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just got back from seeing the caravan after the awful weather of late, i am pleased to say ava has stood up really well, still got snow/ice on the roof, but no leaks or anything, have brought all the cushions home and noticed they smell damp and have damp patches on them, how do i get these clean, any advice/products will be greatfully received.

now i cant wait for easter weekend, thinking of treating her to a professional clean as the site is next to a landfill site, and going to buy a caravan cover as well.

i just wanted to go and have a cuppa with her but i took a flask, there were so many people at the storage yard checking their pride and joy and it was nice talking caravans to them, even met ava's neighbours which was nice.

If they are damp I would get a damp meter round your van. As for cleaning - there are lots of proprietory upholstery cleaners about.

   One van we had suffered quite badly on some of the cushions as we used it at traction engine rallies and steam engines aren't exactly the cleanest things to play with.  We found foaming car upholstery cleaner and gentle agitating with a nail brush, followed by a damp cloth worked quite well. The cleaner was only a cheap one from a market stall, £1-50 a can, I think .

    We did think about hooking up a steam cleaner to the engine, but the H&S bods wouldn't have approved of that.       .

      Pete.

If they are really bad try and borrow/buy/hire one of those carpet and upholstry cleaning machines and use it with the recomended shampoo and tools. Its amzing how much dirt comes out into the tank as it sucks them almost dry and its an oputunity to shampoo your carpets at the same time if you can get them within reach of a power point. You can also buy a Scotchgard treatment from most hire shops and good supermarkets to keep them looking good for longer.

From past experiances these work better than the steam machines and foams simply because they suck up and extract the dirt reather than just shifting it deeper into the fabric and out of sight.

Julia

well they arent as bad as i first thought, just cold, and yes they were leaning against the caravan wall, put them in my dining room and its  nice and warm in there, they are now looking like they did when i first got the van last aug, so will keep them in the house, did damp test the van in aug and no sign, will do it again in a few weeks just to make sure there is no damp.

i am going to see how they go and they do need a clean from the autumn trip so will use vanish or 1001 carpet cleaner spray.

thanks again.  

1001 carpet cleaner spray

thats the one my grandma said was the best stuff going.