hot, humid, sticky climates

[Octopus Prime]

We live in a hot, humid, sticky climate.
I had originally planned to leave all sheets, blankets, towels, etc. at the house after washing. Now, I'm rethinking that. Since there are so many "little things" that are used in the trailer, I hate to have to pack unnecessarily.

I realize many people leave these things in their trailer all the time.

Do those of you in hot, humid climates do the same? Do you have trouble with towels and bedding smelling musty from being closed in the trailer for any length of time?

[triplebvalp]

Originally Posted by Octopus Prime

We live in a hot, humid, sticky climate.
I had originally planned to leave all sheets, blankets, towels, etc. at the house after washing. Now, I'm rethinking that. Since there are so many "little things" that are used in the trailer, I hate to have to pack unnecessarily.

I realize many people leave these things in their trailer all the time.

Do those of you in hot, humid climates do the same? Do you have trouble with towels and bedding smelling musty from being closed in the trailer for any length of time?

We live in the Panhandle of Florida where, during the summer months, it can be very hot with humidity at 100% and no rain ;-) We have not had an issue with stuff smelling musty. We do keep a Damp Rid in the FW and replace it about once a month.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

Do you have the option of leaving the camper plugged in at home? We do, and just leave the A/C on all the time.

[Octopus Prime]

I will in about 3-4 weeks, but not for very long. We are still in hurricane flood recovery, so we can now have trailers in our yards and driveways in spite of deed restrictions.
We will be using the trailer during March and April (maybe May) as we go through the next stage. After that we will return it to storage.
I wish we could get it on the side of the house. We would be able to store it back there if we could get it behind the fence, but the way our property sits, it's not possible.

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[Mustang65]

I live in Central Florida and yes it is hot and humid down here. The TT has 2 ceiling vents with fans. One at each end of the TT (bedroom/bathroom). They each have a vent cover over them, so I can leave them open 24/7. The bathroom fan thermostat is set for 80 degrees so that the fan kicks on automatically. I leave the bedroom fan off. There is enough circulation generated by the bathroom fan to keep things from getting moldy. This TT has been subjected to the heat and humidity for the last 5 years and has no odors at all. The trick is to keep the air circulating.

I went SOLAR years ago, so I never have my TT hooked up to shore-power while it is in between use. The 250 watt SOLAR panel, produces enough power to keep the batteries topped off and the fan going 12+ hours a day.

You may want to look into a Renogy SOLAR kit. They are not that expensive and easy to mount on your TT's roof.

Don

My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[triplebvalp]

Originally Posted by LiftedAWDAstro

Do you have the option of leaving the camper plugged in at home? We do, and just leave the A/C on all the time.

Only when I am preparing it for a trip.

[norty1]

I use a small dehumidifier when the rig is in my yard. I hesitate to use the word stored because we are in and out of it a lot. We leave the dehumidifier home when traveling.

[Mustang65]

Originally Posted by LiftedAWDAstro

Do you have the option of leaving the camper plugged in at home? We do, and just leave the A/C on all the time.

Down here in the Hot and Humid state, that would cost 2x more than cooling the house.

Don


My Registry

RVing with SOLAR

[ReelCool]

Originally Posted by Octopus Prime

Do those of you in hot, humid climates do the same? Do you have trouble with towels and bedding smelling musty from being closed in the trailer for any length of time?

Florida here .... I leave everything in as far as bedding, towels etc. and always have. If I know the camper is going to sitting for a long period of time, I put them in those huge zip lock bags with a couple of dryer sheets and seal. I do not leave bedding on. I take everything out when we get back from a trip that we used, wash and then put back in the camper. I make the bed before we go and put towels out so everything is ready to go when we arrive. I have never had any problems with pillow getting musty but I scatter them on the bed so they get air. I use a duvet cover on a comforter that are washable.

This isn't part of your question but other things I do that help keep fresh like spices, seasonings, cooking oil, sugar and other cooking staples, I keep in a storage tote. I take them in the house and store in a small tote container with a lid in a closet in the laundry room. This way everything is together when we go on a camping trip and I don't forget something and I am not raiding the kitchen before we go. I just pull the stuff out the night before we go and stick in the camper. I do the same for refrigerated stuff- mustard, mayo, bbq sauce etc. I buy small sizes and keep them in a basket in the garage refrigerator. This way everything is together and no trying to find a grocery store. I throw them out when the date expires. I found I would forget to pack something and have to buy or do without. Then I ended up with multiple bottles of open items in our kitchen refrigerator throughout the year.

