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Wardrobe hanging
To reduce the risk of clothes hangars falling from the wardrobe
hanging rail during the journey, place the hangars on the rail
facing alternate directions - one with the hook from the front,
the next from the rear, and so on. Clothes pegs can help keep
clothes on the hangars.
line up the ball and
hitch
Get in the car and put a small mark on the lower rear window.
I lined these up with two small dots that I made on the front
of the caravan. Now when I reverse, all I have to do is to line
up the marks and the ball fits under the hitch without the need
for pulling or pushing.
OIL If you've
ever struggled to get stuck boxes or doors open, perhaps made
even worse if it's in the pouring rain, then you may find this
tip useful. You will find it a lot easier to close and open your
battery box and wet locker doors if you smear a small amount of
cooking oil around the rubber seals. This will also help to keep
the seals in good condition as it will reduce wear
Blinds
While the caravan is parked up and not being used, instead of pulling
down the blinds we have fitted white pieces of cardboard the same
size as the blinds that fit just inside the track of the blind.
This stops any prolonged tension to the blinds, prevents sunlight
from discolouring the soft furnishings and stops people looking
in.
Contacts Over
the years, I have read many articles about poor contacts on the
12N and 12S sockets. These range from the intermittent light circuit
to a plug and socket melting with the heat generated from high
contacts resistance. The cure has often been to clean the pins
and tubes with either wet-and-dry paper or emery cloth. This process
is time-consuming and very abrasive. It will reduce the size of
the pins and the contact pressure. a I have found a better method,
with the aid of an artist paint brush, Magic Touch Instant Brass
and Copper Cleaner, clean water in a hand sprayer and a can of
WD40. Paint a small amount of the cleaner on to each pin and down
each tube on the connectors, and leave for a minute or so. Rinse
off with clean water and spray with WD40. Result: perfect contact
all year long.
Winter
When preparing my van for the winter, I always lower the jockey
wheel as low as possible, allowing the front of the van to be lower
than the back. Any rain or snow over the winter simple runs off
the sloping roof, keeping it fairly dry.
Flip Flops
The easiest way to avoid foot infections while using site showers
is to wear a pair of flip flops. This is the method I used in the
Royal Navy for 25 years and still use to this day on caravan sites
? and I have never yet caught an infection from public showers.
This is much easier ? and more practical ? than carrying around
your own duckboard.
Stainless steel
surfaces
that get hot such as an electric toaster can get stained very
easily if they come into contact with something when they are
hot, such as a plastic bag for example. Stains like these can
be removed very easily by rubbing with nail varnish remover
Salt & Pepper pots clogging
up ? - Simple -
Keep them dry by adding a few grains of uncooked rice to them.
The dry rice will absorb any moisture present. Dried peas work
as well ! Also when they start rattling excessively it's a good
indicator that they needtopping up before they run out
HANG-OVER:
Eat honey on crackers. The fructose in the honey will help to
flush out the alcohol in your system.
Net curtains
can be tricky and time consuming to take down and put up again
when it comes to cleaning. Instead of using conventional fixings,
fit some white Velcro strip to the top of the curtain, the other
part of the Velcro strip being fastened to for e.g. the top of
the window frame. This enables the curtains to be removed and
fitted in seconds.
Wine Stains
For fresh wine stains while still wet, soak with soda water
and dry with a clean dry
cloth. (Old restaurant trick). For other wine stains in clothing,
stretch the affected
area over a bowl and sprinkle with salt, and then pour boiling
water over it. This is
very effective. Make sure first however that the fabric and
the bowl can withstand
boiling water.
Get Off Wet Grass
I always carry a tow rope with me in the boot
.And when a downpour has made the grass to slippy to tow your
caravan off the pitch I simply put the rope around the hitch and
pull the caravan on to the tarmac road
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Clingons
Ever had the problem of guying out your tent or
awning only to find that the eyelets have torn away from the material
making that guying point absolutely useless? Ever needed to put
up a tarpaulin for some shelter, but the eyelets never seem to
be in the right place?
Then the Clingons could be what you are looking for. They
are a durable, lightweight instant eyelet that have a variety
of great uses and an essential piece of camping and caravanning
kit.
