Page Contents
Issue 1055 • February 21, 2019
Welcome to another fabulous edition of RV Travel’s Daily Tips newsletter. Here, you’ll find helpful RV-related, and small-space living, tips from the pros, travel advice, a handy website of the day, our favorite RVing-related products and, of course, a good laugh. Thanks for joining us. We appreciate your readership.
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QUICK TIPS
What really works on black streaks?
According to the folks at Trade Winds RV Center, here’s the answer: “Those awful black streaks!!! You’ve tried everything to remove them and nothing works! RV cleaners, tire cleaners, DIY cleaners, dish soap, etc. Will nothing remove these unsightly marks? Alas, we’ve found a cleaner that removes them, and you don’t have to go any further than your local dollar store to find it. LA’s Totally Awesome cleaner removes RV black streaks! Follow the mixing instructions on the bottle, or use it full strength if the streaks are really bad. Apply it with a scrub brush and voila! Black streaks are no more! You’ll be amazed at how well this $1 cleaner will remove these marks!”
Nesting pots and pans
With RV galley storage space at a premium, nesting pots and pans become essential for the cook. But how do you keep the pans from rattling or, in the case of nonstick cookware, from scratching when nested? Here are the ideas of different RVers: Use dish towels between the pans and store them in the oven when traveling. When parked, hang a wood dowel from hooks in the ceiling, and use the dowel to suspend the pans. Another uses bubble wrap between the pans, and wraps larger pans in the wrap. Finally, you can use paper plates between the pans to stop unwanted reactions.
DID YOU KNOW?
Have you heard of the conspiracy theory that Paul McCartney from The Beatles died in a car crash in 1966? There’s been a Faul (fake Paul) impersonating him all this time. Conspiracy theorists claim that the rest of the band, George, John and Ringo were afraid that the death of Paul would impact the band’s commercial success, so they replaced Paul with Billy Shears, who looked (and sounded) almost identical to him. There have been discrepancies in photos of Paul and Billy, with extreme theorists claiming his face is a different shape, his ears in a different place, and his nose longer. You can read more about this theory here – it’s pretty believable!
Stay free on private property across America
Boondockers Welcome is a great alternative to expensive, crowded RV parks or even Walmart parking lots. With a membership, you can stay for free at more than 1,000 private property locations across America. And, wow, will you meet some great people. Learn more or sign up.
MORE QUICK TIPS
Save flush water
File this under the “Wow! This is great” or the “TMI” file, depending on your taste. A user from an RV forum wrote this boondocking suggestion: “Others may already know this, but I just stumbled onto it this week. My water pump was out of service for about three days and water was being dispensed rather miserly, except for drinking. A jug was used to rinse the toilet after flushing, but the urine odor quickly became overwhelming. I started spraying the toilet after rinsing with various cleaners. Mean Green Orange Champ does an amazing job on neutralizing urine odor. So much so that I was able to skip the water rinse and just release the liquid into the black tank and spray the empty bowl. I use wet wipes instead of TP which goes into a covered trash can, so no water is needed just to flush the TP.” Here’s a link to Amazon for the stink-reducing product.
Odds and Evens on the freeway
If you ever get confused about the direction you’re traveling in the U.S., keep in mind that most odd-numbered Interstate highways run north to south and even-numbered run east to west. This does not apply to state highways. Tip from Mark Polk, RV Education 101.
Do you have a tip? Send it to Russ (at) rvtravel.com
WEBSITE OF THE DAY
Parks Project
Instead of donating right to your favorite National Park, or the National Park Service, why not buy a cool t-shirt and support them that way? Parks Project has tons of great shirts, sweaters, hats and home goods, and each purchase contributes to one of 30 different conservancies across the USA, providing vital funding for the ongoing care of National Parks. You can read more about their contributions here.
Check out the long list of great RVing-related websites from RVtravel.com.
“Guide to Free Campgrounds” directory updated after 4 years
Any RVer that has been on the road for awhile likely has a dog-eared and ragged copy of Don Wright’s “Guide to Free Campgrounds.” It’s been four years since the latest update, and much has changed and been added to this new one. Read more about it here, and maybe order a copy of the brand-new 832-page guide for yourself or for a gift for your RVing friends.
