[00:00:00] Keith Gooden: In today’s episode of the Motorhome Matt podcast.
[00:00:02] Matt Sims: I share my top tips on how to keep your motorhome smelling fresh.
[00:00:07] Keith Gooden: In the news, the South West Motorhome and Campervan Show is this weekend.
[00:00:11] Matt Sims: And we answer your questions on off-grid energy solutions, dealers for lower-end motorhomes and hiring a professional motorhome cleaner.
[00:00:27] Keith Gooden: Welcome to the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden and.
[00:00:30] Matt Sims: I’m Motorhome Matt.
[00:00:31] Keith Gooden: Industry insights and expert advice for the world of motorhomes, caravans and campervans. And it’s brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com
and sponsored by Ripe.
[00:00:40] Matt Sims: If you’re listening, remember, please do follow on your favourite podcast app or if you’re watching on YouTube, click subscribe and the little bell.
[00:00:48] Keith Gooden: Matt, if someone’s after a motorhome or just needs theirs looking after, where would you send them?
[00:00:53] Matt Sims: Well, I’ve gone to RV Super Centre for years whenever I’ve needed Roller Team spare parts in particular, so I know firsthand how helpful they are. They’re not just about parts though. They’re the UK’s one-stop shop for motorhomes, whether you’re buying new or used or even ex-hire if you’re after great value.
[00:01:13] Keith Gooden: And they do servicing as well, don’t they? Yep.
[00:01:15] Matt Sims: Full service centres, parts, accessories, bodywork repairs that are insurance approved, and they’re NCC-accredited workshops too. What I like is it’s a small and super-friendly team, but with nationwide sites. They’re in Toddington, Edinburgh and Belfast. So they’ve got that local feel but with a huge reach.
[00:01:36] Keith Gooden: Sounds like the full package.
[00:01:38] Matt Sims: Exactly. You can find out more at RV Super Centre, and we’ll stick the link in the episode description too.
[00:01:46] Keith Gooden: The South West Motorhome and Campervan Show is this weekend. That’s the 5th to the 7th of September 2025 at the Bath and West Showground. Tell us about it, Matt.
[00:01:56] Matt Sims: Yeah, it’s our local show. This is a Warners show, of course, because they run them all over the country. But this one is just down the road, so it’s right on our doorstep. So it’s a big highlight for us. Hundreds of resellers of accessories and stuff to kit out your motorhome, and hundreds of dealers as well. Hundreds of motorhomes there for sale from loads of dealers across the whole of the region, including South West Motorhomes and Somerset Motorhome Centre, the owners of which, Sarah Ford and Tom Leader, will be joining me on stage live in the Advice Centre. Plan is for Sunday afternoon. Details to follow, so check the Warners programme. But we’re talking new versus used, pitfalls of buying second-hand and new, warranty and resale value. So this is going to be a really kind of bare-all conversation as we did before last year. Bare all.
[00:02:47] Keith Gooden: Yeah, bare.
[00:02:48] Matt Sims: All. Well, they’re going to stay clothed.
[00:02:50] Keith Gooden: Yeah.
[00:02:52] Matt Sims: It’s going to be dead honest. That’s the point. And this is going to be a great session to attend, so that is planned for Sunday afternoon in the Advice Centre, which is a huge highlight of the shows. Plus there’s all the usual entertainment. Four nights’ camping for just £85, or come along for the day, £7.50 for a day ticket. The show is on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, but you can arrive Thursday in your motorhome, caravan or tent and leave on Monday morning. They’re brilliant value, great fun. Let’s hope we get some good weather. You get 10% off your day ticket, so just use the code MOTORHOMEMATT. Find out more at pop-top.co.uk.
[00:03:35] Keith Gooden: It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden and.
[00:03:37] Matt Sims: I’m Motorhome Matt.
[00:03:38] Keith Gooden: It’s brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com
and sponsored by Ripe.
[00:03:42] Matt Sims: Oh yeah.
[00:03:44] Keith Gooden: Have you dropped?
[00:03:45] Matt Sims: It wasn’t me. We’re talking smells.
[00:03:50] Keith Gooden: The one who smelt it dealt it. The one who detected it perfected it. The one who supplied it. No, that’s not right. The one who denied it supplied it. That’s it.
[00:03:59] Matt Sims: You’ve gone back to primary school.
[00:04:01] Keith Gooden: He denied it, he says not me. He denied it, supplied it. We’re talking about smells in your motorhome.
[00:04:08] Matt Sims: Oh, you’re not coming away with me. Not if you’re going to do that.
[00:04:12] Keith Gooden: So first of all, what causes the smells in your motorhome?
[00:04:16] Matt Sims: Well, we’re going to go through a load of sources of what the sources of smell can be. Yeah. Too much bean sauce. So the toilet’s an obvious source of smell. The main culprit, I would suggest. And I get loads of people complaining about the smell, either of the toilet waste or the toilet chemical. And.
[00:04:35] Keith Gooden: Not the stuff you stick in it.
