winter damp

[djsooz]

Hi All,

Now that I'm using Rhonda less as it's winter, I'm finding a wee touch of damp on the interior seats etc. Can anyone recommend a cheap and easy way to prevent this? I've seen various things on camping websites such as dehumidifiers and things with absorbent beads but I don't know which ones are best. Can anyone help?

Thanks,

Sooz.

[jayjay]

Hi sooz - you can buy all sorts of things to reduce damp, ranging form cheap to expensive! Betterware do a few products like that.

However, the best way (and cheapest) I have come up with is plain ordinary cooking salt. I saved a few of those 'bubble' measuring tops that come with liquid washing detergant and filled them with ordinary cheap cooking salt. It absorbs damp as well as anything more expensive. You could also put it in a small bowl, or in the top off a large fabric conditioner bottle. A large bag of salt, (1.5kg @ 69p at my local supermarket) and is enough for the whole winter.

Just empty the salt out when it's really wet, dry and refill with dry salt!

I used to have a static caravan that was shut for the whole winter - I put bowls of salt in every room and it worked very well. ;D ;D

[lunnie]

This subject has been discussed many times on various forums, and the consensus is you would have to seal every opening into the van for it to work effectively, because with the outside air continuing to enter the vehicle you will always be emptying the liquid from the van. If possible bring your cushions into the house/garage or loft anywhere that you have some dry heat, or place them in those vacuum sealed bags, keep the backs away from the windows, keep your curtains/blinds drawn to keep the cold out. Or use a greenhouse heater on frost guard.

Use your vehicle to do your shopping, this helps to keep the vehicle aired, I sometimes when the day is dry open the roof vents and back door for the air to circulate.

Hope some of the above is of help. I am sure others will tell you their ways of coping with this.

Joan

[djsooz]

Thanks for the advice Lunnie (Joan) and Jayjay. I take her out shopping now and again to keep her engine running, but I get most of my shopping delivered ;D I also take her on longer runs about once every two weeks. I'm now trying Jayjay's nice and cheap suggestion of containers of salt. Rhonda now has two large containers of cheap salt in the living area. Will see how that turns out when I take her shopping this weekend (I put them in on Sunday after her run with the heater on high and she seems better already).

Thanks again,

Sooz.