# Winterizing



## RizFam (Feb 25, 2006)

Hi,

For those who have done it already in the past & present what exactly do you leave behind. I have a good idea of what to take out, but what do you all think is OK to leave in??

Thanks in advance,
Tami


----------



## Scoutr2 (Aug 21, 2006)

Hi Tami,

I make sure that anything that can freeze is removed, such as canned goods, liquids, etc. I also take a look at expiration dates on dry goods - if they will expire over the winter, I'll eat them at home and buy new next spring. I have a checklist that I use to make sure that I have the basic stuff in there at the start of the season (sugar, coffee, etc.).

Also, depending on where your trailer is stored, you might consider taking out anything that might serve as mouse/rodent food. If your trailer sits in a place that has the a high mouse population, they can usually find a way in.

Our dealer told us to buy "Bounce" dryer sheets and put one sheet in every nook and cranny. (Just the plain, original Bounce - not Springtime Fresh, or other decorator odors - and not any other brand, either. For some reason, mice and rodents do not like this odor.) They also recommend putting some steel wool in the power cord opening and a wire grate over the furnace exhaust/intake tubes, to thwart rodent entry through those natural openings. (If a mouse can get its head into an opening, the rest of the body will squeeze through. It is amazing how small an opening will allow mouse entry!)

Hope this helps!

Scoutr2


----------



## Moosegut (Sep 24, 2005)

RizFam said:


> Hi,
> 
> For those who have done it already in the past & present what exactly do you leave behind. I have a good idea of what to take out, but what do you all think is OK to leave in??
> 
> ...


Don't leave the dogs in.









I leave all but liquids. I keep it somewhat stocked and ready to go. Make sure you take out soup cans and stuff and everything else is fine to leave. We sort of use ours as an extended pantry throughout the winter as we run out of stuff mid-week and think "Oh, we have some of that in the camper."









I leave my LCD tv in there too. No problems with it last winter. I just set it up and wait a while with the furnace on to try to get it to room temp before using it. That is, of course, when my furnace is working.


----------



## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Tami,

We take out anything that can be damaged by a freeze, and ALL food items, as well as anything else that might attract those cute little furry guys. Leave all the cabinets and refrigerator open, and put in a couple of moisture collectors. We also pull out the sleeping bags, but mainly because we may use them elsewhere during the winter.

We are in a secured storage area, so I do not worry too much about theft, but I do pull out my tools.

Happy Trails,
Doug


----------



## RizFam (Feb 25, 2006)

Thank you for your input great info







!

Moosegut, I am suprised about the LCD tv's that is interesting. I was going to take them out, just to play it safe. Sorry about your Furnace.









What about your battery/batteries? I read I think it was Thor that mentioned removing the batteries?

Tami


----------



## BirdLadyLisa (Aug 6, 2006)

Hi Tami,

This year, because we seem to have a resident mouse who likes the camper in the winter, we have removed just about everything from the OB. We always remove all items that can freeze, including cleaners. And this year, I removed all the linens and paper goods that Mr. Mouse likes to nest in. We put Bounce sheets everywhere ... you can smell them when you walk by the closed camper!! Steve also put some hardening foam in the holes where he thought the mouse was getting in. We'll see how successful we were!

Good luck!


----------



## RizFam (Feb 25, 2006)

Thanks Lisa


----------



## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Lisa, I read somewhere this past month that mice do not like the sweet smell of peppermint oil. They recommended to put a few drops at any possible entrance point every month or so. The recomendation was for cellar house doors but should work just as well for TT's.

I remove all food and anything thing else that can freeze, toothpaste, shampoo, cleaning bottles, etc. I have found that by using saran wrap on any possible entrance point for bugs works well and is easy. Fridge vent, heater vent, electric 110 cable, etc. Just open the door lay a sheet or two over the door and close. Simple easy to work with and I have never had a spider or bees nest in any of them.

John


----------



## Camping Fan (Dec 18, 2005)

I take out all the food and anything that could freeze - Have you ever seen dish soap after it's frozen?
Interesting appearance, to say the least.







Everything else stays in the trailer for the winter - it's stored in my driveway, so I'm not worried about anything disappearing, and the fewer things I have to haul back out in the spring the better.







As someone else mentioned, be sure you leave the freezer and fridge doors open after you empty the food out and turn off the unit. That lets it dry out really well and prevents mold from growing in the fridge.