[00:04:38] Matt Sims: What, the human waste? That smells. And when you combine, let’s get to the point here, poo and wee, that generates a smell. And we’ve unpacked this in the past. I mean, we’re talking separation toilets, the fact that then the waste doesn’t smell because you’ve not mixed urine and poo together, or water and number twos together. So the toilet can be a big source of the smell. So picking a toilet chemical that has aroma you like is really important, or that you can bear. I’m a big fan, as we know, of Solbio. We love the smell of it. If it ever isn’t strong enough, we just drop a little dose of essential oil into the toilet and that fixes it. It’s been a game changer for us. So the toilet is a big culprit of this. Emptying it often, so in the recent, we’ve had some hot weather that’s going to impact the smell from the toilet, and you need to be emptying your toilet regularly. And the longer you leave it, the more it’s going to smell. So maybe every day. But certainly we empty ours every two or three days and keep it fresh.
[00:05:35] Keith Gooden: And when you bring it home, you don’t let it lie to fester.
[00:05:38] Matt Sims: No. Do you know, that’s a really bad idea because then it dries up almost inside the toilet cassette. So we empty ours and clean ours out straight away. Really important. The next one, I guess, is the grey water tank. So this is the water that’s gone down the sinks and the shower. And that water contains spit because you’ve cleaned your teeth in it, so bacteria. It contains, maybe contains food where you’ve washed up, and it contains soap, which can go off. And what’s the word?
[00:06:07] Keith Gooden: What’s the word?
[00:06:08] Matt Sims: Ferment.
[00:06:08] Keith Gooden: No, what’s the word?
[00:06:12] Matt Sims: Do you know what I mean? It goes all thick. And you know what I mean.
[00:06:18] Keith Gooden: Conglomerate? Modulate?
[00:06:24] Matt Sims: No. The water goes stagnant as well.
[00:06:30] Keith Gooden: That’s a real word.
[00:06:33] Matt Sims: That’s a real, that food can start to smell and go off. And of course it can attract flies and goes mouldy. So keeping your grey tanks clean, empty them regularly and using some kind of cleaner to clean them with. We use Solbio in ours. So we pour that down the sink traps. We also use something called Slam. We sell it at That Leisure Shop. It’s brilliant. You can pour that down the sink traps and it will clean the sink trap, you know, the little waste bit under the plughole, and it eats away any debris that’s formed in there that might be hair or toothpaste. And that can block sink pipes as well. This stuff is fantastic. It’s really cheap. So keeping on top of your grey tank, emptying that regularly too. I must say, if we’re in a location where it’s not bad practice to leave the waste tap open, we do. So at a show we might close it because we’re going to sit outside the van, or on a campsite. But if we’re somewhere where we’re camped up in a car park somewhere, we might leave the grey tap open and let it waste out straight away.
[00:07:36] Keith Gooden: Don’t do what I did once, which is fill your washers in your car with water from the water butt.
[00:07:41] Matt Sims: Oh yeah, you told me this.
[00:07:42] Keith Gooden: Yeah. That stank. That’s because it ferments, you know, because it’s got bacteria in it. And I had to buy some special stuff to put in there to kill it all. But it really did.
[00:07:53] Matt Sims: I bet it smelt like a.
[00:07:53] Keith Gooden: Pond. It was just awful because you’re right. It’s got bits of food in it, or as you say, it’s grey, and it does ferment. The bacteria starts to multiply, and it’s the bacteria that smells. What about cooking smells and damp and condensation then?
[00:08:08] Matt Sims: So damp and condensation doesn’t always smell. Damp especially doesn’t always smell. And people say, oh, well yeah, you can smell damp. You can in a house, because what you’re smelling is the plaster on the walls that’s got damp. In a motorhome that isn’t the case. Plastic walls, if they get damp, you just have condensation inside the wall. Wood doesn’t always smell if there’s wood in the construction of the motorhome, you don’t necessarily know you’ve got damp. If you see a stain, that could be a clue. It doesn’t always smell, but upholstery getting wet can smell over time. It’s a bit like your screenwash. It just goes stagnant and bacteria forms. And of course it’s the bacteria that you’re smelling, not the water or the liquid that was on it necessarily. So the key there is keep on top of upholstery. Make sure it stays clean. If you’ve got condensation in your van, take the curtains out. If you’ve got net curtains hanging up, don’t leave them in there over the winter. Make sure you ventilate really well and that will help keep the air moving through so the air doesn’t go stagnant and the air doesn’t condensate. You don’t want damp air in your motorhome because that’s going to cling to the fabric and ultimately make the fabrics wet and they’re going to smell. Cooking is an obvious one. So that cooked breakfast, that bacon is going to linger for ages.
[00:09:20] Keith Gooden: What you don’t see when you fry, even when you use the air fryers, is the tiny, tiny particles of oil that get into the atmosphere and then settle. And you know, well, you know, when you clean it. And of course that then attracts dust, which then smells.
[00:09:39] Matt Sims: That’s what you’re smelling, is those particles that have clung to the fabric. So it really is keeping the van ventilated. If you’re cooking, it’s always sensible, if you’re on a gas stove, open the window above the oven or hob. In the winter we forget to do this. It’s so important that you open a window when you’ve got the gas hob on because it’s generating carbon monoxide. So it’s really important you’re ventilating really well. There is usually a sticker somewhere in the motorhome warning you to do this, which we ignore, and we just become blind to it and we forget. So make sure you open a rooflight or a side window if it’s raining to ventilate, and that will help prevent and minimise the smells after you’ve cooked. And of course you can buy sprays that you can spray onto soft furnishings that break down that bacteria that will help you stop the smell as well.
