By Bob Difley
Dumping your RV’s waste tanks, especially the black tank, is not among the favorite chores of RVers. But it is a necessary chore if your plan is to continue RVing after your tanks have filled up. But because it is also a chore that most RVers try to get out of the way ASAP, it can turn into a haphazard, carelessly performed chore that can threaten the health of your entire family.
You’d be concerned if you could see the nasties, the pathogens, bugs, and other unmentionables that lurk around campground dump stations, waiting to attach themselves to unsuspecting humans, clinging to their hands as they touch door handles, railings, chairs, water bottles, plates, and (ugh!) food, whereby they leap happily off to latch onto another passing human (your young daughter, perhaps).
This is not an alarmist’s dire fright theory. It is a real threat. You don’t know what the habits of previous dumpers were who visited the dump station. Terrible diseases can strike any member of your RV party, and it will not be pleasant. And don’t pooh-pooh this warning. If none of these pathogens have taken their toll yet, just wait, because they will.
What to do, you ask. The single most important action you can take to avoid such a catastrophe is to always – ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS – put on a pair disposable gloves before you even exit your RV at the dump station to do your business. And remove them (into the nearest trash can) as your last dump station action before you touch any part (especially the door handle) of your RV. The next thing you should touch is the faucet handle that you turn on to wash your hands.
You can find Camco’s 50-pack of RV Green Disposable Dump Gloves on Amazon.
You can find Bob Difley’s RVing e-books on Amazon Kindle.
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Excellent Article!
Before I re-enter my RV, I usually rinse off my hands with the gloves on. I either use the outside hose faucet in my RIG or use the water connection point.
Being Safe RVing is always a requirement.