Tech & Travel Tips: November 2005

Cleaning Products Holder

Cleaning products holderIt’s impossible to get away from it “” even in the RV there is still cleaning to do. The problem is finding a place to put products such as window cleaner, furniture polish, etc. A tray with a handle just wasn’t high enough on the sides. So I took a 2½-gallon water jug, rectangular in shape with a handle on top, and cut openings on either side of the handle. I am able to fit two bottles of cleaning supplies into each opening. I put some cleaning rags and a can of furniture polish in the center. It stores on a rubber mat in the shower without tipping over while we’re traveling.

Marie Haskins
Derry, New Hampshire

Here’s a tip for folks who do some of their own coach maintenance. A digital camera is great for taking pictures in difficult-to-see areas under the coach. Load the images onto the computer and you can sit down and analyze the situation. You can zoom in on certain areas that would be hard to see under a coach with a droplight.

Frank May, F308808
Morgantown, West Virginia

Dog tie-offsMy wife and I have been RVing with two dogs since 1998. We have an 85-pound Labrador retriever that when tied off to a picnic table can move it when he sees someone who might pet him.

We always had a problem determining where to tie up the dogs without leaving them in the sun or having them bother the neighbors. The solution was to mount eyebolts to the rear and the midsection of the coach. We then purchased 12 feet of bungee cord and a couple of snap hooks at the hardware store. Drilling holes through the compartment support tubing and sealing the connection points with silicone was the last step. We are now confident that our pets won’t cause any regrets.

Danny Lindstrom, F310275
Castroville, California

Convenience tableWhen we purchased our new coach, neither the forward seat of the couch nor the driver’s seat, when turned around, had a place for a coffee cup or snack plate. We solved the problem by attaching a wooden flip-up convenience shelf to the wall. These shelves actually are intended to serve as extensions for kitchen counters, and are available from most RV specialty stores. We chose a wood grain that closely matched that of our cabinets and slightly relocated the piano hinge to assure a tight fit against the wall when the shelf is in the “up” position.

Thomas G. Mosher, F228131
Spokane, Washington

Spray tube holderI kept losing the little red spray tubes that usually are provided with aerosol cans of lubricant and solvent. To keep from losing them, I drilled two holes on an angle through the top and side of the aerosol caps where I could insert the tubes for safekeeping. In almost all applications, the spray tube can be inserted into the aerosol can’s nozzle without removing it from the cap.

Andy Brumbaugh, F177803
Kodiak, Alaska

Cabinet barrierI have seen several different methods used to prevent tall items from falling out of cabinets in an RV. My solution works particularly well in the shallow medicine cabinets but will work in many other styles of cabinets as well.

Any clear, rigid plastic sheeting can be used. It is available at most building supply stores, such as Home Depot. I used some scrap plastic that I had available from a previous project. This type of material is best cut by scoring it on both sides and then snapping it over the edge of a table or bench. Sawing it can cause chipping or cracking.

Decide how high you wish the barrier to be and cut the plastic into strips of that height. In my case, that was approximately 3 inches. Cut the strips just a little wider than the opening you want to span. All of the edges should be sanded or filed, as they tend to be sharp. These pieces may be screwed into place, but I found that it’s better just to glue them to the inside of the cabinet using a clear silicone glue. Hold them in place with tape until the glue sets. That way there won’t be any holes if the barriers are removed later.

Donald R. Hubner, F243708
Oak Harbor, Washington