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

[tvman44]

These are the ones I get at Wally World Starter Logg
Pkg of 24 logs for about $7.00 and a piece of a log is all I need to start our fires, so a box last us a very long time.

[holstein13]

PGR_Skye wrote:
Home made firestarters = recycle, recycle, recycle.

Commercial fire starters = recycled saw dust as well. 😉

[Wiscampsin]

I always throw a couple handfuls of sawdust into 'my blend'.

[Wiscampsin]

I always throw a couple handfuls of sawdust into 'my blend'.

[Ralphie_Boy]

That's too much info for me to absorb, so to speak. I find that if I save the bacon grease from cooking at our cabin, a small bit of it on top of the kindling makes short work of making a fire in the wood stove. Makes the outside air smell great too!

[PGR_Skye]

Home made firestarters = recycle, recycle, recycle.

[kebmw]

On the subject of campfire starters, I'd like to ask a question:

We often have "fry days" on our trips where a few of the guys have deep fryers and we do chicken wings and other fried things. We usually set up around the cement pad where the picnic tables are. On our last trip I finally noticed how greasy the ground was when we finished cleaning up. I guess because we did it at our campsite last time and we don't always do it at our site. It really bothered me because I realized how this was going to attract ants and leave a not so nice spot for the next camper unless a good rain happens. So I'm determined from now on to bring cardboard to put down under the fryers to help clean this up. I was thinking that we could then burn the cardboard in the campfire if we were careful with it.

Does this sound advisable?

Thanks,
~Karin

[Wrace]

I make firestarters every year for use in our two woodstoves and campfires.

[popeye59]

Unless it is wet, I just use my kindling which is made from old pallet slats and split to various sizes during the off season. At the beginning of camping season I have 3 cat litter buckets full (stacked neatly inside) which, coupled with the sticks and twigs gathered from the campsite will last a whole season. I'm only curious about making these so I can have the grandkids make them so they are "helping". We save the paper towels we wipe grease and oil with in a metal coffee can and a couple of those really help get the kindling going. I also have a huffer-puffer air blowing device (fireplace bellows) that helps get it going. Sometimes a campfire is more about starting one than just having one. Otherwise I would just toss a beer can full of gasoline on a match.

[Kittykath]

At your suggestion Holstein13, I just bought a box of the Lightning Nuggets. If the cub scouts sold firestarters, I'd buy them instead. I live for convenience! We have campfires almost every day being seasonals and also have a firepit at home. Looking forward to NOT crumpling up paper all the time.

[tvman44]

I have been getting my fire starters at Walmart for less than that. Since I am kind of lazy I probably will continue doing so, just curious.

[dewatkins]

holstein13 wrote:
At the risk of sounding ignorant, I have to ask why are so many of you excited about making fire starters? You can get Lightning Nuggets from Amazon.com for 27 cents each.

Granted, making your own would be cheaper, but your time is worth something, you still need to find wax and egg cartons and burn plastic lint (yes, much of your lint is plastic fibers unless you wear only cotton). I'm just at a loss here. What am I missing?

The fun of doing something yourself that you can, instead of buying something. It only takes about 10 minutes to make them, the cartons come around eggs when you buy them and wax is at the grocery store with the canning goods. Why do people grow tomatoes why do people buy food they can go out and buy it as a restaurant why tow a trailer or 5w you could just stay in a hotel?

[holstein13]

At the risk of sounding ignorant, I have to ask why are so many of you excited about making fire starters? You can get Lightning Nuggets from Amazon.com for 27 cents each.

Granted, making your own would be cheaper, but your time is worth something, you still need to find wax and egg cartons and burn plastic lint (yes, much of your lint is plastic fibers unless you wear only cotton). I'm just at a loss here. What am I missing?

[JimBollman]

popeye59 wrote:
So just out of curiosity, when you guys are mixing the sawdust with the wax, how much sawdust to wax do you use? How do you know when enough sawdust is right or too much?

I mixed as much as I could mix in till there was no liquid wax left. Then spoon it into the carton and packed it in as tight as you can with the spoon. A little to much sawdust/coffee grounds/woodchips will not hurt anything, jut makes it a little more crumbly to handle.

[Terri_travel]

Merrykalia wrote:

Terri travel wrote:

Terri travel wrote:
Ok, maybe it's me! I know what Im looking for, and have seen it on this forum a few times, but I can't find it now. We want to replace the screen on the front of the rv door with plastic, acrylic, anything that will keep the dogs in, and the bugs out. It's been a while, but I saw very detailed instructions on how to do it on this site, and would love to see it again..Please Help, thanks...

I found the word i was looking for Plexiglas...Duh, so now I should be able to locate the forum I need..Sorry!

Some people use LEXAN instead of Plexi. You might want to try that, too.

Thank you..Think we will use lexan instead. I found the link that had step by step details, so we're going to try it!