[00:10:24] Keith Gooden: And also, when you’re in a motorhome or a caravan, you’re in a much smaller space than a normal living area, aren’t you?
[00:10:30] Matt Sims: Yeah.
[00:10:30] Keith Gooden: And so once these things coagulate, then you only need a very small amount, don’t you?
[00:10:45] Matt Sims: It doesn’t take a lot of coagulation at all.
[00:10:48] Keith Gooden: No. So, and your bedding as well. Now, you might not think you stink, but you probably do. So you change your bedding and you’ve got to wash your bedding, haven’t you? Some people don’t.
[00:11:06] Matt Sims: Some people don’t. That’s true. Live like coagulators. I have no idea what a coagulator looks like, but it’s true. Keep your bedding fresh. Air your bed. It’s really important. I read somewhere, I can’t remember how many litres of water we generate in a night’s sleep. It’s a lot.
[00:11:19] Keith Gooden: Litres?
[00:11:19] Matt Sims: Yeah.
[00:11:20] Keith Gooden: Sweat? Are you sure? You’re sweating? Litres?
[00:11:31] Matt Sims: Honestly, it was over a litre per person per night. That’s a lot in humidity.
[00:11:36] Keith Gooden: You drink a lot of tea before bed.
[00:11:39] Matt Sims: Honestly. Yeah. And that’s what generates condensation. Have you seen my windscreen in the morning in the spring and the autumn? Do you believe it?
[00:11:47] Keith Gooden: Don’t worry.
[00:11:48] Matt Sims: It’s covered in water. Absolutely. We’ve got one of those window suckers that we suck it all off with.
[00:12:00] Matt Sims: It’s incredible how much humidity we create. And of course that sticks in the bedsheets. So air your mattress as well. Take the bedsheet off regularly. If you’re living in a van for any length of time, even after a week, just lift the mattress up and let it air. And it’s really important you do this with all the cushions. In fact, in our storage business people pay us to do this. So we have a storage plan where we rotate the cushions through the winter especially, and we lift the cushions and rotate them 180 degrees and we allow the air to move around them so mould doesn’t form on them and they don’t smell. Makes a massive difference.
[00:12:33] Keith Gooden: Footwear. Smelly shoes is always one, isn’t it? I mean, it happens less these days because we tend to wear much more leathery shoes, don’t we? Much more natural fibres in our shoes. And so people don’t generally have smelly feet, or do they?
[00:12:49] Matt Sims: Well, they can do, yeah, depends on, my son does. Oh my goodness, they’re horrendous. We have a box that we leave outside and it slides under the motorhome so it doesn’t get wet if it rains. And our shoes and footwear all goes in there before we come inside the motorhome. So everybody has to take their shoes off and that’s our policy. And they stay outside and they can air then. And the box, we’ve drilled some holes in it in the sides so it can breathe. All very clever, you see.
[00:13:26] Keith Gooden: Tell you what, footwear is one thing, but our furry friends are another. People do love to bring their dogs, don’t they?
[00:13:32] Matt Sims: Oh, wet dog smell. That’s the worst, isn’t it? Reg, when he gets wet, honestly. He’ll roll in anything as well, so it’s not even just water if he’s out on a walk. I’ve often wondered why he does it. His dog’s trying to become part of the environment they’re in, and they love rolling in fox poo. That’s his favourite.
[00:13:46] Keith Gooden: So, Reg, do you put him in a box with holes in the sides?
[00:13:49] Matt Sims: Stick him under the van. No. We have a special coat that we put him in, and we zip it around his neck. And he lives in that for a while to dry off. And they’re brilliant, things like dog robes. We sell them at That Leisure Shop. Reg loves getting into his, but not every dog does. But he climbs in, we zip it up and it dries him off, and he just feels safe and secure, and it dries him really fast. We don’t get the wet dog smell.
[00:14:12] Keith Gooden: They expensive those things?
[00:14:14] Matt Sims: No, not at all, no. The big issue when a dog comes in your motorhome wet is they want to shake off once they get inside. This is what you want to avoid.
[00:14:21] Keith Gooden: Then inside the motorhome or the caravan.
[00:14:23] Matt Sims: Wet and muddy. I don’t know why they do it.
[00:14:26] Keith Gooden: So everything that goes before pets in this should be in pets. And gas systems as well. The smell of gas.
[00:14:33] Matt Sims: It’s quite common to have a smell of gas when you open your gas cupboard. So people often panic. They open the door because it’s a sealed box. It should be a sealed unit with a drop vent at the bottom. So this is a mesh hole at the bottom, so gas is heavier than air. It can get out.
[00:14:49] Keith Gooden: Or even heavier than air.
