For most families, the fun of the shows and excitement of loading up to go quickly fades when you arrive home and have to unpack everything. At our house, this dreaded task is something everyone has to be involved in. 

First- we start by taking everything out of the trailer and start cleaning and sorting. We make several groups of items depending on how we put it away.

First and foremost, there are a number of items that need to be properly cleaned for bio security reasons. These include:

• Feed Pans

• Buckets

• Back boards

• Carpets/turf

• Tables

• Feed scoops/cut panels/misc. equipment 

It’s important that these items get properly cleaned and sanitized so any potential biosecurity and health threats you may have picked up at the show are dealt with. The last thing you want is to introduce any more potential diseases into your barn or provide your pigs with a reason to get even more sick, if they have come home from a show with any health issues.

Other items that need cleaned off and stored include: 

• Fans

• Cords

• Tents

• Chairs

• Blowers

Many of these items are those that can be cleaned and then placed back on the trailer for the next show, but still cleaned nonetheless. The last thing anyone wants is to unload at the next show, big or small, with dirty equipment!

Next, we usually have one of the kids go through the showbox to get rid of empty items, reorganize what’s left and then take it to the storage room. This is one item I do NOT advise leaving on the trailer. You will want it off to repack before your next show. Plus, there may be items in the showbox that need to be in a more temperature controlled environment.

One of the boys favorite jobs when it comes to unpacking is the coolers. They get to empty out the coolers, wipe them out and put them away. Any drinks in the coolers get put in the barn fridge. So this time of year, we are pretty well stocked in the barn for those hot summer days. ;)

Dad’s job is cleaning out the back of the trailer and washing it down. This task is extra time consuming but feels so good when it’s done and is also a MUST for biosecurity reasons.

Dirty clothes, kitchen gadgets and leftover food become my job. Depending on how long we are at home between trips, this all gets tackled in different ways. Sometimes we use the dry cleaners, sometimes we have a mountain of clothes washed at home. Sometimes the snack box gets totally emptied and sometimes it’s just added to for the next show. 

Getting everything clean and put away is a chore! But because this life is our favorite way to spend our time, we gladly do it again, again, again and again, over and over every year!