Tips and Tricks for a Sand-Free Motorhome

There’s a saying that nothing is impossible, but anyone who’s ever taken a week by the beach in a motorhome will know that, actually, there is something: despite whatever efforts you make, keeping you motorhome sand free is practically impossible! Once it’s there, sand stays in your motorhome for a long time, it’s uncomfortable to walk on and it can easily damage upholstery and fittings. On top of this, sand can take considerable cleaning to get rid of, so how can you ensure your motorhome is as sand-free as possible even if you’re spending time by the sea?

Start Clean!

Before the week it’s a wise idea to clean up your motorhome anyway; sand will only be attracted to little bits of dirt and, in particular, water. If you try and mop your floors mid-week, you’ll find that whenever someone comes in from the beach, sand will immediately stick and you’ll be treading on it for the rest of your holiday. Start spotless and you’ve got something to work with.

Sandy Shoes and Feet

You can’t stop the kids having fun on the beach and even the more mature ones amongst us can barely resist the feel of the sand between our toes. However, the same doesn’t apply once you’re inside! The best remedy for sandy feet we know of is a no-shoes policy and a bucket of warm water outside the door of your motorhome. Just rinsing your feet and towel-drying can get most of the sand off before you step inside. It’s handy to have a pair of flip-flops to slip on once you’re in.

Wetsuits and Bathing Suits

The next culprit for bringing sand into motorhomes is wet bathing suits that have been left on the sand to dry. The key is to change out of your bathing suit on hard sand or, preferably, off the sand all together. You should then try to avoid drying your bathing suits in your motorhome at all and hang them outside or in an awning until they’re fully dry. Even if a wetsuit is visibly clean, it may still contain lots of sand.

Check Your Pockets

If you’ve been lounging on the beach all day it’s quite likely your pockets are filled up with sand. The worst thing you can then do is go and sit on your fresh bedclothes. It’s best to give your pockets a good shake out before you get into your motorhome or, alternatively, wear a spare pair of shorts altogether. If you leave clothing upside-down outside overnight it usually clears out most of the sand.

Protect Your Upholstery

Many motorhome owners use some kind of covers on their front seats to protect them from sand and water damage and this can be useful if you’re frequently in and out of the sea. Don’t expect them to protect your upholstery from everything – hot tea will still stain – and make sure you clean them regularly but they do add an extra layer of sand protection. Choose covers that are machine washable for minimum hassle.

Take a Car

These days it’s becoming more difficult to park your motorhome around beaches and a lot of motorhome owners are choosing to tow a separate car rather than drive their motorhome. You may need to consult your motorhome insurance provider before doing this, but it can be a great way of separating the beach and your sleeping areas. It’s quick and cheap to get a car serviced but it costs a lot more for a motorhome.

Keeping your motorhome sand-free isn’t completely impossible but it does require good preparation and organisation so you make sure you’re keeping up standards from the off. If your motorhome does end up sandy, the best thing to do is to remove all the covers you can from your seating and give everything a serious hoover – both your standard home hover and a smaller mini-hoover are really useful tools for getting those last grains out. Remember to plan before you make that beach trip, get organised with spare clothes and a drying area or, better still, cut the hassle and use a separate car all together for beach trips.