[00:14:50] Matt Sims: It is. Yeah, sorry. More to the point. And so it behaves like water is what I mean. But it’s very common to get a slight aroma of gas. There’s no need to panic. But if you are concerned, it’s really important you get your gas connections checked for a potential gas leak. And that’s where products like GasStop are great. We sell those at That Leisure Shop and these will detect a gas leak, a slow leak or a fast leak and will just shut off and prevent any gas from escaping from the bottle at the source. So that’s a product to look at. They should be on every motorhome, caravan, campervan, static caravan. They should all have them. But that’s a product to check out. It’s called GasStop. But if you are concerned, get it professionally checked.
[00:15:31] Keith Gooden: Right. So a quick checklist there. How to prevent smells. Routine tank emptying. Don’t let it sit. Grey tank care, strainers and sinks regularly, rinse with warm water and tank cleaner. What’s a Slam product?
[00:15:44] Matt Sims: Slam is the product that we put down the sinks. So we use it here in the team. The cleaning team love it. If a sink’s slightly smelly, they just get some, sprinkle it in, and it’s fantastic.
[00:15:53] Keith Gooden: It’s called Slam.
[00:15:53] Matt Sims: Slam. Yeah.
[00:15:54] Keith Gooden: Slam, right. Ventilation habits, really good.
[00:15:57] Matt Sims: Really important. You ventilate when you’re cooking and keep the van ventilated. So important.
[00:16:01] Keith Gooden: Open the vents.
[00:16:02] Matt Sims: Open the window.
[00:16:03] Keith Gooden: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Even in winter.
[00:16:05] Matt Sims: Even in winter. More important in winter because that’s when you get condensation. And I know it’s cold, but just crack one window open on position one and have your heating on and just allow it to vent through.
[00:16:16] Keith Gooden: There’s a dehumidifier worth buying, because it does use quite a lot of energy.
[00:16:20] Matt Sims: Yeah, there’s two types. There’s one that will suck the water out into a container and then you pour it away. Or you can put these salts in. We have a number of brands. Brands like Kilrock is one. We sell loads of them. And I must admit I was very cynical about them. I put a load of them in a car. I went back to a car that I was storing, it’s an old Porsche, and everything in it went mouldy. The seat belt, the steering wheel, it was disgusting. Anywhere I touched had gone mouldy. And I put these little crystals in the car through the winter. No mould come the spring. Amazing. In fact, I kept an eye on it. Mould didn’t form. They do work. They do make a difference.
[00:16:55] Keith Gooden: He washes his hands now.
[00:16:57] Matt Sims: Yeah.
[00:16:57] Keith Gooden: Cooking ventilation. It seems obvious, it’s a small space, but people don’t.
[00:17:01] Matt Sims: That’s about smells and your safety because of carbon monoxide.
[00:17:04] Keith Gooden: Yeah, which we’ve said is a killer by stealth. Carbon monoxide, the silent killer. You just go to sleep and never wake up. Soft furnishing covers. You’ve got to wash them, haven’t you?
[00:17:15] Matt Sims: Yeah. Regularly. Yep. Keep them clean. Keep them dry. Smells will cling to them and linger in them. So yeah, keep them well rotated and keep on top of them.
[00:17:24] Keith Gooden: Fridge maintenance as well. When you switch it off, do you just leave it shut?
[00:17:29] Matt Sims: No. So leave the door open. So most people don’t know, a lot of people don’t know that fridge catch has a ventilation position. Depending on the fridge will depend on the design. It means the fridge door will stay open about five millimetres, meaning it can breathe. So it’s really important you clean the fridge after you’ve used it and then you leave the door ajar to help it breathe and stop it from moulding up.
[00:17:49] Keith Gooden: Right. And so smelly shoes, the box with the holes in underneath. And for pets, what was it again? Is your sort of cape, wasn’t it?
[00:17:55] Matt Sims: Bring them in the van dry. And if they’ve rolled in something, don’t let them in the van. Give them a wash first.
[00:18:00] Keith Gooden: All right. How do you fix the smell when it actually happens? You’ve done all these things and then suddenly, can you smell that?
[00:18:09] Matt Sims: I can’t smell that, no. I don’t want to try.
[00:18:14] Keith Gooden: So what do you do to fix the smells if they do happen?
[00:18:17] Matt Sims: So try and find the source of it. It’s the first thing. Is it the toilet cassette? Is it the grey tank? Is it an appliance? Where’s it coming from? And then address it accordingly. So a toilet cassette is definitely worth rinsing regularly and try and really keep it clean. Use a chemical, as I say, that you can abide the smell of. That’s really important. We used to use a certain brand of blue chemical and Jude hated it. She said it just smells like stale fish after a couple of days. As you know, we use Solbio and we love it. It’s a very pleasant smell to us. I know people that don’t like it. That’s fair enough. So use a toilet chemical, if you’re going to use one, that doesn’t smell or smells nice to you, or consider something like a SOG where it has a fan that blows the, that a SOG, so this is a type of toilet. It’s a German brand and I can’t remember what it stands for. It’s a German word or three words. This fan sucks the air out of the cassette and helps the breakdown of the product inside, and they don’t tend to smell at all. And that in conjunction with chemical can work super well. And then of course consider your waste tanks and how you’re going to keep on top of those. Solbio make a brilliant product that will clean the waste tank. We use actual Solbio toilet chemical in our waste tank. We just pour a little bit down each sink, down the shower, and leave it in the waste and close the drain tap first obviously, and leave it in there for a day or two. Let it slosh around and it does a great job of cleaning and freshening up the tank. Or whatever you use to clean it, don’t use Coca-Cola. I know loads of people that want to use Coke because you see these memes where people put all, Pepsi, they put a 2p coin in, any fizzy drink, and it cleans the coin. In reality, it builds up the sugar content in your waste tank and it attracts bacteria. It doesn’t work. It’s not a good idea.
