How to keep COOL in your RV

OK, you're HOT!

That's my assumption, if you are reading this Blog Post.

And in an RV, if you don't take certain precautions, you can get really hot while vacationing in the deep South of the United States.

But, don't despair, there are some things you can do to make your RV much more comfortable in the heat and it only takes a little thought and self-management.

RV Sewage Management - Best Shaken Not Stirred

Typical RV Service Center

One thing that a camper ends up knowing how to do, is how to properly dump and maintain their RV Sewage tank.
And, I can tell you that almost all of my fellow campers have a Horror story they tell about "that time they saw....."
Because, honestly, when something does go wrong while someone is dumping an RV Sewage tank it is definitely a bad situation, that they will remember for the rest of their life.

Washing your RV Front-End - ECO-FRIENDLY

ECO-FRIENDLY TIPS:

We all need to adjust our lives towards a more Eco-Friendly lifestyle.  As Campers and RVers, we should adopt as many habits, tools, and lifestyle changes as possible to preserve and improve the environment we live in.  To this end, here is a great ECO-FRIENDLY TIP.. Sometimes these are just small steps, but if we all use them we can make a big difference for the Planet.

Washing Your RV Front End:

Boy, probably one of the most intimdating jobs, to me is the task of washing that enormous RV when you arrive at your home, or Campground, and have been driving through all kinds of Weather, Dust, Grime, grease and BUGS.

Let me tell you a story.  

Last year, while I was at a campground in Florida for the Winter, an elderly Canadian couple pulled their RV into the campsite next to me.  Needless to say, it was pretty dirty and the front was covered with bugs.  We met, shook hands, talked, and we became good campsite friends while we were both at that campground.

Well, the next day, in the cool of the morning, I noticed he was cleaning the front of his RV, then to my surprise, he stopped and started again in a section of one of the sides of the RV, then quit again.  He continued this routine daily on a small section of the RV until he had a totally clean RV.

The point is that he had figured out how to pace himself, as well as the use of campground water, and cleaning materials and end up with a very effective way to clean his RV; with less one-time effort, less sore muscles, and the use of less water.

My Methods:

I on the other hand, had spent several hours one day, in the heat continually; wetting, soaping, washing, and rinsing the whole darn RV, and when I had finished, I had wasted a lot more water, cleaning materials, and muscle power than my Canadian friend.

I hurt for days, so a couple of campgrounds later, I jumped on having a local crew come in and wash my RV for several hundred dollars.  The RV looked great, but my wallet was a lot lighter.

I don't know where this commercial cleaning stands on the ECO-Friendly scale, but as I sat there, with my glass of wine in hand, watching the crew spend right at 45-minutes to clean and hand wax and polish my whole RV, I am sure that they were more efficient, thus more ECO-FRIENDLY than my personal work.

My lesson-learned was to follow my friends process the next time I wash my RV myself, and to look closer at the materials I use also.

What I mean is, that I will take a good close look at my RV and use the appropriate materials to clean the different areas of my RV, and the different types of dirt, grime, grease, and stains.

Front of the RV:

The front of an RV will collect, along with the dirt, a lot of dead bugs.  Remember, if they have dried up, they are even harder to remove, but here is a great hint; Take 2 buckets, fill one with clean water, and the other with a dish-washing detergent/water combination.
Use a soft-bristle brush with a long handle, and thoroughly soak the whole front end of the RV (thus the bug bodies) with water, and go away for 10-minutes or so.  This will allow the bug bodies and dirt to soak up the water and soften.
When you come back, wash the windshield and front of the RV with the dish-washing detergent and water combination, and then go away again for about 10-minutes, to let the bug bodies to soak up some of this cleanser.
When you come back, get your ladder out, and using a rag, hand scrub the front of the RV starting at the top with the cleanser, and when finished, rinse the front with a fresh bucket of clean water, and then you should be rid of 98% of the bug bodies, and all of the dirt, with a shiny front on your RV.

The great thing is; you used less water, less caustic chemicals, and you had a couple of nice rest periods during the cleaning process.

By the way, as to that other 2% you could not clean with the dish-washing detergent, well it is highly likely that those expensive, and often caustic cleansers that you did not use, would not remove the remaining bugs any better.

Preventive Medicine for Bugs:

Another hint for you, is to try to minimize the number of bugs that stick to your front end when you are traveling.  I have heard a lot of suggestions, and the best I have found for the body part of the front end, is BABY OIL.

Yes, thats right, Baby Oil!  Just before we pull out on a trip, we soak a couple of paper towels in Baby Oil, and thoroughly rub the front body parts down, including the headlight lens'.  Then when we get to our campsite, we just hose what is left along with most of the bugs off of the front end.  It only takes a little water, and what can be safer and more ECO-FRIENDLY than Baby Oil?

Other RV cleaning suggestions coming in later posts!

VINEGAR - A General Cleanser - ECO-FEIENDLY

ECO-FRIENDLY TIPS:

We all need to adjust our lives towards a more Eco-Friendly lifestyle.  As Campers and RVers, we should adopt as many habits, tools, and lifestyle changes as possible to preserve and improve the environment we live in.  To this end, here is a great ECO-FRIENDLY TIP.. Sometimes these are just small steps, but if we all use them we can make a big difference for the Planet.

General Cleaner: Vinegar

Here is a very good suggestion for a General Cleanser to use in and on your RV or Camper.

One thing that anyone can do, is use a combination of White Vinegar and water for many of your generic cleaning chores.  It is great for removing grease and dirt from; Kitchen Appliances, Counter tops, Tile/Linoleum floors, Stainless Steel sinks, and synthetic tabletops. 

Put a 50-50 mixture in a spray bottle and keep it handy for your day-to-day cleaning chores. 

As a note:  If the smell is a little too strong for you, you can add a few drops of Lemon Oil or your other favorite scent, to your mixture to improve the smell after using it.

In your RV, try it for cleaning your Shower Stall, Sinks, Toilets, Tire Rims and HubCaps, and it will also clean and remove many Carpet stains.  You can run the mixture through your drip Coffee Maker to clean it out, and get the grime and grease from around your Stove burners (of course, make sure that the gas is turned off).  According to an article I recently read, you can even use it, (mixed with water) as a Hair Rinse to remove buildup and bacteria, if desired. Sure, there are some cleaning problems that Vinegar just will not handle, but it should be the first cleaner you reach for.

Remember, if everyone, takes these small steps, and just overall reduces the daily use of the harsher chemical cleaners, it will better for us all.

The key point again, is that Vinegar is a wonderful natural cleanser for many things, and the great kicker here is that it is so cheap, that everyone should have it in their RV not only for cooking, but as a General Cleaner and reduce using those harsh Chemical Concoctions, as much as possible.