LEAVE HERE WITH A LAUGH
A doctor and an engineer were in love with the same woman. Every day, the doctor would bring the woman a rose, and every day the engineer would bring the woman an apple. Finally, the confused girl asked the engineer, “Why do you always bring me an apple?” The engineer replied, “Because an apple a day keeps the doctor away!”
Today’s Daily Deals at Amazon.com
Best-selling RV products and Accessories at Amazon.com. UPDATED HOURLY.
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RV Daily Tips Staff
Editor and Publisher: Chuck Woodbury. Managing editor: Diane McGovern. Staff writer: Emily Woodbury. Contributing writers: Russ De Maris, Bob Difley, Gary Bunzer, Roger Marble, Mike Sokol, Greg Illes, J.M. Montigel and Andrew Robinson. Advertising coordinator: Gail Meyring. Marketing director: Jessica Sarvis. IT wrangler: Kim Christiansen.
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Everything in this newsletter is true to the best of our knowledge. But we occasionally get something wrong. We’re just human! So don’t go spending $10,000 on something we said was good simply because we said so, or fixing something according to what we suggested (check with your own technician first). Maybe we made a mistake. Tips and/or comments in this newsletter are those of the authors and may not reflect the views of RVtravel.com or this newsletter.
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Had a cabover camper for 10 years and now a travel trailer for 10 years also. Both are the aluminum sided type. I gave up on covers along time ago because they just wouldn’t last for me. I get black streaks and a couple of times a year I clean them off using made for RV black streak remover such as Camco Black Streak Remover. Using a clean cloth and the remover have never had any problem cleaning any streaks off. The longer they are left on the RV the harder it is to get them off. A little elbow grease might be necessary to remove them but they do come off.
My wardrobe is very limited. Although I still work part-time, I no longer use suits and ties and have developed my own style. I like a particular slack that came from Costco. I can still find them for as little as 9.95 a pair on different websites. My shirt of choice sells for less than $10 and the colors are simple. Just about everything is hand washable. On a recent trip to Ecuador, coworkers there asked me what my favorite label was. I said, Walmart. They don’t know what Walmart is in some South American countries so I had to explain. I also told them, why would I wear designer underwear? Who’s going to see them?
God Bless Ross. Buy there. I have some of their stock.
Awesome works great on a lot of things and will remove black streaks but do not use it on a waxed surface it will look like streaks in the wax , I found this out the hard way after I had finished waxing and buffing my whole motorhome .
Regarding black streaks – I installed/glued a vinyl gutter to the roof line on the sides and back and walla – no streaks! I have done this on two motorhomes. Has 3M glue tape on the back. I do have one minor spot on the rear gel coat corner – but I would never use a scrub brush and harsh cleaner on gel coat or on the decals!
I get most of my clothes as presents from relatives who have better taste than I do.
You can get good name brand clothes at thrift stores at a fraction of the cost. If hubby gets grease all over his tee shirt, so what. Only cost a buck. Rarely shop at Walmart since check out is so bad. Don’t like self check out and sometimes that is all that is available unless you want to wait in a LONG line.
Clothes not at Walmart, not Costco, We are trying to keep Sears and Penny’s in business.
It didn’t work with Payless. They are now closing shop. Sears got bought out but no idea if they will be restructured or close for good. But I agree. I loved Sears. Only place to find clothes I like.
Usually to remove black streaks means the better/easier the product works the more you risk stripping/hurting the surface/paint etc. I stay away from those harsh cleaners. I try and remove using a cleaner wax not rubbing compound. Sometimes I put it on thick and wet and let it dry like that. Most times it take multiple attempts and they still are not 100% removed. Many years ago with my first Motorhomes I would park it on blocks or using jacks in such a manner that the water mainly ran off 1 corner reducing the amount of areas with black streaks. Of course always having a good Wax job on your RV helps the black streak problem.