[00:20:04] Keith Gooden: It’s got small amounts of citric acid in it, and it’s just the citric acid, which makes it, put it in vinegar, it will do the same. Yeah. It’s just this internet nonsense. If it was killing people around the world, do you think they’d still be selling it?
[00:20:18] Matt Sims: Internet nonsense.
[00:20:19] Keith Gooden: Yeah. So condensation treatment, mould sprays are a good one if you get the mould. And also drying things thoroughly. It’s very easy to leave a damp tea towel or something.
[00:20:30] Matt Sims: Just put it outside, let it dry. Yeah. And if you can’t do that, put it in a sealed bag and then take it home and dry it. Leaving any fabric, whether it be a towel, a pillowcase or whatever it is, wet inside a motorhome is just going to create loads of condensation.
[00:20:45] Keith Gooden: Or even damp.
[00:20:46] Matt Sims: Damp, just.
[00:20:47] Keith Gooden: Slightly damp.
[00:20:47] Matt Sims: Yeah, and it will smell. So just don’t do that. Try and get them dry outside of the van as soon as you can, or put them in a sealed bag.
[00:20:53] Keith Gooden: Yeah. Fridge rescues. There’s a good tip on this one, isn’t there?
[00:20:56] Matt Sims: Yeah. Pot of baking soda, that will help keep the fridge fresh.
[00:20:59] Keith Gooden: It does work. It works at home as well.
[00:21:01] Matt Sims: It does. Or cut a lemon in half, put that in the fridge. They work really well. We do that at home, but invariably it gets used in the gin and tonic. But, you know, it does have a double purpose. Or use a vinegar solution. Just wipe round the fridge with a vinegar solution. It’s friendly to the environment. Avoid bleach. We refuse to have any bleach in our van at all. It will stain the plastic, it will turn it yellow, so don’t use bleach on any white plastic.
[00:21:25] Keith Gooden: Bleach is very, very powerful, isn’t it? And white vinegar is your friend around the house just generally. And again it’s an acid, but it’s a safe acid to use.
[00:21:36] Matt Sims: It’s a natural acid.
[00:21:37] Keith Gooden: And if you dilute it 10 to 1, you can use it on your garden to kill pests. So always have a bottle of white vinegar around.
[00:21:45] Matt Sims: Put it on your chips.
[00:21:46] Keith Gooden: Yeah. Yeah. And you can. Yeah. Fabric refresh. What does that mean?
[00:21:50] Matt Sims: Yeah. So consider an upholstery shampoo. So here we’ve got Motorhome Holiday Company where we hire motorhomes as well as we sell them. But we regularly get the interiors cleaned because they do get stains on because families are away in them every week. Our cleaning company, our contractor, comes in and they professionally clean the cushions regularly. Keeps them looking great, but it keeps them smelling great as well because that bacteria and, as you were saying earlier, the food smells get into the fabric and it causes unpleasant smells. And when we hand the van over, there’s no smell. But something for some reason could trigger a smell halfway through your holiday. And this can happen to you. I don’t know what causes it, but something just causes this smell to suddenly appear. So keep your fabrics clean. It’s worth investing in an upholstery cleaner. I mean, Charmaine’s cleaner’s like this massive, huge cylindrical vacuum. It’s huge. And it’s a professional, thousands of pounds’ worth of kit. You don’t need to have one of those, but consider something that is going to suck all that bacteria out of the soft furnishing.
[00:22:49] Keith Gooden: So lots of people have got those carpet cleaners, haven’t they?
[00:22:52] Matt Sims: Yeah.
[00:22:52] Keith Gooden: Which they buy. Can you use them in motorhomes?
[00:22:56] Matt Sims: Yeah, of course. They do leave it slightly damp.
[00:22:56] Keith Gooden: They do leave it slightly damp.
[00:22:58] Matt Sims: They’ll leave it damp. It’s really important you let it dry. So when we’re airing them, we leave all the windows open, get the heating on, get the ambient temperature in there up, and then open all the windows and let the condensation get out and let the damp out. That’s really important. So if you’re doing it on a wet day, not a good idea. So try and choose a warm, dry day for doing this.
[00:23:15] Keith Gooden: An odour absorber. We see them advertised on television, you know, for shoes or sprays for the loos and stuff to use in loos. Yeah, but you can use them, can you, around the plastic?
[00:23:27] Matt Sims: Yeah, we sell them here. A tray of baking soda, that’s great for absorbing damp from the air and thus odours, it does. But activated charcoal, have you seen that? It’s really good. So you can buy this online. We can ingest it and it’s great for treating health conditions, but it’s also really good at absorbing smells and moisture from the air.
[00:23:46] Keith Gooden: So it’s not the stuff you put on the barbecue?
[00:23:48] Matt Sims: No, not that. Don’t be swallowing that.
