Cleaning Your Trailer to Reduce the Spread of Viruses and Bacteria

There’s a pandemic sweeping across the world right now. At the time of writing this, there are various countries on lockdown due to the novel coronavirus. Chances are, you’re probably affected too. Are you restricted from parking your trailer at a scenic campground? Are you worried that your RV might be contaminated? Well, one can never be too sure. This is the reason why in this article, we are going to share with you the ways on how to disinfect your vehicle in order to prevent the spread of harmful and contagious germs and bacteria.

Declutter

The first thing that you should do is to declutter. Let go of items that are of no use to you anymore. First of all, doing this will reduce the surfaces that germs may thrive on and transfer to you. But more than that, this will reduce the things that you’d have to clean and of course, in general, lessen the risk of contamination.
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Disinfect

Speaking of lessening the risk of contamination, that’s what the next step is for. In a nutshell, disinfection is the act of killing the germs in a surface, whether that be your hands, the items that you frequently come in contact with, or even the floor of your trailer.
So how do you do that? Here’s a quick step-by-step guide:

1. The first thing that you want to do is wash your hands. This will prevent you from contaminating your cleaning equipment. Don’t forget to put on some protective gear like a pair of gloves and a face mask. Resist touching your face during the whole cleaning process.
2. Once ready, disinfect all the surfaces and frequently used items with disinfecting wipes. This includes handles, knobs, even your digital devices. Do this in a systematic way. Don’t leave any object unwiped.
3. Spray surfaces with a disinfectant spray. For surfaces that are simply too wide to wipe down, you can use a disinfectant spray instead. This is great for tables, chairs, countertops, and even your walls. We recommend using a spray that has been approved by the EPA.
4. Clean the floors. The last thing that remains inside your trailer that needs to be cleaned is its floor. Unfortunately, it’s also one of the dirtiest since your shoes pick up a lot of foul stuff along the way. Don’t worry, you can easily disinfect your floors by using a bleach solution. The CDC recommends this formula: a cup of bleach per five gallons of water.

Now that you’re finished with the interiors, go ahead and wash the exteriors of your RV as well. As for your clothes, don’t forget to wash your clothes often in the warmest water setting possible. This will prevent your dirty laundry from piling up and spreading germs. Don’t forget to disinfect your laundry hamper regularly as well.
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Ventilate

Here’s another thing that you’re probably worried about: what about airborne contaminants? There’s no need to worry. Just make sure that your RV is well-ventilated. The fresh air will replace any stagnant air inside your vehicle along with their contaminants. It will also help to clean your AC’s filters. And if you’re really worried, you can use an air scrubber to further filter out the contaminants from your air.

Go Off-the-Grid

When you take your RV to a place without direct access to electricity, water, and even sewage lines, this is called dry camping. Honestly, this is one of the benefits of having an RV. You can trek to a remote area until the pandemic has passed, as long as you have thoroughly disinfected everything already and have made sure that you have not brought the infection along with you.

Prevention

And since we’re already talking about cleaning the interiors of your trailer, let’s move on and discuss prevention. As they say, prevention is better than a cure, especially during a highly-contagious pandemic. Hence, here are the best preventive measures for you to practice:

• Always wash your hands especially after holding anything that might have been exposed to germs.
• Avoid touching your eyes, ears, or the general area of your face before you have made sure that your hands are completely sanitized.
• Practice social-distancing. This will potentially prevent you from being exposed to contaminated respiratory droplets.
• Boost your immune system. Eat a healthy diet, and be sure to squeeze in some daily exercise to help your body fight against sickness.

Conclusion

Thank you so much for reading the article all the way through. For your reference, here’s a quick summary of the points we have mentioned:

• Declutter your RV. Let go of the things that you don’t need anymore. Fewer things mean fewer surfaces that germs can thrive in and come in contact with your family.
• Disinfect your RV from the inside out. Give everything a good washing, including your floors!
• Consider dry camping. Getting out in the wilderness brings various health benefits.
• Prevent contamination by following the tips provided by health organizations such as hand washing, social distancing, and boosting your immune system.

We wish you safe travels!