Click here
for a review on this item
Packing the awning
Do you sigh heavily at the thought of squeezing your awning back
into its bag when it's time to pack up and go home? You need worry
no more. Take an old sleeping bag (with zips intact), open it up,
lay it on the ground, then simply place your awning on top and zip
round, and ? hey, presto! ? no more tears.
Security
It isn't unusual for determined thieves to carry around a set of
wheels in order to remove a caravan they really want. So, if you
lay your caravan up for the winter by setting it on axle stands
and removing the wheels, as an additional deterrent it's worth investing
in a set of locking wheel nuts and inserting them back into the
hubs.
Awning Rail
For years I struggled when feeding my awning into the rail. Someone
suggested using a special lubricant, but instead of shelling out
more cash on that, I tried rubbing the beading with a candle instead.
It worked a treat.
Flies
I don't know how many hours I've spent in my caravanning life trying
to scrape, scrub, and pick squashed flies from my caravan's front
window after any long-distance trip. Then I remembered the old saying
"prevention is better than cure". Now I cover my windows
with cling film (attached with masking tape). Then, when I get on
site, I simply peel it off ? along with the creepy crawly road kill.
Hitching Up
Avoid damaging your vehicle when you reverse to the tow hitch by
buying a cheap plastic chopping board, the sort you get for £1
in Woolworths, and cut it into a 'T' shape. Slide it into the gap
between the towball and bracket. Make sure your jockey wheel is
wound up higher than the level of your towball then start to reverse
your car. When the hitch taps the board you know you've gone far
enough.
Storm Straps
If the storm straps on your awning vibrate in the wind, put a couple
of twists in the strap from the corner of the awning to the ground
on each side. It really does stop the vibrations.
Stickers
The easiest way to remove adhesive stickers is to pour a small amount
of petrol or lighter fluid onto the offending item, leave it to
soak for about 30 seconds and the sticker adhesive will melt, leaving
no residue.
Toilet Rolls
To prevent the toilet roll unravelling in transit, slip an elastic
band over the paper. When you arrive on site, just slip the band
to the side of the holder so it's ready for the return leg.
Black Lines
Keep the marks off your caravan where water has
run from the roof onto the sidesGet a length of awning beading and
thread it into the awning track. This 4cm beading overhangs the
sidewall and deflects water and dirt from the roof, away from the
sidewall.
L-Shaped
Our new van's L-shaped layout makes it tricky to put a sheet on
the bed. We solved this problem by using a thin summer-weight quilt
in a duvet cover as a sheet, because the extra weight keeps it in
place without it needing to be tucked in. It takes no time at all
to make up the bed at night and put it away again in the morning.
The added bonuses is that you have extra insulation which can be
varied depending on the weight of quilt you use ? useful on colder
nights.
Baby Monitor
If you store your caravan at home you can make it more secure by
leaving it connected to the mains electricity supply. Then plug
a baby monitor into a socket in the van and keep the other part
inside your house. You will be able to hear if anyone breaks into
the van, and most baby monitors sound an alarm if the power is switched
off. So if the mains cable is disconnected to tow the van away,
an alarm will sound inside your house and alert you
Before
taking to the road you should ensure that your car
and trailer combination is correctly matched and equipped. In order
to continue safely, regular servicing is essential - some checks
need carrying out every trip and a caravan certainly needs a main
service once a year.
Make those
windows sparkle
A Tip for sparkling and clean windows,
Mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar into 1 pint of water, using the mix
take a lint free cloth and wash windows, ensure the glass does
not dry out and whilst still wet, take a sheet of newspaper, make
into a pad, and start to dry off, continue to buff with newspaper
until dry, if paper starts to disintegrate simply throw away and
continue drying with a new sheet. If the glass dries off before
you have finished drying it, simply wet it again. Result: sparkling
shiny and clean windows.
Keep Your Windscreen Clean and
Frost Free
Do you have to leave your car outside overnight
in the winter
Combine 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water and cover the windows with
this solution.
Result: frost free and clean windows
Heavy Items
Carry heavy items (E.g. Awning) its a good idea
to carry this and other heavy items over the axle. The one thing
you should not do is carry heavy items in the overhead cupboards.
Water
NEVER leave water in the caravan pipes over the winter, find the
drainage point positions from your caravan handbook (there could
be more than one) and ALWAYS drain both the hot and cold water systems
Tents
With a little care your newly purchased tent will
last many years. Make sure that your tent is dry before storing.