[00:23:50] Keith Gooden: Right.
[00:23:50] Matt Sims: Okay.
[00:23:52] Keith Gooden: Don’t do this at home. Enzyme-based cleaners. Yeah. So what exactly do they do?
[00:23:57] Matt Sims: So these will break down the smell that’s stuck maybe in the carpet. So particularly in a deeper soft furnishing, so a carpet that’s maybe got a lining or a cushion that’s quite thick. And these enzymes will get into that and kill the bacteria. So my grandson recently threw up everywhere at home and Mrs Motorhome Matt cleaned it all up. I got home, sat down on the sofa, went, what is that smell? And she fessed up that Toby had been sick and gone everywhere. And we could not get rid of the smell. And I have a super-sensitive nose, nose. So we took home an enzyme cleaner that we use at work when people have had an accident, they have thrown up in a van. It does happen from time to time and this stuff is absolutely brilliant. It’s a professional-grade cleaner. And I poured it into the cracks in the sofa because our cushions, they’re not separate.
[00:24:50] Keith Gooden: So can you buy that one then?
[00:24:52] Matt Sims: This particular one we use? No. You can buy an enzyme cleaner in supermarkets, but this particular one is a professional-grade one only available to professional valeters.
[00:25:01] Keith Gooden: Professional valeters. The next on my list, this link with valeting I find, is that you ask them for a quote and they tell you, and then I need about half an hour to recover. Always seems very expensive.
[00:25:12] Matt Sims: Yeah, but they’re using very expensive chemical and taking a while. It’s about an hourly rate to do it. And some of this chemical we use is, you know, some of it’s tens of pounds a bottle and you might use half a bottle. So it does cost. But getting a professional done is a great way of keeping on top of your motorhome in and out. We use a professional cleaner to clean the cushions, as I say. Charmaine does a fantastic job and we use professional-grade chemicals, which we have access to because we are valeting motorhomes all the time here. But we have a valeting company come to our house once a month and he will wash the cars, the motorhomes, and it’s a monthly commitment. It’s not that expensive, really. And everything gets cleaned, the cab, and it’s a good hygiene clean as well, which keeps on top of the insides and the outsides.
[00:25:58] Keith Gooden: I suppose if you’re spending £150, £200 once a year to have it done, to have your motorhome professionally valeted, is that about the right price?
[00:26:05] Matt Sims: Probably for the inside, probably £200, maybe £150. It depends on the size of the motorhome and the state of it. Have you been looking after it all year? It’s not going to take that long. The outside, if you just want it washed, £50. I would definitely consider a professional company to do it though. They know how to use the lance, the jet washer. They know how to look after the sealant, where not to spray it, so the fridge vents. I would be very cautious about taking it to a drive-through car wash where those guys come and do it for you. They don’t necessarily know how to clean the outside of a motorhome properly and professionally.
[00:26:39] Keith Gooden: I’m with you. So about £350, maybe £400 as an annual investment in your pride and joy doesn’t sound that much if you can afford it.
[00:26:47] Matt Sims: Not really. If you spread that across the year, it’s good, isn’t it? And you keep on top of it and stop it smelling.
[00:26:52] Keith Gooden: Absolutely. So if you’ve got a stinky motorhome, we’ve given you the answers on how to make it smell beautiful, haven’t we, Matt?
[00:27:07] Matt Sims: Yeah.
[00:27:07] Keith Gooden: So, Matt, you’ve had a few people getting in touch on a recent post about Ripe, haven’t you?
[00:27:13] Matt Sims: Yeah, I love sharing these because they are real experiences. Chris Hunt said, I’m with Ripe. Never had to claim, but renewal has been easy and it was the cheapest quote I got. When I changed my number plate and storage location, they were really helpful both on the phone and the online chat. And I always get Amy, who’s really good.
[00:27:26] Keith Gooden: Now to get an actual namecheck. That’s pretty great, isn’t it? Amy must be pleased.
[00:27:30] Matt Sims: Yeah, I’m sure they are. And she’ll know about this by now. Then there’s William John Jones. I’m with them January this year. The best quote I got. And Paul Sparrow said, I am with Ripe. I must say they have been competitive yet again in my renewal. So I’m with them once again for another year.
[00:27:46] Keith Gooden: That’s not bad going.
[00:27:47] Matt Sims: No it’s not. And loads of listeners have told me they’ve saved hundreds, some over £500 by switching. So like Chris, William and Paul, you could get the cover you need and you might even save some money whilst you do it. So check out Ripe via the link in the description and get 15% off your premium.
[00:28:06] Keith Gooden: It’s the Motorhome Matt podcast. I’m Keith Gooden.
[00:28:08] Matt Sims: And I’m Motorhome Matt.
[00:28:09] Keith Gooden: It’s brought to you by www.thatleisureshop.com
and sponsored by Ripe. Okay, time for the Q&A, the questions and answers. You ask the questions, Motorhome Matt gives the answers. If he doesn’t know, he’ll ask somebody who jolly well does. Richard Byrne first of all got in touch.
