Handy Hints, Gadgets, Products & Gizmos

[GizmosMom]

Another member suggested a new forum section with new products but it doesn't look like it will be feasible. So I thought I would post this here under General RVing Issues. If enough people post (even if you have mentioned it before in another post) we can keep it near the top?

Do you have a handy hint, a new product or an old product that makes your RVing or Camping much better?

(Sorry, no commercial advertising allowed)

I'll start:

Someone in the Camping Van posted a reference to using a Super-Chamois to wipe down their shower. I have been using an icky old thick sponge and I like the chamois idea so much more.

Now I want to hear what works for you

[Tvov]

We have "bag socks" also, they work great to hold plastic grocery bags. One "issue" we are starting to run into is using the reusable grocery bags -- we don't have the left over paper or plastic grocery bags anymore, unless we ask for them at the store. So every third grocery trip or so we intentionally don't bring reusable bags, in order to "stock up" on the plastic and paper.

[tvman44]

We use them to line the waste baskets in the 5er and the S&B.

[welove2drive]

I have two "bag socks", I guess that is the correct name. It hold those plastic grocery bags. I have one in the S&B and one in the TT. When the one in the S&B is full I swap it with the one in the TT. We use the bags to line the waste baskets in the TT and for other various uses. The bags with holes go to recycle.

[JimBollman]

Never tried it but decided to check out the Dr B soap after the endorsements. According to their web site the Baby Mild is unscented and recommended for those that are sensitive to smells.

Jim...

[beemerphile1]

profdant139 wrote:

For soap (for both showering and dishes), we use a small squeeze bottle of diluted Dr. Bronner's soap, about half soap and half water. A few drops will go a long way, and it rinses off with very little wasted water...

Good tip, but I like the peppermint myself. You can brush your teeth with it but it smells better than it tastes! It is castile soap which is made from vegetables.

The founder of Dr. Bronner's was a bit of a nut and the family members running the company now have kind of distanced themselves from his philosophies. However, it is the only true 100% organic soap on the market. Unlike other brands that call themselves organic which means nothing, Dr. Bronners meets the food criteria for Organic status.

[profdant139]

For soap (for both showering and dishes), we use a small squeeze bottle of diluted Dr. Bronner's soap, about half soap and half water. A few drops will go a long way, and it rinses off with very little wasted water. (We do a lot of boondocking and dry camping, so water usage is a key issue.)

You can buy Dr. Bronner's at most health food stores -- and the bottle is covered with these really unusual philosophical statements by the founder of the company. I am not sure what all of it means, but it is unique. The soap comes in various scents. The mildest fragrance, in my opinion, is the lavender. I wish they made an unscented variety, but they don't.

Personally, I find the peppermint to be too minty -- it causes us to feel minty fresh in some odd places that just should never be minty fresh, if you know what I mean. (And if you don't, just try the peppermint full strength on a cold breezy day and then hop out of the shower and you will see what I mean.) 😉

[Pangaea_Ron]

Pasusan

What's funny about this is that he was a physician and paranoid about contamination... he wouldn't put silverware on a table in a restaurant. He was a magnificent person and spent 30 years (10-12 times a year) volunteering in free medical clinics in rural Mexican villages where cleanliness was paramount and a constant challenge.

[unclescratch]

Bar Soap remnants. DW adds those little slivers of soap to the black tank before we travel. Perhaps they can help clean it, with the sloshing. Especially after dumping and adding some fresh water before a long haul. Happy Holidays to All!:)

[popeye59]

TMMull wrote:
I just stick the sliver of soap to the next full bar, when it drys it becomes part of the bar.

That's the way I do it with my soap. My wife does use a different soap, but that's because she likes a different brand and not for "hygienic" reasons.

And yes, we have our own toothbrushes, but in a pinch, we have shared one. I mean if we can passionately kiss, what's the real difference?

[pasusan]

Pangaea Ron wrote:
4u2nv

You beat me to it.

My FIL had a soap press to use up those left-over pieces of soap... he says that it was melted down and combined. He gave them out as small Christmas gifts. We left it out for him when he came to visit.

That is hysterical!

After seeing the soap bars at my MIL's house - black filled crevices in bars that look a thousand years old :E I only buy liquid soap.

[BigRabbitMan]

TMMull wrote:

I just stick the sliver of soap to the next full bar, when it drys it becomes part of the bar.

Likewise. There are no leftovers using this system. I have been doing this for the last 40 years in the stick house and now also do it in the coach.

[TMMull]

ctpres wrote:
Shower Soap. Save those almost useless slivers of bar soap from stick house for camping. If there is anything left just throw away of leave for next camper.

I just stick the sliver of soap to the next full bar, when it drys it becomes part of the bar.

[scootsk]

If you ever saw my soap after I shower, you would say GROSS as well. Think what you want, but in the end it is disgusting! Not so much for family, but a stranger NOT!

[Pangaea_Ron]

4u2nv

You beat me to it.

My FIL had a soap press to use up those left-over pieces of soap... he says that it was melted down and combined. He gave them out as small Christmas gifts. We left it out for him when he came to visit.

[4u2nv]

popeye59 wrote:
So why is using someone elses soap disgusting?

"FRIENDS" wrote:

JOEY: Hey, why can't we use the same toothbrush, but we can use the same soap?

CHANDLER: Because soap is soap. It's self-cleaning.

JOEY: Alright, well next time you take a shower, think about the last thing I wash and the first thing you wash.