The Beatles are still the greatest band in music history
RE: PARKS PROJECT Parks Project, expensive but cheaply made T-Shirts (made in China), only contributes 5% to 20% to the National Parks. (Probably closer to only 5%). The bulk of the profits go to high administrative salaries.
Better to send your money directly to your National Parks Foundation, a non-profit organization.
Billy Shears was introduced to us in the Beatles song “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.
We use the material that keeps things from sliding on shelves between our pots and pans.
Awesome is great, but will strip the wax right down to the gel coat.
The route numbering is interesting unless you live in Western PA. Route 28 route 66 and route 38 all run north and south.
Bob…..
The numbering scheme mentioned applies to Interstate numbering,
not state highways or roads.
The numbering system applies to interstates, US highways, and state highways.
The direction refers to interstate hiways, US hiways are the opposite, and state hiways are at the discretions of the state. In some cases interstates are confusing such as I 24 that runs NW to SE, and I 69 running from SW Texas to NE Michigan, or I 565 runs west to east from I65 to Huntsville, AL. Generally they run as described by Mark Polk.
Generally, this applies to interstates, US highways, and state highways.
Actually, that only applies to intestate highways, not state or local roads.
Must depend on the state then! In ND US 81, 83 and 85 run north and south. US 2 and 12 run east and west as well as I-94. With I-29 running north and south. Google the ND map.
Same with Indiana.
It also applies to US Highways (non-interstate), and to some state highways.
LA Awesome cleaner is pretty good but I think way too harsh on gel coat at full strength. In fact as I recall there is a warning on the bottle to not use on glass at full strength it will etch it.
I have found Apache 1:5 Super Concentrate Vehicle & Boat Wash/Wax Pressure Washer Cleaner available at Menards as SKU 2619358 (as well as other retailers) makes black streaks disappear with very little effort. Mix 1/5th of the bottle with a gallon or two of water and wash with your favorite car wash brush.
Marcia gathered leftover pieces of polar fleece for buffer layers between our truck camper pots & pans that tuck into a recycled rectangular cat litter bucket and just fits under the galley sinks. (A handful of terrycloth shop towels will also do the trick, and are great for wiping up around the galley.)
We have no flush water or urine problems in our camper, nor do we line up at the dump station. I pulled out the flush toilet, capped the inlet to the holding tank, and set a composting toilet (one of the xHead brands) in its place. No odor, its totally waterless, and we create no black water. The holding tank gets nothing but sink drain water, which goes many weeks between dumps (usually through a garden hose coupler onto our back lawn.) The compost contents, when full, transfer into a plastic bag-lined 5 gal bucket, for disposal. Not for everyone, I know, but this method gives us total & complete freedom from RV park connections and dump station visits. We can park anywhere and truly say we’re self-contained. Oh… the compost toilet separates the urine into a separate container that every few days gets emptied in a gas station toilet (or on a thirsty bush in the wilds.)
Shame on you! As per EPA gray water cannot be dumped onto the ground! I know I did it 30 yrs ago and my grass has never developed a cancer, but it is illegal now.
Hmm, not sure about this one. It probably varies area to area.
I don’t believe it’s illegal dumping gray into dirt pits, and there’s no huge reason it should be unless you use something unusual. That said, food waste draws unwanted animals and smells when it rots, and detergents shouldn’t be dumped into waterways.
My dislike for dump sites resulted in just installing an outside port into my home septic. Odorless sealed pump out.
Our family tramped back ‘n’ forth across the U.S. as construction gypsies in the post-War ’40’s; we later lived in isolated rural areas from Wyo to Wa., often with no indoor plumbing except a single cold water pipe over a cast iron enameled sink. What is now called ‘gray water’ went outdoors via the bucket & chuck it route, or into a dry sink (look it up).
In near on to 80 years of rural living, I’ve learned first-hand the ‘magic’ of the top six inches of topsoil containing a myriad of hungry organisms. Given a diet of organic matter it quickly breaks down; tens of thousands of Appalachian Trail hikers, knowing this, carry little trowels. Gray water, unless contaminated with caustic or other harmful content, breaks down harmlessly. The key is ‘common sense’ (not so common these days!) and not overloading the soil, or mis- or over-using what Ms. Nature provides.
