Closing up the RV for a Canadian winter
The way an RV smells in May is decided in October. Six months of sealed air is the whole story.
Nothing you do in spring will fix a bad close-up. An RV sealed from October to May is a closed container holding whatever moisture, soft goods and residue you left in it, at temperatures that swing forty degrees. The smell you meet on the first warm weekend was built over the winter.
Start with moisture, because moisture is the whole game. Drain and blow out the water lines, empty and flush the tanks, dry the shower and sinks completely, and pull the drain plugs if your unit has them. A damp trap or a wet shower pan will scent six months of air.
Then take out anything organic. The fridge and freezer emptied, defrosted, wiped and propped open. Dry goods out of the pantry — all of it, including the things you think are sealed. Linens, towels, pillows and sleeping bags home with you if you can, and if you cannot, sealed in bins rather than left on a bunk.
Leave the inside open to itself. Cupboard and wardrobe doors ajar, drawers cracked, the fridge propped, cushions on edge rather than flat. Air that can move between compartments is air that does not go stale in pockets.
Then place two pouches: one in the main living area and one in a closed compartment — a wardrobe, the head, or a bunk storage bay. If you can get out to the unit mid-winter, swap them once around the three-month mark. If you cannot, place fresh ones at close-up and plan on fresh ones again at opening rather than expecting one set to carry the full six months.