Housekeeping details

[MargaretB]

In preparation for picking up our new TT on Wednesday (we hope) and leaving on our shakedown weekend on Friday, I've been gathering the gear to equip it with - dishes, bedding, etc.

I'm trying to remember from five years ago when we had our RV but I can't. So...

Should I pack Dawn or Camp-Suds? Regular dish-soap or biodegradable camping stuff? I bought the marine TP that dissolves fast - that much I remembered - but can't remember what kind of dish-soap we'll need.

Also, we've lived on septic systems for about 17 years, so I don't use or allow anti-bacterial products at home. But I'm wondering if the same is true when trailering. It doesn't matter in our gray and black tanks, but when it's dumped, it goes into a septic system, doesn't it?

When you get home from a trip and are putting your rig to bed until the next one, do you just hose it down, or do you use a product? If the latter, what do you use? Ours comes with a fiberglass shell and an extra protective fiberglass end-cap. Most of the shell has a super-coating of some sort on it, over and above the usual. Is it appropriate to use Simple Green, full strength or diluted, or is water sufficient, or is there a special product we should buy? (Why do I think the answer is behind Door 3?)

Thanks!

[MargaretB]

PureMI wrote:
When you pick up the trailer and they're going over the procedures and how stuff works, RECORD IT ON YOUR PHONE. That would have saved us some glitches on our first trip.

I'm planning to record everything on my phone and iPad, if the phone runs out of juice. My husband is nervous enough about this! I wish we'd bought one big enough to house a chauffeur...

[MargaretB]

proxim2020 wrote:
Not necessarily a bad suggestion or odd one really. Well maybe for those who don't travel overseas. There's lots of countries around the the world, even ones highly developed, that toss their TP in the trash. There's even a website (there's a website for everything) that tells you which one do and don't lol. One reason is that the sewage system isn't nearly as evolved as what we have here. Lots of people flushing TP quickly clogs the system. Sometimes the water pressure isn't great enough to handle TP. Sometimes it's just tradition. The restrooms will have a little trash bin with a lid next to the toilet that's meant to handle the TP. You would think that it would be some big foul mess in in the restroom because of that little bin, but you can't really tell anything. You only notice something's amiss when you see the signs warning you to not put anything in the toilet that didn't come out of you lol. Once you get past the initial ick factor, it's actually a pretty good idea especially for RVs.

Also, most other countries use bidets instead of TP. After they've washed, they use a cloth towel that's designed just for that purpose. So TP is more of an English-speaking-world phenomenon.

[PureMI]

When you pick up the trailer and they're going over the procedures and how stuff works, RECORD IT ON YOUR PHONE. That would have saved us some glitches on our first trip.

[Community Alumni]

Not necessarily a bad suggestion or odd one really. Well maybe for those who don't travel overseas. There's lots of countries around the the world, even ones highly developed, that toss their TP in the trash. There's even a website (there's a website for everything) that tells you which one do and don't lol. One reason is that the sewage system isn't nearly as evolved as what we have here. Lots of people flushing TP quickly clogs the system. Sometimes the water pressure isn't great enough to handle TP. Sometimes it's just tradition. The restrooms will have a little trash bin with a lid next to the toilet that's meant to handle the TP. You would think that it would be some big foul mess in in the restroom because of that little bin, but you can't really tell anything. You only notice something's amiss when you see the signs warning you to not put anything in the toilet that didn't come out of you lol. Once you get past the initial ick factor, it's actually a pretty good idea especially for RVs.

[Lantley]

Bigbird65 wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:

Bigbird65 wrote:
A comment about TP. This may seem crude but...... Put your used TP in a plastic grocery bag and fold it over. As often as you like toss the bag into a regular garbage bag. No need to worry whether the TP will dissolve or clog up your black tank.

Do you do that at home?

IF NO.....then why in your RV :H


Hoping answer is not yes :E

You misinterpreted what I said. I have no need to do this. This was a suggestion for people who worry a lot about clogging their system.

Ok let's just call it a bad suggestion. Nevertheless I'm sure there are those that bag their TP.UGH....

[Bigbird65]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

Bigbird65 wrote:
A comment about TP. This may seem crude but...... Put your used TP in a plastic grocery bag and fold it over. As often as you like toss the bag into a regular garbage bag. No need to worry whether the TP will dissolve or clog up your black tank.

Do you do that at home?

IF NO.....then why in your RV :H


Hoping answer is not yes :E

You misinterpreted what I said. I have no need to do this. This was a suggestion for people who worry a lot about clogging their system.

