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

[slarsen]

If you are wanting information available, there is a free utility called Dropbox (dropbox.com) in which you can store up to two gigabytes of data which you can then access from anywhere you happen to be, as long as you have internet access.

To store info for retrieval, I use a password-protected utility in my iPhone, lots of categories I quickly set up, works great. No internet service is needed.

[feltham]

ctpres wrote:

Becky33850 wrote:
. I also email them (documents)to myself at my gmail account so they are on the web.

BINGO. Now I personally call that the "IDEA OF THE MONTH" Before we hit the road again I will have my RV digital library tucked away in Gmail

If you have a gmail account, check out the google docs function. You can upload any of your docs you need and they're available anywhere you can access google. No need to go sifting through email to find your documents.

[twins89]

Can't remember if I posted this in the previous 107+ pages but here goes... Need an extra step to get into your rv especially when you have had to level the awning side higher to get it level? Buy at a garage sale or rummage sale an unwanted Aerobic stepper. These can be bought for a few bucks and come with height adjusters to make it just the right height no matter what. I have one that brings it up 4 inches without the adjusters, 6 with one set and 8 with another. Light weight, sturdy, wide and non slippery. Sure beat spending 50 dollars on the ones at Camping World.

[Denise_in_Ark]

dcmac214 wrote:

HappyTrails2U2 wrote:

generaljean wrote:

Agree, no cleaning stuff needed. I do same as in home. Dry off 1st day 'new' towel, 2d day use towel on shower walls, 3d day use towel on floor, 4th day towel in laundry.

When I was cleaning houses all of the time, one of my elderly clients taught me this. Amazing!! But I don't even use anything special. One old towel, hang it back up after using it to wipe out the shower (no need to wipe out the shower between one person and another using it immediately; just wipe it down after the last person) It's dry the next time you need it and it goes into the laundry with the weekly load of towels. We don't really have room to keep enough towels to use a fresh one each time. We use great big beach towels and hang them up to dry on one of those door-hanging towel hooks, hung on the shower door. I keep 4 other bath towels around in case of guests, but we each use our own bath towel all of the time. We both have very dry skin and only shower 2-3x per week, so they don't get much use until they are washed.

[Turner__P]

While my wife are of of average height, we find our bed to be short and we don't care for having our feet stick out over the foot of the bed. We have room to move the mattress down about 8" from the headboard so we bought two long round pillows and wedge them into the gap between the headboard and mattress. The regular pillows go over these and now our feet don't stick out at the bottom. In the day time, we just remove the pillows and use them for extra bed pillows. That way we can walk around the bed.

We like to read at night before sleep time so we added LED lights above the bed that can be aimed at the books and not shime in our eyes like the standard lights do.

Thanks for all the grat hints.

[toprudder]

ctpres wrote:
Added older Dremel and acessories to RV tool box. Figure in a pinch and with time I can cut, grind and drill just about anything with one light weight and small storage space tool.

I have not carried a Dremel in my camper, but that is not a bad idea. I have three at home, one of which I bought over 35 years ago. One of the newer lithium battery models would be a good one to carry camping.

[ctpres]

Added older Dremel and acessories to RV tool box. Figure in a pinch and with time I can cut, grind and drill just about anything with one light weight and small storage space tool.

[dcmac214]

HappyTrails2U2 wrote:

generaljean wrote:
Gizmo Mom
I don't know if you're wiping it down just to get it dry, or to keep it clean. At home I use Arm & Hammer Shower Clean. Spray it inside AFTER showering and you won't have any soap or scum or hard water build up. We have hard well water and this keeps my shower clean. Other brands are a little cheaper, but don't work as well. I get it at Wal-Mart for $2.37, but yesterday it was on a mark down for $1.97. Lasts for weeks and probably ends up costing 20 cents per shower.

You don't need any cleaning solutions if you wipe the shower down right after each shower. Our travel trailer has had over 800 showers taken in it the past 15 months by my wife and I and the shower stall still looks new. The only thing we use is a ShamWow to wipe it down with the same one that's sold on TV by that annoying ShamWow guy. You know..."We can't do this all day!" 😉
https://www.shamwow.com/default.aspx?did=&refcode=1002

Agree, no cleaning stuff needed. I do same as in home. Dry off 1st day 'new' towel, 2d day use towel on shower walls, 3d day use towel on floor, 4th day towel in laundry.

