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Anonymous

this time of year no matter how much you try you just cant help walking in mud into the motorhome

how do you all cope with your mud

HelenB · Moderator

I bought two cheap thick door mats from Wilkinsons which sit by the external step and act as a dry raised area,as suggested earlier on here and they are brilliant, also could act as grips for tyres if needed and are easily washed off and stowed, one of the best tips I have gleaned from the site.
One of my main weapons against mud is my wellies, which are Noras, people outside farming may not have heard of them, but they are brill as they do not have a lining, so can be kicked off under the van and don't get or stay damp inside as conventional wellies do. For jess's paws its a roll of cheap paper towel, again from an Ag merchant normally used for wiping udders, which is followed up by towels. Towels alone would mean carrying too many as they would get too muddy for a second wipe, so paper takes off worse of mud. We also carry plenty of fleece blankets as they absorb well, and are so easy to wash when we get back.

peedee

Not only this time of year but also in those wonderful summers we experience here in the UK! A real problem, especially if you cannot wipe your feet! Still our tip, put some kind of mat at the bottom of the step with another at the top. In very very wet conditions spread a newspaper out across the top of the step just inside the door as well. Still got mud and dirt on the floor? Don't wipe it up, let it dry and brush it up. A couple of times a year shampoo the heavy soiled areas of the carpet with 1001.

Speaking of wiping your feet, in the foot an mouth scare a few years ago when you had to drive your vehicle through a disinfectant bath and at some check points also wipe your feet on the mat and spare shoes when crossing country borders, I had some difficulty explaining to the Spanish police at Bilbao that my passenger could not walk and therefore could not comply. It was only with gesticulation at the wheelchair that.... I think... they got the message. Nevertheless the police were not happy until I had removed my wife's shoes and wiped them on the disinfectant mat whilst the wheelchair was not a problem and remained firmly parked in the van Very Happy

peedee

Brambles

helenB, you mentioned the rubber ring mats and agree they are great for trapping mud off your shoes, but has anyone actually tried then in anger for grip when wheels slip on mud. I have and found it actually made matters worse and the wheels spun freely on the mats with even less grip. I then ended up with two mats choked with mud to store somewhere until I could find a hose.

Seriously, has anyone else actually tried it or is it just a good idea in theory?
Jon

MOTORHOMER

Get a magimat & place at door entrance. Give them a good wipe. Dirt in one area only. Brush or shake off outside. Steam clean or put in washing machine & dry in dryer when it needs its.

Wish we had had ours before the van got muddy at Shepton mallet.

Motorhomer

HelenB · Moderator

[quote:32368764a9="Brambles"]helenB, you mentioned the rubber ring mats and agree they are great for trapping mud off your shoes, but has anyone actually tried then in anger for grip when wheels slip on mud. I have and found it actually made matters worse and the wheels spun freely on the mats with even less grip. I then ended up with two mats choked with mud to store somewhere until I could find a hose.

Seriously, has anyone else actually tried it or is it just a good idea in theory?
Jon[/quote:32368764a9]

The ones I bought have got quite a high profile and a very rough texture so I can only think they would help if needed, got to be better than those useless yellow strips sold for the purpose, but no I have never tried them for that sinking feeling as haven't been caught out .......yet Wink

dodger148

see recent posting on wheel pads, Plastic Bread Trays minus sides make great scrapers

C7KEN

Hi All
As we are busy motocross racing every weekend from this Sun onwards we obviously encounter this problem every wet day, so we have barrier mats cut to fit the steps and a large 2400 x 1200mm barrier mat which we bought at a meeting it has a logo on it advertising a product for cleaning bikes cost £ 20 we put the large mat on the ground outside and if it is really bad lay a carboard carton on top so when we get back we throw away the cardboard and fling the other mats in the washing machine the large mat is ideal as an awning mat for dry dusty weather, at shepton we used only the cardboard and the small step mats and the camper was unmarked inside
Ken

Anonymous

Brambles

I think you are refereing to the mats that I brought to the forums attention, at the time of my original posting I had not tested them however a couple of weeks ago I got stuck in the mud on top of the Purbecks.
I took this as an opportunity to carry out a test, Test 1: got out the yellow Fiama strip mats, placed it under the wheel and tried to drive away, result , the mat took off faster than the M/H did and disappeared into the bank, conclusion, xxxxxx useless!! , Test 2 got out my four mats laid them in a line up to and behind the wheel then reversed with no problems at all, picked up muddy mats placed in plastic bin for later attention, conclusion will never travel without the mats on any trip all, they heavy but brilliant.

Are you using the same mats????

I ditched the yellow mats, biggest con ever!!

Ken S

Brambles

Hi Ken,

Thanks for your comments re mats. Maybe I just had the wrong kind of mud Wink

edit: wrong type of mat?? dunno - mine are sort of medium density rubber. Maybe you can get some that are much harder, more like plastic!! - but of all they ones I have seen they have all been very very similar.