Must Do Tips For Making Your RV Winter Ready 

Plumbing - You can't just drain your water lines. Even small amounts of water in your faucets, bends, elbows, drains and other areas will freeze. You have two choices of how to take care of protecting your plumbing - either blow out the lines with compressed air (most RV owners don't have the proper equipment to do this effectively), or fill the lines with RV antifreeze.

Propane -  Remove any removable propane tanks and fill any permanent tanks. Cover any propane line openings - either with a screw-on cap, or plastic wrap sealed tightly. There is a chemical added to propane that attracts spiders and they tend to leave little fuzzy cocoons filled with eggs inside your propane lines, pilot light openings and Venturi's. Cover them well with plastic wrap and secure with twist ties.

Rodent Control - Remove all foodstuffs from your RV, even canned and unopened packaged items, toothpaste, mouthwash, soap, and even spices. Critters, like mice, squirrels, birds, ants and other pests will smell it and attempt to get to it. Eliminate the temptation. Canned foods can freeze and swell or explode, leaving a nasty mess to clean up come spring. Besides, next year who wants to eat year-old food?

Insect and Spider Control  - Rodents are bad, insects and spiders can be worse. Bees, hornets, mud daubers, ants and spiders love your RV almost as much as you do. Spiders love the smell of propane and will next and lay cocoons of eggs inside every propane line, pilot light or stove opening they can find. Cover every possible propane line opening with plastic and a twist tie. Make a note on an index card of every location that has been covered or sealed, punch a hole in the card and tie it to your propane tank valve so you can go back and remove every cover in the spring, or the next time you use it.

Humidity -  Moisture is a problem both inside and outside of an RV. When you cover your rig for the winter with a tarp, you might keep snow, ice and rain off, but moisture from the elements will still get underneath the tarp. If you can park your RV under an overhang, shed, or inside an "RV tent" you can save yourself a lot of hassles. Because moisture under a tarp can't evaporate mold and mildew tend to build up. That can rot, weaken, or discolor your roof and get into vents and other small openings you can't see with the naked eye. Mildew and mold in your RV not only smells bad, it's all but impossible to remove and can severely hurt your resale value.

Tires and Suspension - Do make sure your RV tires are resting on a concrete surface - not on bare ground. If the ground gets wet, the RV could sink into it, creating problems with the suspension and with getting the RV out in the spring. If you park your RV in a field or yard, place concrete pads or pavers under each tire and you should be okay. While you're checking on the tires, get out a can of WD-40 and spray the bushings on the suspension. The WD-40 will keep the rubber body mounts and bushings soft and supple and prevent dry rot.

Awnings - Scrub your awnings down well with a soft bristle brush, hot soapy water and an anti-mildew cleaner, then rinse thoroughly. Allow awnings to dry thoroughly before retracting and storing them for winter. Cleaning the awnings before you store them will help cut down on mold and mildew over the winter.

Clean and Cover -  After you've removed any valuables, including flat-screen televisions, solar panels, and anything thieves might find attractive and have locked it up, cover your rig with a breathable fabric cover and secure it so it doesn't fly away in a stiff breeze. Don't just tie it and forget it. Swing by the facility or check on the rig weekly or at least monthly to ensure it hasn't been vandalized, the cover torn, or that other issues haven't come up.