[00:28:27] Richard Byrne: I approached Matt for recommendations for off-grid electric installations for my Swift Kon-Tiki. Matt recommended B-Blue Fix Energy Solutions, who held a place on the Motorhome Matt Approved list. B-Blue Fix completed my installation last week of a complex 24-volt power system, which completely unlocks the ability to visit sites in beautiful areas that don’t have the facilities like a mainstream campsite. I’m absolutely delighted with the work that B-Blue Fix have carried out. Compact, neat, efficient and for the spec of the components, very, very reasonably priced. I wholeheartedly understand why B-Blue Fix are Motorhome Matt Approved. Thanks again for sharing this amazing team with me, Matt.
[00:29:06] Keith Gooden: There you go. So explain, who are B-Blue Fix then?
[00:29:10] Matt Sims: B-Blue Fix. They are my go-to installers for lithium upgrades, solar panel upgrades, anything to do with that, anything on the electrical side. So batteries are batteries as well. They are the talented guys behind B-Blue Fix. They’re a super company, small team, family business-run. And they really do know their stuff. And they are at most of the Warners shows, often talking on stage about it as well. And Richard has had an all-singing, all-dancing install done on his Swift Kon-Tiki 774 and we store it, or we did because it’s now for sale. It’s here in our yard for sale as we record this. So it’s nice to hear that. Richard, thank you so much. So if you are looking for a Swift Kon-Tiki 774, 3000 miles, two owners, only a couple of years old with a massive B-Blue Fix install, then come check out MotorhomeHolidayCompany.com. You’ll find it there.
[00:30:01] Keith Gooden: Alicia Poynton in Cheshire. Hi guys. We’re thinking of getting our first motorhome and thanks to your podcast have a good idea of layout we would like and other bits and pieces. We’ve got a limited budget of between 20 and 25,000. We can’t afford to get this wrong and have become quite sceptical of seemingly good offers. Are there any good dealers who sell lower-end motorhomes? Like everyone, we want the best our money can get and any tips would be greatly received. Really love the podcast. Thank you. Well, thank you.
[00:30:32] Matt Sims: Yeah, thank you.
[00:30:33] Keith Gooden: Good question. She doesn’t have £1 million to spend yet. She wants to do a deal with somebody who are really, really good. You know, good. As she says, she describes them good dealers. I suppose she means trustworthy and professional.
[00:30:49] Matt Sims: Yeah.
[00:30:49] Keith Gooden: So is that possible?
[00:30:49] Matt Sims: Of course it is. Yeah, absolutely. So it’s a tough one. But reviews are your friend, so you need to do your Google research on any dealership and read the reviews. If you know someone that’s bought something from them, ask them what was their experience, what was their buying experience. Have they had a problem with it? What was their experience after the sale? That’s more important than the selling experience really. I’d highly recommend you go to an outdoor show, one of the Warners shows. You can find out more about them on our website. You’ll see a list of all their outdoor shows. And what’s been remarkable is there are increasingly motorhomes at these outdoor shows starting at around 20 or 25k, and people say you can’t buy a motorhome for that. You absolutely can. And if you can find one with good service history, that’s the key, a recent damp check as well. It really does depend what you’re buying. If you’re unsure, pay for a habitation check or a damp check, or both. It’s going to cost you between £150, maybe £200 to £300, depending on who you get to do it. Any reputable dealer would not mind you doing that. We do here outsource our habitation checks when we’re selling a motorhome, so we take them to MJB who are Motorhome Matt Approved near us here in North Somerset, and Miles and the team will do the habitation check. So it’s independent, and that’s really important. You can check the MOT service history so that all the histories of MOTs, if there were advisories or failures, were they put right and how quickly were they addressed? Service history, ask to see it. What service history does it have? If you’re buying an older motorhome, look at the cam belt. Consider, has that been changed? Maybe ask about getting that changed as well. And do an HPI check. So check there’s no outstanding finance, it’s never been written off, and there’s no skeletons in its closet in terms of its history. And you can buy an HPI check for pounds. Lots of free sites that will allow you to, Car Check is one. There’s lots of them out there, but do some kind of check, pay for it and make sure the history of the van is clear as well. And then I would consider buying a warranty. So this has been a recent topic, hasn’t it, on the podcast. I’d definitely consider buying a warranty from a provider like Warranty Solutions Group because £500, you can buy their Freedom product. If anything goes wrong, they are going to help you either pay for it in full or cover a big chunk of it. So especially if you’re buying an older motorhome, if it’s got service history, they will cover it, and that’s certainly a big safety net to consider adding.
[00:33:18] Keith Gooden: And the thing is, Alicia, yeah, I’m speaking out for you and other people like you. 20 to £25,000 is a lot of money. You should expect good service. And reputable dealers, of which there are plenty by the way, at that price point.
[00:33:33] Matt Sims: Of course. Yeah. And you are at the kind of cheaper, lower end, let’s say, of the motorhome market, given that new ones start now typically at £65,000 plus, although we’ve seen at shows recently new ones with 20 grand off or more, 30 grand off. So going to an outdoor show, there’s always great offers on the screen price. Definitely worth checking out one near you and see what deal you can find. But take your time. Do your research. Don’t rush into it and take your time.
