There are some things nobody puts in the glossy motorhome brochures.

• Emptying the toilet.
• The specific misery of trying to put a fitted sheet on a bed wedged against three walls.
• And waking up to discover your windscreen has developed its own indoor weather system. 🙄

Condensation is a common motorhome problem, especially at this time of year as the nights get colder. But you don’t have to accept dripping windows and damp bedding as part of the 'adventure'.

Here’s what helps.

(As an aside, for those following along with the saga, my motorhome is back and working. Turns out, a section of the wiring loom had corroded and needed replacing. It's so lovely to have her back!)

First, where is all that water coming from?

Cooking, showering, wet coats, damp towels… even breathing adds moisture to the air.

Add in a wet spaniel and you’ve practically got a mobile rainforest.

When that moist air meets a cold surface, such as your windscreen, it turns into water droplets.

The trick is to reduce the moisture, let it escape and keep the van reasonably warm.

Give the moisture somewhere to go

When it’s cold outside, shutting everything tightly feels sensible.

Unfortunately, that also traps the moisture inside.

Open a roof vent or window slightly when cooking, showering or drying wet things, and use an extractor fan if you have one. Keep the bathroom door closed while showering and ventilate the bathroom afterwards.

And don’t block the motorhome’s permanent ventilation grilles, however tempting it is when there’s a draught.

Put lids on your pans

Boiling water in a saucepan releases plenty of steam into a small living space.

Lids help reduce that, as does only boiling the kettle every now and then (another reason this is one of my favourite motorhome accessories!)

Deal with wet coats, towels and soggy dogs

Sometimes drying things inside is unavoidable.

Especially when it’s been raining non-stop for three days and your dog still insists on going outside. 🙄

There's not a whole lot you can do to help, but I try to keep wet kit together in a ventilated area (I use my bathroom) and avoid draping damp things over every available surface.

If you’re drying something inside, that water has to go somewhere. Give it an escape route.

Use your heating alongside ventilation

Heating helps warm cold surfaces, but it doesn’t remove water from the motorhome.

So, turning up the heating without ventilation won’t solve the problem.

Aim for a steady, comfortable temperature, with enough ventilation for moist air to escape. You don't need to keep a hatch or window open all night, but opening one up every few hours will help with condensation.

You can also use a small heater like this just to warm everything up quickly.

Check the places you CAN’T see

Wet windows are obvious. Underneath your mattress? Less so.

Check beneath mattresses and seat cushions, inside cupboards and behind anything pressed against an outside wall.

Leave space for air to circulate, keep bed ventilation gaps clear and lift bedding to let things air when not in use

A dry windscreen doesn’t necessarily mean everything else is dry too.

Remove the water that appears

If you wake up to wet windows, wipe them down and dry the surrounding seals and ledges. (This is my favourite way to do that!)

If you find it leaks when going upside down, this is the answer.​

You can also use moisture traps, like these. They are great for popping in your motorhome when it's not being used, but a tub of crystals won’t keep up with the moisture generated by people living, cooking and showering in a motorhome.

An electric dehumidifier like this can help in some circumstances when you have hook-up, but it’s an extra thing to carry and move around.

If you're lucky enough to keep your motorhome at home where you can empty it regularly, this award-winner only needs emptying every 3 days!

There are also portable, non-power versions, like this, which are useful if you keep your van in storage.

And one final thing: don’t automatically assume every damp patch is condensation. A persistent wet patch in the same place, staining or damp that gets worse after rain deserves checking for a leak.

Safe autumnal travels,

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