tips, problems & solutions

When we came home with our hearts full of RVing, John's cousin Barb sent us some tips to get us started. They belong here, so Barb, I'm passing them on, along with a few of my own ideas!

1.  No dish water down the drain-grease and food particles eventually make this really stink- throw it in the toilet or outside.

 2. No toilet paper in the toilet- Has a tendency to stick to black water tank walls and plug you up- use a small wastebasket set right next to toilet with a plastic bag as a liner- spray with airfreshner and you have no smell in bathroom.

3. Throw a bunch of icecubes down the toilet when you are going from place to place- knocks down any solid materials before you dump

4. Make sure you have some disposable gloves or old rubber gloves to put on when you dump!

5. Get a hanging rack for your door.  Shoe bags work great for small things. They can be cut apart and put on the walls with snaps all over the place. I have 1 in the bedroom above the bed and one above the shower in the bath.

We also have one under the 2 that came with the camper by the back door for slippers, shower shoes, etc. Dan put the male end of the snap unit on with those mollies he talked about. Alarm clocks, extra batteries, the extra halegen bulbs, etc fit well in the one above the bed. In the closet I got one of those battery operated wall lights so it isn't dark in there. Dan mounted it on the back side of the door frame. Only thing is you have to make sure it is turned off, especially when you don't use the camper for awhile because the batteries do go dead.

6. Use a mail  rack used in an office desk for files, to put glass covers in, etc. I had to cut the little legs off to make it fit. The slots work great for holding the covers. It fits across the backside of the cupboard.

7. The thing you use to keep rugs from sliding on the floor works great for lining shelves to keep things from sliding, like canned goods and dishes.

8.  Remember to take somekind of battery operated radio to use if you run into storm trouble and there is no electricity. We got a weather band radio to listen for storms. Helps in the back woods like Crivitz and Armstrong Creek.

9. At age 62 you qualifiy for the National Parks Pass which gives you 1/2 price camping and entrance into any National Park and Museum for free. (Statue of Liberty, Arch in St Louis, Arizona Memorial in Hawaii, Glacier Park, Yellowstone, etc.) You get the pass for a one time fee of $10.00 at any National Forest Office. So we camp at  Laura/Gordon for $6 a night and $10 a night at Boulder Lake with electricity. That's 1/2 the normal charge.

10. a white board is a must by the door. I have things listed on there all the time. You just need a small one.
11. Get a can of "Great Stuff", crawl under your rig and fill up any holes down there to keep out unwanted "visitors" (This took care of my impossible ant problem in Branson)

12. Bulkily wrap tin foil around your electric hookup  holeon the outside of the camper to keep out mice.

13. When storing the camper, place fresh drier sheets around any possible entrances to keep mice out.

14. For coats and towels hanging on a wall opposite each other, use a 1/2 to 3/4 size drill bit (the same size as the dowel you will use), and make dowels to fit between the walls (and even with the outside wall), drill starter holes into the ends of them. Mount your hooks on 2 boards, one for each side of the wall; sand and finish them before mounting. drill holes in these boards at the exact location the screws will go into the dowels. This makes for a very sturdy wall hook arrangement. (see pictures)

15. Old eaves troughs work great to guide your sewer hose from it's exit point to the septic hole in the ground. 4"pvc also works but won't expand or contract for length.

16. Carry 2 different length water hoses and sewer hoses and a 30/50 amp extention cord to accomodate different sites.

17. No room for a vacuum cleaner: use the broom, then to get rid of pet hair  I have a stone that is @ 6" x3" x 3/4" - it looks like pumice but is made of a recycled manmade product that I found in a pet store. drag it across the carpet or upholstery, and like magec, no more hair!!! I use it about once a week to really de'hair the RV.

18. An electric skillet takes 90% of cooking outside and has been invaluable to our culinary needs!

19. Our friends from Arkansas have a double suction pad hanger hook for their hummingbird feeder
which is attached to the window adjacent to their dining room table - we found one at Lowe's for under $5. And - if you have a veteran card, Lowe's will give you a 10% discount on purchases!

20. Cleaning & insecticide products: Baking soda or vinegar will take care of most of your cleaning needs! I also use dawn dish soap,  laundry detergent and Downy softner. I also like to have a little bottle of lavendar,  sage or tea tree oil. One drop kills bacteria and bad odors - great when you have a cold, or nasty smells from ??? Bugs hate lavendar and tea tree oil - make a spray for around doors & windows to keep bugs at bay instead of nasty insecticides.