7 Ways to Care for Your Camper Slides and Awnings

With a little preventative maintenance, your camper will provide years of fun. If your camper has a slide or awning, they need to be maintained to ensure continuous smooth operation. Maintenance of the slide and awning is easy and only takes a few minutes. Campers and Campfires believes that a little maintenance 2-3 times per year saves many headaches and dollar signs down the road.

Slide Maintenance

Slides require proper maintenance. Lubrication is key to the long-term health of your slides. The first area of slide maintenance is with the rubber seals. Please do not use a generic lubricant for your seals because their operation is critical. Many lubricants will do more damage than good. Thetford (Check it out on Amazon) makes an excellent lubricant made explicitly for conditioning and extending the life of the rubber seals on your slide.

There are three basic types of slides: cable, Schwintek, and hydraulic. Always read your manual when it comes to lubricating because some systems, especially hydraulic, will have different recommendations for lubrication. In general, with cable and Schwintek systems, Campers and Campfires recommends lubricating at least twice a year. Dry lube (Check it out on Amazon) is best because it helps prevent debris from sticking to the metal parts of the slide and causing future problems. Hydraulic slides typically only require cleaning with mild soap and water for proper maintenance, but definitely check your camper user’s manual.

You must keep the roof of your slide clean and free of debris. Many campers come with slide toppers to ensure that nothing lands on the top of your slide. However, if your slide does not have a topper, precautions should be taken every time you retract your slide.

Before you close your slide, check the top for debris. A telescoping ladder (Check it out on Amazon) is handy because it is easy to store. This particular ladder holds up to 250 pounds and is a Campers and Campfires favorite. The telescoping ladder has rubber stops between the rungs to help ensure that you do not accidentally smash your fingers when collapsing the ladder. Climb the ladder and view the top of the slide. If there is debris, it needs to be brushed off before retracting so that the slide does not incur damage.

Campers and Campfires recommends using a small electric yard blower to blow debris and water off the top of your slide. We love this Worx Turbine Blower (Check it out on Amazon) because it is compact yet very powerful. The blower tube quickly connects/disconnects, making it simple to store without taking valuable space in your camper’s storage area. This blower is lightweight and ideal for blowing debris off the top of your slide.

If your slide gets moisture from rain or humidity, it is essential to dry it off well before retracting, especially if water has puddled on the roof. A long squeegee (Check it out on Amazon) can be used to brush the water and debris off the top of the slide. This squeegee is also helpful with the general cleaning of the camper.

The awning is another area that requires appropriate maintenance. The awning itself should be cleaned regularly, and the awning arms should be lubricated just like the metal parts of the slide. An excellent dry lube spray (Check it out on Amazon) can be used to lubricate the awning arms.

Awning Maintenance

Awnings should be cleaned regularly so that they continue to shine, look beautiful, and last as long as your camper. Campers and Campfires has found that the best way to clean awnings is with a Magic Eraser Mop (Check it out on Amazon). A Magic Eraser Mop will clean those stubborn black marks off your awning as well as the side of your camper. You can easily clean the awning when extended using the mop. Be sure that your awning dries before closing. Retracting it wet will cause mildew and dry rot, which will ruin your awning.

Do’s and Don’ts of Daily Awning Use

An awning can become a liability during a thunder or windstorm. Always retract it if you are expecting strong winds when camping. A single wind gust can rip the awning off your camper. If you expect a light rain, leave the awning tilted so that one arm is lower than the other. This will keep water from puddling on top of the awning and causing a cave-in or damage. Do not forget to retract your awning when it is wet because this causes mildew and dry rot.

Awnings and slides are integral components of your camper, and both require annual maintenance. Most awning and slide maintenance can be completed in 10 minutes or less while you are on a camping trip. A few minutes of maintenance can drastically extend the life of your camper.

Do you have any slide or awning maintenance tips? We would love to hear from you. Please drop us a line in the comment section below.