When I lay up my Fleetwood Garland 128-2 for the winter, I put two or three pots of salt in the van. I change these about twice through the winter, and because the salt draws the damp air into the van, the Garland is always nice and dry, ready for the next season. At the end of the winter, the pots of salt are quite full of water (which shows how much damp is in the air).
W Boneham
Hillmorton, Rugby

Rather than using bars of soap, which leave a gooey mess around the basin, just use a liquid soap. It fits neatly on the sink, doesn't slide about, and doesn't make a mess.
Philip Humphries
Rishworth, West Yorkshire

We have a Bailey 450/2. My wife is a wonderful chef and cooks as if we are at home but finds the worktop space very limited. So, I made the extra worktop for her, using 1/4 in plywood covered with Fablon to match the rest of the woodwork.
R Hardman
Blackpool

Whenever I go away in the caravan, I always put my cordless drill into the boot of my car as a ‘just in case' tool. This led me to thinking that if I was going to carry it then I needed to have a use for it. So, using a standard socket bit and extension arm with a rounded end to fit into the 1/2 in drill (this can be bought from most tool suppliers), I use the drill to wind the legs down and up on the caravan, which saves considerable effort. As cordless drills are so cheap now and very versatile, I always have a good, handy and very labour-saving drill in the van.
Eric Camp
Letchworth, Herts

To remove grease marks which you get on clothes from rubbing against the towball, use some Swarfega. (Most people who work on cars, and so on, will already have it for cleaning oily hands.) You just rub some into the stain, then wash the clothes in the machine in the usual way.
Jeanette Brown
Via email

When erecting my porch awning, the poles tied to the caravan always seem to slip on the ground. Now I use two old wire pins with a ring on the top. I then make a second ring at the other end of the pin. Then I take off the plastic foot to put the large ring onto the pole, and replace the foot. You then have a firm fixing with a peg through the second ring.
John Craig
Mickleover, Derby

I bought a new awning and when we took it away over the first weekend it rained heavily. I was dismayed to see water coming in at the seams of my new awning and spoke about it to my neighbour in the adjacent caravan. He happened to own a small tent repair firm and said that this is not unusual when it gets wet for the first time: apparently the sewing needles leave holes which don't tighten up until the fabric of the awning swells and absorbs water for the first time.
My neighbour's tip for those with a new awning was to hang it up in your back garden, or even your garage, and finely hose it down. Then, leave the awning to dry naturally and all the little holes should close up. Do this before you go away for the first time and you won't get wet like me.
Sarah Kennedy
Selly Oaks, Birmingham

When your van is stolen, the thieves never break into it at the time; they wait until it's in a safe place. Here's a good idea: in the back window of your van place a large sign, the size of the window, which states: “If this van is on tow, it is stolen – please call police. Reward available”. Of course, you musn't forget to remove the sign when you go away! It's about time we all tried to stop the thieves from taking away our pride and joy.
Paul Johnson
Longlevens

In France, very few shops and services open on a Sunday, and this includes petrol stations. As you are not supposed to travel on ferries with a full tank of fuel. If you are driving long distances in France over a weekend, be sure to fill up at the first possible opportunity and keep the tank topped up whenever you can.
P Warburton
Sheffield