If stored wet, mildew will form and quickly ruin your tent. Mildew
will also form if a tent is stored on concrete.
Wellies
Keep your wellies ready for use and dry outside the van (or tent)
by keeping them over a couple of stout sticks knocked into the ground
by the door to the van or awning. This way there is no need to keep
them either under the van or inside. I've found that a the stumps
from a kid's cricket set are ideal - found in the garage after my
boys had grown up and moved out!
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Level
The Caravan
To improve your chances of a good night’s sleep, always ensure
when placing the caravan on site that you have checked that it is
level (both side-to-side and front-to-back). Equipment (especially
the refrigerator) must be level to operate satisfactorily, but it
is surprising how much more comfortable it is to sleep on a level
bed. Use a purpose designed level indicator attached (correctly)
to the caravan, or carry a small spirit level and check using the
centre of the floor of the caravan. There are a number of levelling
aids available as accessories to raise one wheel by up to several
inches.
Black Pepper Uses
Stop small leaks in a car radiator. Add a teaspoon of black pepper
to your radiator. The pepper sinks to the bottom, finds its way
into small holes, and expands, filling them.
Stop colors from running. Add a teaspoon of black pepper to the
first suds when you are washing cottons.
Keep dogs, raccoons, cats, rabbits, and other animals away from
your garden. Sprinkle black pepper around your hedges and flower
beds. You can also use mothballs.
Repel ants. Sprinkle black pepper in cracks and crevices.
Repel moths. Use black pepper as an alternative to moth balls.
Fill a cheesecloth bag or the foot of a nylon stocking with pepper
and use it as a sachet. Place muslin bags filled with aromatic
plants in drawers. Smells nice
Kills fleas instantly.
Dawn dishwashing liquid does the trick. Add a few drops to your
dog's bath and shampoo the animal thoroughly. Rinse well to avoid
skin irritations. Goodbye fleas
Rainy day cure for dog odor....Next time your dog comes in
from the rain, simply wipe down the animal with Bounce or any
dryer sheet, instantly making your dog smell springtime fresh.
Eliminate ear mites....All it takes is a few
drops of Wesson corn oil in your cat's ear. Massage it in, then
clean with a cotton ball. Repeat daily for 3 days. The oil soothes
the cat's skin, smothers the mites, and accelerates healing.
Vaseline cure for hairballs.....To prevent troublesome
hairballs, apply a dollop of Vaseline petroleum jelly to your
cat's nose. The cat will lick off the jelly, lubricating any hair
in its stomach so it can pass easily through the digestive system.
Flies or bees bothering you? Spray them with
hair spray and they will take a quick dive.
To get rid of itch from mosquito bites, try applying
soap on the area and you will experience instant relief.
Use Bounce Fabric Softener Sheets...Best thing
ever used in Louisiana.. just wipe on & go...Great for Babies
Bob, a fisherman, takes one vitamin B-1 tablet a day April through
October. He said it works. He was right. Hasn't had a mosquito
bite in 33 years. Try it. Every one he has talked into trying
it works on them. Vitamin B-1(Thiamine Hydrochloride 100 mg.)
If you eat bananas, the mosquitoes like you, - something about
the banana oil as your body processes it. Stop eating bananas
for the summer and the mosquitoes will be much less interested.
This is going to floor you, but one of the best insect repellents
someone found (who is in the woods every day), is Vick's Vaporub.
Put some water in a white dinner plate and add just a couple of
drops of Lemon Fresh Joy dishwashing soap. Set the dish on a porch
or patio. Not sure what attracts them, the lemon smell, the white
color, or what, but mosquitoes flock to it, and drop dead, or
fall into the water, or on the floor within about 10 ft. Works
just super! Enjoy the mosquito free summer.
Plant marigolds around the yard, the flowers give off a smell
that bugs do not like, so plant some in that garden also to help
ward off bugs without using insecticides.
"Tough guy" Marines who spend a great deal of time "camping
out" say that the very best mosquito repellent you can use
is Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil mixed about half and half with alcohol.
One of the best natural insect repellents that I've discovered
is made from the clear real vanilla. This is the pure Vanilla
that is sold in Mexico. It works great for mosquitoes and ticks,
don't know about other insects.
If you have problems covering up the wheel in the awning like me,
and don't want to drill holes in the side of caravan, then read
on.
