Fluid Catcher
Using a plastic bag as fluid catcherI have rented and owned several motorhomes, and it seems that they all require a funnel with a long flexible tube to facilitate servicing the engine, transmission, and generator fluids. Funnels such as these are inexpensive and are available at any auto parts store.
The problem is, once you have used the funnel, you can’t clean out the long flexible tube, because there is a screen at the funnel end and the tube is corrugated. Normally, even when you clean it up as best as you can and store it away, you’ll find that a little puddle of fluid has leaked out of the flexible tube.
I solved that problem by putting the large end of the funnel into a resealable plastic bag and zipping the bag closed from both sides. I store the funnel vertically, standing it on the large end, so any leakage is captured in the storage bag. I plug the small end of the flex tube in case the funnel falls over. A rolled-up piece of newspaper or paper towel makes a simple plug. Good-bye, messy storage area.
Robert Schultz, F302488
South Lake Tahoe, California
Another Awning Wand Use
Awning wandHere’s a simple but practical use for the awning wand. Using a grinder, I put a notch in the angled part of the pulling device and use it to reach high branches when putting out bird feeders. It works great for me.
Bob Tripp, F70402
Rockdale, Texas
Organizer Baskets
Organizer basketI found that I was wasting too much daylight driving time when getting ready for meals. As my wife was preparing lunch in the galley, I was fumbling around her in the same space to get the plates, glasses, and utensils out on the table. After the meal the dinnerware had to be washed and put away.
To save time, we changed to paper plates and plastic cups and utensils. To keep me from hovering around the galley, my wife put all of the paper and plastic dinnerware in a basket on the dinette with a piece of no-slip material underneath. Now we are better organized for meals and save time when we stop to eat. The basket also holds other odds and ends that seem to find a home on the dinette. A similar basket setup is used to organize the toiletries in the bathroom.
Gerald Dowgin, F304513
Whiting, New Jersey
Paint Remover
One day while we were on the road traveling, we passed a truck that was painting a white line down the middle of the highway. As we went by, paint was sprayed along the bottom of our motorhome, which is made of fiberglass. After making inquiries about how to remove the paint, we were given a sample of Limco LR12 enamel paint reducer (a BASF product), which removed the paint. It can be bought at any paint store, and it did not harm the fiberglass.
Editor’s note: Read and follow all warnings on the container. Test the product on a small, remote area before using.
Fred & Katherine Pippin, F113668
Cary, North Carolina
Bottle Protectors
Socks as bottle protectorsMy wife and I are wine connoisseurs and travel quite often in our motorhome. Unfortunately, we don’t have room for a proper wine rack, and our wine must be stored standing up in a cabinet or under the bed. When driving down the road, especially rough roads, the bottles tend to bump into each other, making noise and causing my blood pressure to rise while thinking of breakage.
It occurred to me one day as I was about to throw away a pair of worn-out crew socks that the ankle part of the sock would make a good wine bottle protector. I cut the ankle portion from the foot and I now have a stretch-to-fit, tubular wine bottle cover. The cover is elastic enough to fit both the 750-milliliter bottles and the 1.5-liter bottles. And because the sock doesn’t cover the entire bottle, it’s still possible to tell red wine from white. No more clanging bottles and high blood pressure for me.
Robert Schultz, F302488
South Lake Tahoe, California
A Place To Hang Your Hat
Using brass coffee cup hooks and plastic clip to hang hatWe had a hard time finding a place to store wide-brim hats. To solve the problem I screwed several brass coffee cup hooks through the cloth that covers the wood box valance above the windows in the bedroom. I then attached a small plastic clip (the kind used to keep plastic bags closed) to the brim and hung the clip and hat on the coffee cup hook.
Thomas G. Mosher, F228131
Spokane, Washington