[00:34:03] Keith Gooden: And be very aware, if you’re looking online, there are scammers out there who use fake pictures and try and take deposits off you, you know, two or three thousand pounds because somebody else is coming round this afternoon. You have to secure it. We’ve done podcasts on this in the past. Don’t be suckered. Okay.
[00:34:19] Matt Sims: Yes. Too easy.
[00:34:20] Keith Gooden: Yeah. Helen in Taunton. She says she’s a newbie to motorhome ownership, having just bought a 74-plated Warwick XL. The motorhome is stored and without rights to clean the camper on site, I cannot clean the van at home and am therefore looking to find a way of keeping the van cleaned. If I pay for the camper to be cleaned, what should I ask or check to ensure they’re an accredited company using equipment which won’t cause damage? For example, on a panel van, should they always use a low-pressure washer to prevent seal damage? Any recommendations in the Somerset area? She goes on to say, PS, I went to the NEC and met Darren, who helped me buy two Crespo chairs and a footrest. He was so helpful and an asset to your company. I’ve never heard of that before. Is that common where you can store your campervan but you can’t get on there to clean it? They won’t allow you to clean.
[00:35:09] Matt Sims: I thought you meant Darren being helpful.
[00:35:10] Keith Gooden: No, no, no. He’s always very clean.
[00:35:13] Matt Sims: He’s brilliant. And no, this is really common. And a lot of storage companies won’t allow any Tom, Dick or Harry in to service, maintain or valet a motorhome. They might have their own relationship with a valet company. We do at MHC Storage. We use a local company, in fact two who come together because they often have a lot to do in a day, and they’ll work together and go round all the motorhomes, and we work with them to plan that. So our customers book it through us and then we organise it with the valeter.
[00:35:41] Keith Gooden: I must say, I presume we’re doing that for security reasons.
[00:35:44] Matt Sims: Of course. Yeah. We don’t want anybody in there having a look at what’s there. You could take the motorhome out and get a valeter to do it, find somewhere they can do it. But you’re right to query this because there is a correct way to clean a motorhome. I often hear said you should never use a pressure washer on a motorhome. That’s true if you’ve got the wrong pressure washer. And we’ve joked about this before, haven’t we? Using a pressure washer to clean your motorhome, you can damage seals, you can take the sealant completely out, and you can get water into and under the rooflight, into the back of the fridge, which can cause an electrical short-out. So all this stuff needs to be carefully considered. Most valeters will use a pressure washer, but they often, like ours, the pressure is changeable so we can detune it, and we’ve changed the shape of our jet that comes out the end of the lance so that it’s safe for us to use it on a motorhome. So in terms of what should you ask them, ask them for reviews of motorhomes and caravans they’ve cleaned. Both need the same skill set, and have they got experience of doing it? You know, you don’t want them walking all over the roof on a motorhome that was not designed to do that. So lots to check, but ask them for their own criteria and their own qualification to do it.
[00:36:55] Keith Gooden: So your recommendation for Somerset, then.
[00:36:57] Matt Sims: Sure, then I can highly commend Miles Valeting to you. We have an episode with George, George Miles from Miles Valeting. He is based in Yatton, if you know that, not far from Bristol Airport. And Miles is mobile and he specialises in motorbikes, another specialist product for valeting, and does loads of motorhomes and caravans. And if you’re not too far from him, he’ll come to you.
[00:37:18] Keith Gooden: So, Matt, you’ve just pulled into a campsite, connected to the available Wi-Fi, and it seemed a little bit suspect. You ever worry about what’s lurking on those public networks?
[00:37:29] Matt Sims: Well, all the time. That’s why I use NordVPN. Whenever I’m on public or campsite Wi-Fi, especially abroad, it creates a secure tunnel, keeps your data private, and even makes it look like you’re browsing from the UK, which is dead handy for banking or catching up with British TV. NordVPN also includes Threat Protection Pro, which blocks malware, trackers, phishing scams before they load, keeps things clean and speedy.
[00:37:58] Keith Gooden: That all sounds very sensible.
[00:37:59] Matt Sims: Exactly. And it’s dead simple. Just tap and connect on your phone or laptop. Plus we have a special deal for you. Click the link in the description to get the two-year plan with extra months free and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
[00:38:14] Keith Gooden: So how do people get in touch?
[00:38:15] Matt Sims: We would love it if you did. If you have a question, you can head to mhmp.info/askmatt. You can fill in the form or record your question, hit the orange button, but please remember to tell us where in the world you are.
[00:38:27] Keith Gooden: And if you’re looking for trusted brands and services, then make sure that you head over to the Motorhome Matt Approved directory. It’s at mhmp.info/approved.
[00:38:37] Matt Sims: And we would love it if you’d leave us a review. So if, like many, you have found this content useful, sometimes amusing, would you leave us a five-star review? You can do that at [unclear from transcript].
[00:38:48] Keith Gooden: And remember to follow on your favourite podcast app as well. What do you do for YouTube, Matt?
[00:38:54] Matt Sims: If you’re watching then make sure you click subscribe and click that little bell.
[00:39:01] Keith Gooden: Thanks for listening to the Motorhome Matt podcast. Remember to check back here for more episodes full of hints and tips and helpful advice. We’ll see you soon for another Motorhome Matt podcast brought to you with www.thatleisureshop.com.