----------



## RizFam (Feb 25, 2006)

Great Camping Fan








Our TT is in our back yard, so I 'm not too concerned about things getting stolen. 
We have one more trip this coming weekend & then we have to winterize








such a sad concept .....it is going to be a very Loooooooooooong winter









Thanks,
Tami


----------



## johnp (Mar 15, 2004)

I remove any food items and any liquids after our last trip I started bringing in just about everything and my bride made the comment that I was emptying it as if I was going to sell it







who me. Ah she knows me so well







. We have never had a mouse problem yet thanks to a good cat.

John


----------



## out4fun (Aug 22, 2006)

Hi RizFam

We took out all the food and anything that could freeze.

Then added two mouse traps just in case.








The bounce sheets and oil work ok if you know where they are getting in, but then why would you not fix it insted.

Angelo


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

I take out the beer and the Jack Daniels...does anything else really matter?


----------



## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

We pretty much clean ours out except for chocks, blocking, etc. This way we start fresh each season and don't continue to collect extra unneeded stuff in the cabinets. As we unload, things that don't get used don't go back in again in the spring. Chris spreads around a bunch of dryer sheets, seems to work, we haven't had any problems with "visitors" yet









Mike


----------



## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

Tami,

We take out all foodstuffs.....every last bit, as well as anything that can freeze. This year, we are in the process of taking everything, I mean everything out, and evaluating whether it needs to be there or not. It seems we take a lot of stuff that we never seem to use, so come spring time, when we start to load up, we will ask.....did we use this at all during the first 3 years.....if not...it ain't going in. Our OB is going on a diet.

Now if only I can do that, we'll be all set.









Tim


----------



## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

hatcityhosehauler said:


> Tami,
> 
> We take out all foodstuffs.....every last bit, as well as anything that can freeze. This year, we are in the process of taking everything, I mean everything out, and evaluating whether it needs to be there or not. It seems we take a lot of stuff that we never seem to use, so come spring time, when we start to load up, we will ask.....did we use this at all during the first 3 years.....if not...it ain't going in. Our OB is going on a diet.
> 
> ...


Of course as soon as you leave one of those "did we use this at all during the first 3 years" items at home you'll need it on the next camping trip.


----------



## campmg (Dec 24, 2005)

Oregon_Camper said:


> I take out the beer and the Jack Daniels...does anything else really matter?


And it helps the winter pass by a little faster too.


----------



## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

We took all canned goods out, plus cleaned out the fridge, anything in bags or boxes. Have never had mice, but there can always be a first time. Since we are thinking of wihnter camping, we put some of the canned goods, and other goodies in a container in the basement. When we go, we just load up the container and fridge, and we are set.
We leave all bedding, dishes, cookware, and other essentials in.


----------



## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

hatcityhosehauler said:


> Tami,
> 
> We take out all foodstuffs.....every last bit, as well as anything that can freeze. This year, we are in the process of taking everything, I mean everything out, and evaluating whether it needs to be there or not. It seems we take a lot of stuff that we never seem to use, so come spring time, when we start to load up, we will ask.....did we use this at all during the first 3 years.....if not...it ain't going in. Our OB is going on a diet.
> 
> ...


I'm with you Tim
We plan on doing the same thing this spring

Don


----------



## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

HootBob said:


> Tami,
> 
> We take out all foodstuffs.....every last bit, as well as anything that can freeze. This year, we are in the process of taking everything, I mean everything out, and evaluating whether it needs to be there or not. It seems we take a lot of stuff that we never seem to use, so come spring time, when we start to load up, we will ask.....did we use this at all during the first 3 years.....if not...it ain't going in. Our OB is going on a diet.
> 
> ...


I'm with you Tim
We plan on doing the same thing this spring

Don
[/quote]

I do the diet thing every year.
Everything gets packed in boxes for the winter and we sort it in the spring.


----------



## MaeJae (May 12, 2005)

Oregon_Camper said:


> I take out the beer and the Jack Daniels...does anything else really matter?


YES!!! 
Take out the Jack! ...I don't care much about the beer, that's DH's problem









MaeJae ... LOL


----------



## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

HootBob said:


> Tami,
> 
> We take out all foodstuffs.....every last bit, as well as anything that can freeze. This year, we are in the process of taking everything, I mean everything out, and evaluating whether it needs to be there or not. It seems we take a lot of stuff that we never seem to use, so come spring time, when we start to load up, we will ask.....did we use this at all during the first 3 years.....if not...it ain't going in. Our OB is going on a diet.
> 
> ...


I'm with you Tim
We plan on doing the same thing this spring

Don
[/quote]

Don t take too much out Don, we count on you to have everything to solve any problem


----------



## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

We clean out the entire trailer except for pictures and tings like that. The only thig that stays is anything in the outside slide out drawer.

Thor


----------