I hope this helps. After many years, it has been a time (and $$) saving routine. We also have a way we pack and store camping equipment depending on the season.


We have electric and sewer hookup in our backyard, but with the heat here our electric would be outrageous.

[hoppers4]

We have the humidity here, but not the heat. During the wet winter months I run a small heater (200 watt) and a dehumidifier in my MH to keep the algae at bay. I also run a dehumidifier in my garage so when my wet cars are parked in there it keeps the humidity at an acceptable level. My power bill goes up about $20 a month to keep this stuff going.

[James & Carol]

Hi, we store our sheets & towels in our rv, after they’ve been washed. I too make the bed before going out as well. I have a 2nd set of sheets that stay out there as well. I keep 4 dehumidifiers in the rv, 1 in bedroom, 1 in bath & 2 in the kitchen/living area. I also keep the vent in the bathroom cracked since I had a cover put on it. I do periodically open the windows & air her out as well (Mom’s habit with the house).

I will start doing what someone else suggested with the food items as well, a good idea. I bought 2 clever crates & am very pleased with them & am planning on getting more to keep the rv better organized. In case anyone is wondering, I’ve seen temps as high as 106 here in Lake City. Great thread!

[RedHorse1]

Octo,
We keep all the 5th “soft” items in our trailer. When we return from a trip we take all used linens home and wash. They sit “out” until we get them back to the trailer. A day or two before we get home we change the bed linens so they are clean for the next outing. 4-6 months there’s no problem. We also have a MaxxAir cover on the bath vent and leave it open while in storage.
The Bride has a sensitive nose and would detect “stale” linens. No problem.

[John from Central Florida]

Originally Posted by triplebvalp

We do keep a Damp Rid in the FW and replace it about once a month.

We tried Damp Rid but for whatever reason it didn't work for us (added unpleasant odors, even though we changed it regularly). We're now using one of these and so far it seems to work ok.

[Octopus Prime]

Originally Posted by ReelCool

Florida here .... I leave everything in as far as bedding, towels etc. and always have. If I know the camper is going to sitting for a long period of time, I put them in those huge zip lock bags with a couple of dryer sheets and seal. I do not leave bedding on. I take everything out when we get back from a trip that we used, wash and then put back in the camper. I make the bed before we go and put towels out so everything is ready to go when we arrive. I have never had any problems with pillow getting musty but I scatter them on the bed so they get air. I use a duvet cover on a comforter that are washable.

This isn't part of your question but other things I do that help keep fresh like spices, seasonings, cooking oil, sugar and other cooking staples, I keep in a storage tote. I take them in the house and store in a small tote container with a lid in a closet in the laundry room. This way everything is together when we go on a camping trip and I don't forget something and I am not raiding the kitchen before we go. I just pull the stuff out the night before we go and stick in the camper. I do the same for refrigerated stuff- mustard, mayo, bbq sauce etc. I buy small sizes and keep them in a basket in the garage refrigerator. This way everything is together and no trying to find a grocery store. I throw them out when the date expires. I found I would forget to pack something and have to buy or do without. Then I ended up with multiple bottles of open items in our kitchen refrigerator throughout the year.

I hope this helps. After many years, it has been a time (and $$) saving routine. We also have a way we pack and store camping equipment depending on the season.


We have electric and sewer hookup in our backyard, but with the heat here our electric would be outrageous.

Thank you!!

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[Octopus Prime]

Thanks for replies. A lot of useful information.
It sounds like we are okay to put the washed bed linens and towels back in the trailer when it is stored.
Since football season is so busy for us, the camper will be "winterized" from late July through October or November. The trailer will be completely closed up, drained, etc and not used. It might even sit at the shop for any warranty or repair work during those months.

I'm not as worried about the November through March months, but end of summer and early fall can get hot in swampy SE Texas.



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[troutslayer]

I think ReelCool mentioned something like this and I also use those large bags that I can attach a vacuum hose to and suck all the air out.

[LiftedAWDAstro]

I am glad we don't hit the 100+ degrees! When we get to 90 it is too dang hot! LOL