As an avid RVer, I like to discover small, lightweight items that make life on the road a bit easier. Magnets fit that description. In fact, magnets are so versatile in strength and style that we use them in almost every area of the RV. Read on and you’ll see the many and varied ways to use magnets while RVing.
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In the galley
- Grocery lists. I was delighted to discover that magnets “stick” to our stainless-steel RV refrigerator. (Not so for our stix-n-brix fridge. Go figure.) For a while, I used a small magnet to affix a paper grocery list to our RV fridge door, but then I discovered this reusable whiteboard. Now I list needed groceries on the whiteboard, as does everyone else RVing along with us. I glued a small magnet to a non-permanent marker, too. It “lives” right next to the grocery list. That way there’s no confusion about which writing utensil to use on the whiteboard. When it’s time to grocery shop, I simply take a picture of the list with my cell phone and I’m good to go.
- Activities calendar. When grandkids RV with us, we like to post this magnetic calendar to our RV refrigerator. We all brainstorm activity ideas for the upcoming week, and then post plans on the calendar. At the end of the week, we use the calendar to review everything we’ve done together.
- Knife holder. With drawer and countertop space at a premium, I’m glad we have wall space for this handy strip magnet. It holds our knives and other kitchen helpers out of the way until we need them.
- Chip clip. Can’t find the clip to hold your bag of chips closed? Just fold the top down and place a magnet on each side of the fold to help keep the bag closed.
- Travel map. Friends of ours use this magnetic map to record their travels.
- Wrap holder. Drawer and cupboard space is at a premium in our RV. We lay a strip magnet inside the bottom of our aluminum foil, wax paper, and cling wrap boxes. The magnetized strip holds the boxes to our fridge until needed. (We don’t use the strip’s adhesive feature. That way the magnet strip can be reused over and over.)
- Spice holder. This spice holder works really well for RVing. The magnetic feature keeps spices within reach when needed, but at other times they are out of the way. Plus, they won’t take up prized cabinet space in your RV.
- Bottle opener. We have a bottle opener from the 1950s. It features a magnet on the back, so the opener lives on our fridge most of the time. When it’s needed out by the grill or metal picnic table, it’s easily relocated for use. (This vintage trailer-shaped bottle opener is magnetic. Score!)
- Identifying cups. Our four grandkids often RV with us. Because they are still small, they are unable to reach drinking cups inside the kitchen cupboard. Magnets came to the rescue! I applied magnets to each of four differently colored plastic cups. The magnets hold the cups to the RV fridge door. Now kids can easily access their own drinking cups.
In the living room
- Decorate. Add seasonal décor to curtains, lampshades, and more. Just put a magnet on the back side of the curtain, for example, and then align a magnetic decorative item to the front of the curtain.
Bathroom
- Corral supplies. An adhesive magnetic strip positioned inside our bath medicine cabinet helps corral tweezers, hair pins, nail clipper, scissors, and other supplies. If you apply a magnet to your eyeliner, mascara, lipstick, and other makeup products, they can also be held in place on the strip magnet.
Bedroom
- Jewelry storage. Magnetic paint (yes, it exists!) can be applied to the inside of an RV closet door. (Several coats of paint seem to work best.) Magnetic hooks will adhere to this special paint. Hang necklaces, belts, and bracelets from the hooks. You can hold scarves to the painted door as well. Just use a magnet to hold each scarf in place.
- Keep curtains closed. Our RV bedroom curtains gap open unless we use two magnets to hold them closed. One magnet is placed on the outside edge of the left curtain with another magnet aligned with it on the outside edge of the curtain on the right.
- Battery remover. Do you sometimes have difficulty removing spent hearing aid batteries? A magnet makes the job quicker and easier, too.
- Broom storage. I store our RV broom in the bedroom. The problem? The broom is always getting bumped over. To solve this problem, I glued a magnet to the broom handle. I also glued a magnet to the back of the bedroom door. Problem solved. (Hint: If the side of your RV refrigerator is exposed, you might want to put your broom there. The magnet affixed to the broomstick should adhere to the metal side of the fridge.)
Outside
- Keep towels handy. Use a magnetic paper towel holder like this near your grill or basement for quick cleanups.
- Keep fasteners contained. Fasten a magnetic strip to the side wall or ceiling of your RV basement. Put screws, washers, etc., in containers that feature a metal lid and let the magnetic strip hold them safely out of the way.
- Hide extra keys. Use a magnetic box like this one to help hide an extra set of RV entry keys or tow vehicle keys.
- Trash bag helper. If you have a metal trash can, you can use magnets to hold the trash can liner in place. Place the liner into the bin. Pull the top edge out and over the lip of the trash can. Then use magnets to hold the trash liner in place. (If you have strong magnets, check to see if this idea will work for your plastic trash bin. Use two magnets—one on the outside of the receptacle and one aligned with it on the inside.)
- Leveling. Friends use these magnetic levelers to help level their camper.
How do you use magnets while RVing? Please share your ideas and comments with us.
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##RVDT2001
Magnetic Stainless Steel ? It could be a 302 or 303 S/S, or a 430 S/S that Frigidare uses on their refrigerator.
Magnetic door stop. Many RV’s have interior doors that have a taller bottom gap than residential doors. I’m sure a lot of people are using extra big door wedges to hold that door open and are tired of either playing footsie or bending over to place/remove the wedge.
Magnetic door stops use a spring cushioned metal “button” on one surface and a strong magnet at the end of a short rod to accommodate the door’s lockset on the other surface.
While you can mount them low, I mount them near the top of the door with the rod on the door and the button on the wall. That rod is typically strong enough to temporarily support a clothes hanger with a lightweight item. Given RV spaces, mounting them low with the rod on the wall as you might in a home, they tend to frequently be in the way.
We stay at a few campgrounds here in the Northeast that have alot of pinetrees. And in the warmer months the sap runs and drips onto my truck and worst yet the windshield. So we cover them up with blue plastic tarps. But instead of using ropes or bungee cords we went out and bought some strong earth magnets to hold them on. It takes less time to cover up the truck by just sticking the magnets on the truck, and fast to take them off with the tarp.
An early comment in the article referenced a magnet’s ability to stick to one stainless refrigerator and not another.
From the vault of almost useless information: all stainless is not created equally. The ability to attract a magnet is diminished when there is a greater concentration of chromium, in the steel. The first question is the most important…”so what?” Well, stainless steel WILL RUST, if the chromium level is low enough for a magnet to stick.
Keep away from credit cards. Magnets also enhance your tool experiences. Magnet on a stick to chase things out of reach or under the RV.
I guess they don’t realize that their fridge is not real stainless steel. But the one at home is. Magnets don’t stick to stainless. I always carry one when I shop for appliances. That way when the salesman tells me it’s stainless , I can prove them right or wrong.