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!

We use Dawn Dish soap and same TP we use in house.Special RV TP is expensive junk and not neededWe do everything in RV just like we do in house......no real difference between the 2 in my opinion except for the wheels.I'll rinse down 5vr when we get back IF it has gotten really dirty or lots of bugs damp dryer sheets work well on front cap to remove bugs)I'll dump fresh water tank/water heater.....refill next tripWaste tanks..depends. If came home with stuff in them I'll dump at home. Otherwise took care of them prior to coming homeOur 5vr stays plugged in at home so we don't unpack other than dirty clothes/linens....then they go back in after washingFridge stays on.....milk and ice tea come out otherwise it stays full with normal stuff/freezer gets emptiedCamping is about enjoyment....not making things complicated.Personally I think some Rvrs make it too complicated when it really is simple.

I'd love to be able to keep it plugged in, but we'll have to store it off-site, either at a friend's or at a commercial storage lot. We're planning to get a cover for it to protect it from rain and snow (we can dream, can't we?) but I'd like to keep up with the routine stuff from the beginning.Everyone we've spoken to - and I mean everyone - has told us to use the bio-degradable TP because the regular stuff can harden and gunk up the tank and fittings. So I'm interested that you use regular. Does frequency of use of the rig make a difference in deciding what to use?

Margaret...we've heard those same stories about TP, too. HOWEVER, take a square of the special stuff and a square of Northern.....put them in separate bowls of water and time them....how long does it take for each to dissolve???? Yeah....Northern dissolves fast. In our opinion, both of us have RVd for more years than we want to count, it isn't how FAST necessarily that TP gunks up the holding tanks...it's how MUCH is used. Many people roll out WAY too much TP.. :) :) Just our opinion. :)As for your original question: I set aside everything I use at home on the counter starting about a week ahead, then I determine whether I'll REALLY use them on the road. :) The only thing I forgot last time was the wine cork.......which was no problem cuz we bought screw top bottles. :) :) :)Happy trails!

Take a few sheets of your regular TP and put it in a glass of water, if it dissolves you are OK to use it in your tank. Then make sure that your black tank is at least 3/4 full before dumping to get a good dump which will flush out the TP. I use Dawn, after all that is what they use for oil soaked birds and other wildlife.

Welcome back. I have been RVing since before the wheel. LOL We have never used tank chemicals of any kind. Nor have we used special paper. No problems ever. We do have a sprinkler type flusher on both black and grey tanks. No special soap either. Now get out there and make some memories. Congrats

Housekeeping details | Good Sam Community

MargaretB
Explorer
Oct 14, 2014
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
Explorer
Oct 14, 2014
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
Explorer
Oct 14, 2014
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
Oct 14, 2014
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
Nomad
Oct 13, 2014
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
Explorer
Oct 13, 2014
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
Explorer
Oct 13, 2014
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
Explorer
Oct 13, 2014
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
Explorer
Oct 13, 2014
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
Explorer
Oct 13, 2014
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???) .... :) :)

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