Cleaning Your Static Caravan

Cleaning your Static Caravan after lockdown is something you’ll no doubt be planning carefully, especially if you’re thinking of letting it out to guests once again.  With local travel and other restrictions being lifted this is looking much more likely, so you’ll want to be prepared. As many have said, we may be living with coronavirus present for some time. This guide to cleaning your static caravan is here to help you make your static caravan a safe environment for everyone to enjoy.

Your own judgement should be exercised to do with local conditions and regulations as they change. You do, of course, have a duty of care towards the people staying in your static caravan, this cleaning guide should help you meet some of your obligations so that you and your guests can relax and enjoy it. Also see our previous guide for more general information on returning to your static caravan after lockdown.

Cleaning Your Static Caravan

  1. First protect yourself or whoever carries out the cleaning. Consider wearing protective gloves, an apron and a mask.
  2. Conduct a risk assessment and write it down even if you are cleaning your static caravan yourself. This should be a survey of all the ‘touch points’ in your static caravan, which represent potential sites of transmission.
  3. Touch points include all handles and controls on doors, drawers, windows and appliances. Light switches, plug sockets, bathroom taps, shower controls and attachments are all obvious touch points. Walls low down, at the height of children’s hands are also worth paying special attention to. If you use a key box, don’t forget to clean that too.
  4. Do not forget any garden furniture, hot tubs or other outdoor equipment if you have it.
  5. You may have already removed ornaments from your static caravan. If not, consider doing so as this will reduce risk of transmission and the time it takes to clean between occupancy.
  6. Consider email as a safer way of sending welcome packs and appliance instructions as well as local tourist information and any other information.
  7. Make a written plan for cleaners (even if it is yourself). Include in this plan when you may need to change your protective clothing. For instance, it is a good idea to change after removing the bed linen.
  8. Provide enough of the right equipment on site given your understanding of the level of cleaning required. Eradicate the need for cleaners to go to another location to fetch equipment while in the process of cleaning.
  9. Use a checklist for all cleaners so that you can be sure the work has been carried out thoroughly.
  10. Make sure all windows and doors are open while cleaning your static caravan to maximise airflow and reduce the risk of infection by airborne pathogens.
  11. Prepare the area to be cleaned by first reducing the load. Remove bed linen, towels and waste and carry out basic cleaning. Wash the dishes, empty the fridge and clear surfaces.
  12. Make sure to use gloves to bag bed linen, cushion covers and towels safely before removing them from the property. Do not shake bed linen to avoid dispersing viruses. It may be preferable to still ask guests to provide their own and many prefer to do so at the moment. It is also worth asking them to strip and bag the linen you provide to reduce the risk of transmission. Remember to remove and dispose of gloves immediately after removing the linen and rubbish from your static caravan. Fresh linen should be put on wearing a new pair of clean disposable gloves. Always wash hands fully after removing protective clothing.
  13. Ideally, cutlery, crockery and glassware should be all washed in a dish washer to minimise risk of viruses surviving. Alternatively, hot soapy water will suffice.
  14. Clean and disinfect all surfaces in your static caravan.
  15. Many disinfectant products can be used in a mist to clean soft furnishings in your static caravan. You may also consider investing in a steam cleaner for extra reassurance. Some have been using UV light units to disinfect their properties swiftly between occupancy.
  16. Use hot soapy water to clean and then disinfect afterwards. Make sure that any disinfectant you use is capable of destroying enveloped viruses (those with a ‘shell’ like coronavirus). Look for the standard marks EN14675 or EN14476 on the products you use and follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.
  17. Make sure you have a QR code. This is still a legal requirement for the NHS track and trace program. You can get a QR code for your static caravan here. The poster can be laminated when you print it out to make cleaning and disinfecting easier.
  18. Let your guests know the measures you have taken to reassure them. Also, take the time if possible to let members of the community know that you are taking the situation seriously still, as anxiety about returning holiday makers can be understandably high in these areas. Knowing the measures you are still taking to safeguard them can win you friends and ensure guests in your static caravan are more welcome. Accreditation, available from some organisations such as the AA, is worth investigating to help with this.
  19. There is no legal requirement to maintain a 72 hour change-over gap between occupants and it is certainly possible to clean your static caravan to a safe level without this, following this advice. You may however, want to consider keeping a change-over gap in the short term to be on the safe side. Always allow yourself enough time to carry out the thorough cleaning required.
  20. Keep all of this under review. As the severity of the threat from coronavirus thankfully recedes, you may want to gradually reintroduce some things such as ornaments, scatter cushions and welcome gifts and some contact with guests. Follow government guidelines on social distancing and PPE and consult the site owner as you proceed.

This is a marketing article from My Holiday Home Insurance, a specialist provider of insurance for holiday homes, leisure homes, holiday lodges and static caravans. Our team of experienced advisers are always happy to help, so for more information call our Northampton office on freephone 0800 988 0890.

To stay up to date with similar topics, please like and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.