dish towels, and dishware.  We also refresh the provisions of the disposable products we used on our trip (e.g. paper plates, paper towels, toilet paper, and the rubber gloves we like to use at dump stations).  Additionally, we insert the anode rod back into the empty hot water heater tank and secure it by screwing into place (using plumbers tape wound around the threads in the opposite direction the anode is turned).  Just remember, if you empty your hot water heater and store it empty, you must fill it right before you leave on your next trip to avoid burning out the heating element which may occur if it’s turned on with no hot water in the hot water heater tank!  The easy way to refill your hot water heater tank in your small travel trailer right before your next trip is to attach a hose directly to your City Water hookup port, turn on the hose (which pressurizes your trailer’s water system), and then turn on the hot water faucet at your sink.  When water starts spitting out the hot water faucet, then it is filled.

By maintaining these cleaning rituals after each trip, you will ensure that you will look forward to your next trip without having to think too much about readying your small travel trailer and will be ready to go whenever nature calls!  Cleanliness is next to godliness . . . .

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly.