How To Prevent Mold and Mildew In A Camper Van

Having mold and mildew growth in your camper van can be a serious health concern. But there are precautionary measures you can take to prevent mold and mildew in your camper van. From pre-treating all your wood to making sure you have the proper ventilation in your camper van there are many ways to keep moisture outside your van instead of building up in your camper van. 

I will say moisture is just part of life, and it is impossible to keep it all out of your camper van. Just us breathing creates moisture, so it will be inevitable.

But if you pre-plan before building out your camper van, you can set yourself up for success from the start. Using some of the methods below will ensure there is no standing moisture in places and there is a way to get the moisture out before it even has time to build up and create mold and mildew in a camper van.

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Use A Hypervent Under Your Mattress:

A mattress is surprisingly an easy place for mold and mildew to grow in a camper van. Most people when doing their van build don’t think you need proper airflow under your campervan mattress. But you actually create a lot of moisture when you sleep.

In a typical home, there is a box spring and the bed doesn’t sit straight on a piece of plywood. 

So when doing a camper van conversion, make sure you set up your bed with enough room for air to properly circulate. 

Jake and I had this problem fairly quickly on in our first few months of full-time travel. We did use a piece of plastic that is supposed to help create airflow under carpets in damp areas of a home, but it DID NOT work that well in our van.

We started to notice the little plastic holes under the mattress would collect water…. Which we thought might be sweat…. It was gross. 

So we knew we had to find a different method. We did build out our own DIY hypervent under our camper van mattress using these DekPro Tek Victory Planter beds. It has definitely helped, but admittedly isn’t the most durable product. It has gotten compressed over time.

But since doing that, I think the Den Dry Mattress Underlay is the best product that is affordable and would prevent mold & mildew in a camper van. And honestly way less work than our DIY hypervent version.

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Pre-Treat All Your Wood Products:

It’s important when building out your camper van to make sure you protect any pieces of wood that have the vulnerability to get wet and grow mold and mildew.

For example, any pieces of wood under your bed, under the sink, under the flooring, etc. This will be super helpful if you do have a leak, or there is too much moisture in your van to prevent mold or mildew from growing on the wood. 

You might think, well I’ll make sure I don’t step on the floor with wet feet, or we won’t have a sink leak….. Accidents happen, and there will be a time when your flooring gets wet. So we HIGHLY suggest pre-treating this wood to deny moisture absorption to prevent mold & mildew in a camper van. 

How To Pre-treat Wood To Prevent Mold & Mildew In A Camper Van:

We are going to share how we pre-treated the wood in our camper van. First we sprayed the wood with Concrobium Mold Spray all over the wood. We let it soak in and dry overnight.

We then coated the wood with Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 All Surface Primer. Obviously, let the wood dry for at least 24 hours before installing it into your camper van.

This will especially be helpful if this wood is to come into contact with water or moisture, so it’s resistant to mold and mildew growth. If the wood is properly sealed, the water or moisture will have time to evaporate or properly be cleaned up before mold or mildew have time to grow!

You also could use a wood varnish to make the wood waterproof.

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Have A Vent Fan To Prevent Mold & Mildew In A Camper Van:

Having proper ventilation in a campervan is extremely important. We as humans create a lot of moisture just by breathing. So we need a way to get that moisture out of the van.

Of course, opening windows and doors can help, but when you live in your camper van full-time, then that won’t always be an option. So vent fans help circulate the air in the van to get some moisture out of the van. 

Most van builds will have a vent fan on the roof. One is definitely the minimum you need for full-time vanlife.

If you have a larger van or budget isn’t an issue, we suggest having two vent fans, one near the kitchen and one above the bed. This will create great airflow in the van to reduce the amount of moisture in your camper van. Click here to find the best Vent Fan for your camper van build out. 

If you are interested in how to install a Maxxair vent fan, follow this tutorial.  

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Reduce The Amount Of Cooking You Do Indoors:

A helpful tip for how to prevent mold and mildew in a camper van is to reduce the amount of cooking you do in your camper van.

Cooking creates moisture, so if you are always cooking inside without getting enough ventilation, there is certainly added moisture in the air. It’s helpful to have a vent fan above your cooking area, or have your stove by the door so you can properly get air flow. 

If you have a way to cook outside, this can be a great way to keep moisture out of your van. Or at least having a door open with a vent fan running, will help circulate the air to get moisture out. 

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Use A Damprid Moisture Absorber Kit To Prevent Mold And Mildew In A Camper van:

Having a Damprid Moisture Absorber Kit helps absorb any excess moisture that might be at a standstill in your van. For example, we keep ours under our sink because we often go on bumpy roads and water might occasionally splash out. So we want our van to be moisture-free so no mold or mildew can form and cause interesting smells.

This is a great precautionary measure to take in your van.

They also sell Damprid Hanging Bags that you can hang anywhere in your campervan. The bag will absorb any unwanted moisture so there are no chances of mold or mildew causing weird smells. Plus some of the hanging bags come scented which can leave a pleasant smell.

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Use The Proper Insulation:

Having the proper insulation in a campervan can help prevent mold and mildew growth in a camper van. In our opinion sheep wool is one of the best insulation’s for managing moisture and is non-toxic.

But there are also many other insulation types for campervans that can help manage moisture in a camper van. 

Having insulation that doesn’t absorb water and potentially grow mold and mildew, such as fiberglass, is very important in your van build. Condensation will be a part of your vanlife journey.

Just as you head out to your car in winter and there is ice you have to scrape off the windshield, there will often be condensation on the inside as well when living in your camper van. So having an insulation that blocks or manages moisture will ultimately help prevent mold and mildew in a camper van.

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Consider Running A Dehumidifier (especially if you travel in humid climates):

A dehumidifier could be essential if you travel where humidity is always a problem. Such as Florida, Louisiana, North Carolina, etc. In these states, there really is no escaping the humidity, so in order to prevent mold and mildew in a camper van, you may need to run a dehumidifier.

This is probably seen as an extreme option because of the power and space required. But some places are so humid that it might call for it. Or at least make sure you follow many of the precautionary measures listed above, so you can best prevent mold and mildew in a campervan. 

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Have A Device That Measures Moisture & Humidity:

A little device we have added to our camper van is a Humidity Gauge with Temperature Humidity Monitor. This monitor will help monitor how much moisture is in your camper van and if you need to be proactive about reducing the amount of moisture in your campervan. 

For example, Jake and I were camped on the beach on Padre Island in Texas. There was tons of moisture in the air since the ocean waves were crashing only feet away from our van.

Our humidity monitor alerted us to the high levels of humidity. Therefore, we knew we had to be vigilant to reduce the humidity inside the van. During the sunniest parts of the day, we would open the doors to dry out as best we could to prevent mold and mildew growth in our campervan.

We have found this device very helpful for keeping tabs on the humidity levels in our van. We try to make sure we keep the humidity below 50% so we can ultimately prevent mold and mildew growth in our camper van.

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Use The Proper Heater

Not all heaters are created equal when it comes to moisture. For example, many vanlifers are tempted by cheap & easy propane heaters like the Mr. Buddy heater.

But those types of propane heaters create moisture during combustion. And cold weather is one of the most dangerous times for moisture because cold air holds less moisture than warm air.

And condensation is more common when warm, moist air comes in contact with cold surfaces, like the walls and windows of your van.

So if you are going to be using a heater often in cold weather, it’s best to opt for a heater that emits dry heat. You want a propane or diesel heater that is externally vented.

The most affordable option are the Chinese diesel heaters, but customers sometimes report complaints about quality. If you have the money to spend, the nicer options are from brands like Webasto, Espar, and Propex.

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Takeaway | How To Prevent Mold & Mildew In A Camper Van

Taking these preventative measures to control the moisture in a camper van is very important for your health and safety. And it also can help the longevity of your camper van.

I have seen many other vanlifers have to pull up their flooring, or find mold under their mattress (including us) because they didn’t take the precautionary methods to prevent mold and mildew in their camper van.

So I hope after reading this, you can take away some easy and affordable ways to keep mold and mildew out of your camper van! 

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