[HappyTrails2U2]

generaljean wrote:
Gizmo Mom
I don't know if you're wiping it down just to get it dry, or to keep it clean. At home I use Arm & Hammer Shower Clean. Spray it inside AFTER showering and you won't have any soap or scum or hard water build up. We have hard well water and this keeps my shower clean. Other brands are a little cheaper, but don't work as well. I get it at Wal-Mart for $2.37, but yesterday it was on a mark down for $1.97. Lasts for weeks and probably ends up costing 20 cents per shower.

You don't need any cleaning solutions if you wipe the shower down right after each shower. Our travel trailer has had over 800 showers taken in it the past 15 months by my wife and I and the shower stall still looks new. The only thing we use is a ShamWow to wipe it down with the same one that's sold on TV by that annoying ShamWow guy. You know..."We can't do this all day!" 😉
https://www.shamwow.com/default.aspx?did=&refcode=1002

[ol_Bombero-JC]

beemerphile1 wrote:
Another thread made me think of this. I carry a tool that most people have probably never considered carrying in their RV. Most RVs today use PEX tubing for the water plumbing. The PEX uses special clamps that require a tool that is specifically made for that use and does cost a few bucks.

The tool I am recommending is almost perfect for tightening a PEX clamp that is a bit loose and seeping. It is often referred to as an end cutter or flush cutter and is used normally for cutting wire.

Saw the above a couple of days ago.

Now = Thread running on 5th wheel forum in re HW tank leaks & PEX.

Solution -

Clicky to: "Shark Bite"

See applications on the site for PEX repairs.

~

[stfnwuf]

dcmac214 wrote:
Repeat of someone else's earlier post. My height checker (story stick) is a 1" PVC traveling inside a 1-1/4 or 1-1/2", can't remember and the marking paint's long since worn off, PVC pipe, both cut to 94" (TV is full 8 foot bed pickup) with two matching 1/4" holes thru both sticks for heights of 14' and the absolute minimum of 13'6". The smaller stick travels inside the larger stick, real good fit, bolt and wingnut hold them together. Use the bolt & wingnut in the larger stick as a stop so the two sticks together give me the height I need. Not really needed, I Dremel hand-ground the measurements at the two holes and filled in with a little bit of paint, making it real difficult to set up the wrong height.

DC

At some places we stay it is a challenge to make sure our slide will clear the utilities, etc. Since we have an electric awning, we don't have one of the handy dandy hooks for the maunal awnings. So...DH made one for me from a dowel and a hook. It is 3ft long, which is how far our slide comes out. When he is parking, I can use the "hook" (another one of my technical terms) to make sure the slide will clear any utilities, poles, trees, etc. The "hook" is also great for retrieving things that may have rolled under the trailer.

[bercher]

This is the crazy setup I put together for our full-time travels. It wasn't cheap, but it works well. I change the filters every 6 months. I sit the entire filter system unit into a large plastic tub inside the bay, doing so means I only have to winterize the water hose coming into the bay. I only have to hook up the city water to the unit and I am ready to roll. All of the water in the house is double filtered, the black water line bypasses the filter system and is always hooked up, it is turned on and off by a switch. I can see what the city side water pressure is and what the pressure is after it passes the residential pressure regulator.

[Bobbo]

I leave out the vinegar, then pump it through all of the faucets, showers and toilet. It sanitizes all of the fresh water pipes and tanks.

[dcmac214]

campingshadow wrote:
Here's a tip about cleaning the black tank sensors

I like to make sure when I dump my black tank that it is fully empty and clean and the sensors are all working properly. Last time I emptied it, I was unable to get the 1/3 sensor to go off, even after filling and draining the tank several times. Since my trailer does not get moved, I do not have the ability to slosh liquids around in the tank with movement. So I filled the tank about 1/3 full of water, added some holding tank chemicals, and then a dishpan full of hot soapy water (Dawn dishwashing liquid). I let that sit for about an hour and then drained the tank again. The sensor got cleaned of whatever was on it and they are now all reading the levels properly again.

Our dealer mechanic recommends filling the tank with fresh water to third or half, add 1 cup bleach and 1 cup vinegar, take RV for a ride to slosh it around. Won't hurt to dump 5-10 pounds ice in, too, helps scrape the sides and sensors.

[beemerphile1]

Another thread made me think of this. I carry a tool that most people have probably never considered carrying in their RV. Most RVs today use PEX tubing for the water plumbing. The PEX uses special clamps that require a tool that is specifically made for that use and does cost a few bucks.

The tool I am recommending is almost perfect for tightening a PEX clamp that is a bit loose and seeping. It is often referred to as an end cutter or flush cutter and is used normally for cutting wire.