I had tried many ways to cover the wheel but they always fell off,
i did have the cover that you can clip on but no poppers on the
van and the rail that connects this to the skirt.
What i found was if you get suckers- the type that you lock on with
a lever,you can remove the locking arm(mine were hooks) by removing
the pin that holds it on.
Then you make small holes in the cover, push the sucker part through
then replace the arm and pin.
Before you do this though make sure you mesure where you want the
suckers to be_ must be on smooth surface.
My cover stays up in very windy conditions and no more bluetack/tape
marks ect.. |
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None Slip Matting
Whilst all heavy items must be adequately secured in the caravan
for travel, some suitable items (for example, an awning) can
be carried on the floor of the caravan immediately above the
axle. Cover the floor in that area with pieces of non-slip
matting (available from most accessory shops) and the items
will still be in place when you arrive.
Mothballs
Farmers use mothballs to keep mice away from the wiring looms
of comlines that are over-winterered in sheds. I use mothballs
not only for the caravan but for the tractor mowers, too.
For the caravan, I use the string bags that come with washing
machine detergent: place five or six mothballs in four bags
and deposit one in each corner of the caravan.
Security
You can improve the security of your caravan without spending
more cash. If, like me, you have a caravan mover, simply use
this to position your caravan nose-first in your driveway. Then
place your wheel clamp and hitch-lock in position, lower the
steadies and remove the jockey wheel. Taking these simple measures
makes the caravan much more difficult for a thief to take it
off the drive before he can hitch up and drive off.
Mirror Straps
We recently bought a Citro?C5 V6 Exclusive to tow our new
van. We love the car, but our strap-on towing mirrors never
stayed in place on the C5's mirrors. My wife's lateral thinking
rescued us when she suggested we cross the mirror straps over
at the back of the car's mirror. It worked a treat. Having
used the motorway to its fullest on a recent trip, they were
even steadier than when fitted to our last car.
Hiding Place
Before leaving for a holiday in Cornwall, we came up with
this idea for hiding items like credit cards, cash and passports.
Cut a piece of chipboard which will sit behind the lip of
one of your van's shelves. Place your valuables on the shelf
and under the chipboard, so that the lip hides everything
from view. The board has a screw in the centre to lift it
with.
Awnings
To avoid damage to your awning when putting it up in high winds,
feed it through the awning rails and peg out the canvas before
you assemble the frame. When you have done this, you can move
the pegs to their correct positions. Likewise, to take down
the awning in high winds, leave the canvas pegged out until
you have fully dismantled the frame.
Leisure Battery
If you use or own a leisure battery then the one thing you
should not do is
to let it go flat. By all means when not in use remove it
from charge every
month or so but take care you don't allow the battery to discharge
completely
this is a sure way to shorten its life and and you will without
doubt reduce its effiency
Windows
Ever cleaned a window inside and out only to find a smear
and you don't know which side of the window it's on? An easy
solution to this is to clean one side of the window e.g. the
inside, Vertically, and the Outside, Horizontally. So now
if you find a smear, you know that if it is vertical it is
on the inside, but if it is horizontal it is on the outside.
Enabling you to immediately go to the correct side to remedy
it.
SUNBURN:
Mix 2 tsp. tomato juice and 4 Tbls. buttermilk.
Apply. Wash after 1/2 hour
Unhitching
After locating the caravan on its pitch, and before uncoupling,
apply the caravan handbrake and then move the car forward gently
by an inch or two. This will remove the compression on the caravan
towbar, so that when it is uncoupled from the towball it will
not extend slightly and creep into contact with the rear of
the car.
Condensation
To prevent this from happening simply wipe down the mirror with
a damp cloth with a spot of washing up liquid on it and let
dry naturally. The mirror should remain clear for up to 6 weeks.
Not only does this work with household mirrors it will also
greatly assist with internal rear view mirrors in cars and also
when applied to the inside of a car windscreen has a very good
effect. Taxi drivers have been doing this for years especially
in winter months.
Toothpaste
Did you know that Colgate toothpaste makes an excellent salve
for burns
Scrabled Eggs
A handy tip for scrambling eggs is to use an
old jam jar. Simply crack the eggs into a clean jam jar secure
the top and shake well. The eggs will be ready in seconds with
no mess. Not only a handy tip for the kitchen but is very good
when camping as well. |
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