[dadmomh]

Re the antibacterial soaps, etc.....I was having some weird, non-descript health problems and made a visit with my doctor. One of the things he strongly suggested was that I make a clean sweep of ALL abx products in the house, hand soap, laundry, anything. He said there were several studies ongoing that suggested that they may not beneficial and actually harmful. I asked him specifically about the hand sanitizer and he said that was fine because it's basically alcohol.....no, not THAT kind the other kind, lol.

Our septic guy also said no abx that we're trying to get a good stable set up of good bugs and the abx just kill many of them off. Same with bleach products, so we never use them. The tricky part comes with the new HE washer that recommends using the cleaning process once a month to eliminate build up and odors.....the bleach smell will knock you over. So, what to do? Don't know if it does all the HE treatment does, but I use a healthy dose of Borax and hot water through the cleaning cycle. So far, so good....I think.

[MargaretB]

No, my poem isn't a haiku!

I had a friend long ago who bought an old Victorian house with wonky plumbing. For years, she never let anything but human waste go down the john - everything else went into a garbage bag that got dumped daily. It was kind of awful when we visited her. So I don't think I"ll be trying that in the trailer.

[amandasgramma]

Old-Biscuit wrote:

Bigbird65 wrote:
A comment about TP. This may seem crude but...... Put your used TP in a plastic grocery bag and fold it over. As often as you like toss the bag into a regular garbage bag. No need to worry whether the TP will dissolve or clog up your black tank.

Do you do that at home?

IF NO.....then why in your RV :H


Hoping answer is not yes :E

A friend suggested this.....I admit I tried it. For about 2 days....NOPE, not for me!!!!

[amandasgramma]

MargaretB wrote:

amandasgramma wrote:

MargaretB wrote:

Rede2 wrote:
You mentioned the use of antibacterial products. I try not to use certain products due to concerns for my own health as well as the environment. Many germ-killing chemicals (and other chemicals used in cleaning products) were develop decades ago before there were laws requiring scientific review.
The use of antibacterial products has been never been proven safe and the FDA keeps postponing their opinion according to this article.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/16/fda-antibacterial-soap/4038907/

The only anti-bacterial I ever use is hand gel if I'm traveling - can't be assured of hand-washing soap and/or hot water. Otherwise, I ban all anti-bacs from our home, for several reasons. I even wrote a little poem about it which I have hanging in our guest bathroom. We work too hard keeping our septic bugs happy to let them get wiped out by an anti-bac soap.

DITTO....and love your poem!

Ummm... have you seen my poetic masterpiece?

Apparently not!!! I thought that last line was your poem (a Haiku???) .... 🙂 🙂

[Old-Biscuit]

Bigbird65 wrote:
A comment about TP. This may seem crude but...... Put your used TP in a plastic grocery bag and fold it over. As often as you like toss the bag into a regular garbage bag. No need to worry whether the TP will dissolve or clog up your black tank.

Do you do that at home?

IF NO.....then why in your RV :H


Hoping answer is not yes :E

[Bigbird65]

A comment about TP. This may seem crude but...... Put your used TP in a plastic grocery bag and fold it over. As often as you like toss the bag into a regular garbage bag. No need to worry whether the TP will dissolve or clog up your black tank.

[trail-explorer]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
We use Dawn Dish soap and same TP we use in house.
Special RV TP is expensive junk and not needed

Ditto.

If you are planning on being at a park/campground that has water hookups, and plan to use it connected to the RV, get a piece of white hose and a water pressure regulator (both can be found at Wal-Mart, in the RV section, which is near the automotive section)

Connecting a water spigot directly to the RV "city water" connection will over pressurize the water system, and my rupture water lines.

Any tip in that regard, when I connect to city water, I ALWAYS turn OFF the water spigot when I leave camp unattended.
If I am using the water pump/tank, I always turn off the water pump when I leave the rig unattended.

[MargaretB]

amandasgramma wrote:

MargaretB wrote:

Rede2 wrote:
You mentioned the use of antibacterial products. I try not to use certain products due to concerns for my own health as well as the environment. Many germ-killing chemicals (and other chemicals used in cleaning products) were develop decades ago before there were laws requiring scientific review.
The use of antibacterial products has been never been proven safe and the FDA keeps postponing their opinion according to this article.


http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/16/fda-antibacterial-soap/4038907/

The only anti-bacterial I ever use is hand gel if I'm traveling - can't be assured of hand-washing soap and/or hot water. Otherwise, I ban all anti-bacs from our home, for several reasons. I even wrote a little poem about it which I have hanging in our guest bathroom. We work too hard keeping our septic bugs happy to let them get wiped out by an anti-bac soap.

DITTO....and love your poem!

Ummm... have you seen my poetic masterpiece?