I’m not sure of all state laws, but I have been at campgrounds where I have been told that gray water can go on the ground and they had a dump station for black water.
KellyR, I have never heard of a campground that allowed dumping of gray water on the ground, at least not as official policy.
Nor would I *ever* advocate dumping gray water in public campgrounds, for many good reasons. Rules are hardly needed. But on our own back lawn, no problem. Or in isolated, lightly used, ‘remote’ areas, at a remove from the camping/parking site, let good sense and thoughtful consideration be your guide.
We have stayed in a public campground that had “dry sinks” located throughout the park for grey water – gravel filled with a wire mesh over the top.
I have a compost toilet too- best upgrade ever!
quick question How do you dispose of the “compost” contained in the toilet, and how often on avg do you have to dump it?
The best source are the websites of the toilet makers; in our case, AirHead. But, at the risk of offending some folks’ sensibilities, here’s our scene: two of us, old folks, can use the compost toilet for several weeks or more. Then, while at home, we carry the compost container to the dedicated portion of the backyard compost containers, rake a wide hole in the top of the existing pile, and tip the contents in; then rake it over to cover it.
BUT this may not be available to many campers. The alternate (less ‘exposed’ method) is to take the top half of the toilet off the compost tank, release the tank brackets, and move it out to a clear space. Use a larger heavy-gauge plastic trash bag that won’t easily tear. Slip the open end down over the compost tank; carefully lift the tank with the bag over it, and tip the contents into the bag. Don’t worry about contents that cling to the bottom of the tank; leave it as ‘starter’ material for the next load. Slip the loaded bag into another heavy-gauge bag for surety; tie them securely shut. Dispose of the bag in the next trash dump. (Yes, really. Where do all those disposable baby and adult diapers go? Into the trash, right? If not, then where?)
Gee, I never heard that Paul McCartney rumor. So I did a quick search and found this:
https://www.truthorfiction.com/paul-mccartney-died-in-1966-was-secretly-replaced/
use the vinyl coated fabric used on refrig shelves between pots and pans. also works well for china. cheap at dollar store.
Pan protection link. Use theses at home and on the road.
Pan Protectors – Large 15″ – Set of 8 – [PLAID BLUE] – Cookware Guards and Savers Avoid Scratching Kitchenware Fajita Surface Pots And Pans Protector
All Sizes Bowl Protector https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076GQDKQ4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_RvPBCbCEN0Y9T
Interesting article on the conspiracy theory of Paul McCartney. Not sure how that’s RV related though.
Agree, that this is not RV related, but an interesting viewpoint I believe there is one surviving member of the Beatles group. Let’s ask Ringo.
If that story is true the fake Paul has done a really great job and been quite successful.
I do not believe this for a minute though and wont acknowledge that link with a click.
Didn’t you know, the WHOLE WORLD is interested in the Beatles EXCEPT ME! I was a rock n roll fan until they came to America, I switched to Country and never looked back.
The Rolling Stones rock. Just sayin’. —Diane at RVtravel.com
100% AGREE with you, Diane!!
Yes! I can’t believe (for several reasons) that they’re still going strong — since 1962! They’ll be in Seattle this May. Hmmm, tempting. Have a good evening, Erinn! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Maybe they rode in an RV once upon a time? Who cares? We also include general interest items such as trivia, surveys, jokes, etc., etc. I think it could get a little boring if everything were 100% RV-related. Obviously, we can’t please everyone all of the time. But thanks for your comment, Bill. 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
Diane, keep on keeping on. Newsletter is great. Most of the RVers I’ve met are people as well as RVers, therefore have interests beyond RVs.
Thanks for the kind words, Kelly! And I agree 100% that most RVers are people as well as RVers. 😉 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
No problem. It’s always good to start the conversation ball rolling. It was never meant to be serious.?
Thanks, Bill. You got the conversation ball rolling, all right. 😉 Have a good night. 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com