Plastic wrap can be frustrating to work with, so I’d decided to save space and aggravation by removing it from our RV. Then I remembered all the unusual ways that it comes in handy, and I pushed the box back into the RV kitchen drawer. Here’s hoping some of these tips and hacks will convince you to use plastic wrap while RVing, too.
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Keep the RV fridge clean
I love this hack! Begin with clean refrigerator glass shelves. Cut plastic wrap a bit longer than the length of the fridge shelf and then apply the wrap. Smooth the surface and tuck the extra wrap under the shelf. If a spill occurs, simply remove and replace the plastic wrap. (Hint: This tip also works with RV shelves. I place cling wrap directly on the shelving and follow up by adding a “grippy” shelf liner.)
Protect your cell phone
We love hiking and biking as we travel in our RV. If there’s a chance for rain, we wrap our cell phones in the wrap. It protects the phones from potential water damage and the phones are still usable.
Keep bananas fresh
Wrap plastic wrap around the stem of a bunch of bananas. The wrap will keep bananas fresher longer. Some folks insist that wrapping the entire bunch of bananas will prevent ethylene from escaping and preserve bananas even longer. (I haven’t tried the total wrap idea. The stem wrap keeps them fresh enough for us because we eat bananas daily!)
Prevent spills
On travel days, I unscrew our shampoo bottles (and other containers of liquid) to place cling wrap over the mouth of the bottle. Then I replace the bottlecap. This ensures that liquids remain inside the bottles even if they tip over during travel. (Hint: Use this tip when packing a suitcase to prevent liquid from spilling on clothing.)
Stay warm
Plastic wrap applied over RV windows will help keep drafts out during frigid temps. Use painters’ tape to hold the wrap in place. (Hint: Do this when the glass and metal frame are dry.)
Trap fruit flies
Rid your rig of annoying fruit flies. Put a piece of fruit in the bottom of a cup. Cover the cup with plastic wrap. Use a pen to poke a small hole in the plastic. Fruit flies will be attracted to the fruit but will not be able to find their way out of the cup.
Hold tight to tools
If you wrap plastic wrap around hand tools (like a hammer) it will help you grip the handle better.
Keep ice cream fresher longer
Prevent ice crystals from forming on your ice cream. Tightly place plastic wrap over the container opening before placing the lid on the ice cream.
Christmas fun
Finally, we use plastic wrap for a fun holiday game appropriate for all ages. Go to your dollar store and purchase small, inexpensive items like lip balm, individually wrapped small candies, pencil/pens, packs of gum, and more. Begin by wrapping plastic wrap into the shape of a ball. Place one prize on the ball of wrap and then add a layer or two of additional wrap around it. Add another small prize on top of that and add another layer or two of plastic wrap. Continue in the same manner and keep rotating the plastic wrap and adding prizes until you form a large ball shape.
To play the game, you’ll need a stopwatch or someone to watch the clock. Give the plastic wrap ball to the first person. Explain that s/he will have ten seconds to unwrap part of the ball. During that time, the person may keep whatever prize(s) that’s released from the plastic wrap. (Hint: You can make the game more challenging by insisting that adults wear gloves while unwrapping.)
Use the comments to add more tips or hacks for using plastic wrap while RVing, please!
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My vent hood got broken. Not completely, but it was missing a few chunks and had a serious crack. Mind you I was way off from any sort of help, and I knew by looking at the sky it was going to rain. So I hurried up to the roof with my trusty cling wrap in hand and wrapped that sucker up nice and tight. Putting a piece of duct tape on for good measure, I was back down on the ground just as it started to pour. After a time on the road it was time to stop and stretch and check for the awful signs of leaks……but alas…. Cling wrap had saved the day!!
There are many environmentally friendlier ways to ‘solve’ many of these uses. Putting bananas in the refrigerator will turn them brown but keep them from overripening, using a ziploc bag (you can use the same one over and over again) to store your cell phone in, and unless the spill is small, the plastic wrap may not really contain a spill in the refrigerator, rather I can see it creating a drippier mess when trying to remove it. Tool handles can be wrapped with fabric tape such as what you would find in the sports section of a store to help with grip.
Interesting Gail! Good you noted to put the wrap on the “glass shelf” which is the bottom one above the crispers designed to limit air flow below it. Also, you can even wrap food in the the stuff – if you can get it torn straight out of the box! Every time I use that stuf, which is rare- it is usually a ball shape – I might do better if I wore gloves!
Another use is over the top and under the lid of a coffee grounds container – like what used to be “cans” now reduced size plastic containers. Keeps it fresh and the aroma alive.
Two things about the unwrapping game. A box is wrapped and then put inside of another box and wrapped. This is done for as many boxes that you want, usually 7 or 8. The person wears baking mitts to smash the box and rip apart the box to get to the next box. The next person in line is tossing dice until doubles are rolled and then the person stops tearing into the box and passes on to that person that was rolling the dice.
Don’t put wrap on wire racks. It’ll upset air flow
Put bananas IN the refrigerator. Yes they’ll turn brown but ripening STOPS. They keep for weeks in refrigerator. They won’t look good but firmness nor taste doesn’t change
You are correct. I spent 30 years servicing rv’s and many a poor performing refrigeration unit was solved by removing covering of the racks by tidy owners
Some fun ideas, but please keep in mind it takes 10-100 years for the wrap to decompose.
Glad you mentioned that. I try to find stuff to buy without the plastic, but it is getting harder to find just the merchandiser food without it.
Plastic wrap or cling wrap on the refrigerator shelf’s is not a good idea because it greatly cuts down on the air circulation in the refer. Air circulation is needed to keep the whole refrigerator needs.
I think that it is funny that you think ice cream will last long enough to get freezer crystals.
Agree
Good idea until the last one about wearing gloves, without a finger nail I’ve never been able to find the edge of the plastic wrap. Lol