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Family RVing Magazine

Tech & Travel Tips: July 2003

August 1, 2003

Hose Storage

Hose storage ideaI like using a self-coiling water hose, but after awhile, it tends to stretch and tangle. To solve the problem, I purchased a length of 4-inch ABS plastic pipe and two end caps. After cutting the pipe to the necessary size, I glued one of the end caps to the pipe. When preparing to depart the campsite, I simply push the coiled hose into the tube and attach the other end cap. The pipe helps to save space, prevents the hose from getting tangled or wound around other objects in the storage compartment, and keeps any excess water left in the hose inside the pipe.

Ronald Jay Wardman, F260087
Myrtle Point, Oregon


Ant Eliminator

Ant eliminator: spray bottleWhen a parade of ants showed up in our motorhome recently, my spouse didn’t want me to use bug spray to get rid of the pests (she was eating nearby at the time). So I grabbed our handy little detergent sprayer that we normally use for small, quick clean-up jobs, and gave the rascals a good bath. The one-pint sprayer (such as those used to spritz potted plants) was filled with a solution that consisted of a squirt of dishwashing detergent and water. Lo and behold, it killed the ants more quickly than the bug spray usually does.

Apparently what happens is the detergent breaks the surface tension of the water, allowing it to wet the ants’ bodies. Since ants breathe (actually respire, as they don’t have lungs) through tiny pores, they drown instantly when they are wetted. The surface tension of the water normally prevents it from getting into an ant’s body pores, which is why they can be seen walking through or on the surface of the water.

Not only does the detergent solution kill the ants quickly, but cleanup is easy with a paper towel.

Bill Laudeman, F244712
Chattanooga, Tennessee


Tracking Medication

Idea for tracking medicationLike many other people, I’m faced with the problem of taking various quantities of pills at different intervals during the day. I found that if I tape a piece of paper to the bottom of each pill container, I can monitor the different sequences more easily by recording the dosage and frequency for each medication.

Robert Roberts Jr., F209661
Mission, Texas


Overhead Storage Dividers

Some overhead cabinets in a motorhome (such as the one over the bed) are quite high. Because of this, it can be difficult to use the entire space or impossible to retrieve things from the bottom of a pile when items are stacked upon each other. To make more efficient use of this space, buy a closet organizer shelf such as those available at most home improvement stores. They come in a variety of sizes and widths, so there’s a good chance one will fit your space. If you can’t find an exact fit, most stores will cut the shelf to your dimensions. This divides the cabinet into manageable sections that let you use all of the space but still get to everything easily.

Gayle McNeece, F292211
Nacogdoches, Texas

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