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Keep Your Microwave Quiet - RV Tip #120
Lay a folded bath towel on top of the turntable in RV's microwave oven to prevent it from bouncing while driving. If you have removable metal cooking racks for your brand of microwave, store them, nested, upside down—in a shelf or in the microwave while driving.
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RV Tips for New RVers
1. RV Campground Etiquette: Be a Good (Campsite) Neighbor
Most RVers are considerate of fellow campers when staying at a campground. A good rule of thumb is to treat others as you would like to be treated. If we all follow these simple campground etiquette tips, everyone in the campground will have an enjoyable and safe camping experience.
2. Storage Racks and Bags - RV Tip #148
The vinyl-clad wire racks and bins are great for storing towels and sheets. They also provide for good air circulation. The ones that stack on one another can be held together with a plastic electrical tie to keep them from bouncing apart while driving.
3. Be Cool and Exercise (that Generator) - RV Tip #88
Try using your coach air conditioners when driving rather than your engine (dash) air or in a colder climate, run your heat pumps. While it is important to regularly use your engine air conditioner to keep the seals lubricated and performing, using your coach air conditioners or heat pump will provide good climate control and it will force you to exercise the generator under load—easily accomplished when traveling.
4. This Little Light of Mine - RV Tip #94
Reading lights are notoriously miserable in many RVs. Find one of those inexpensive, small, clip-on light fixtures that use a 60-watt (maximum) bulb. These work fine and can be moved as needed and your eyes will appreciate it.
5. Who You Gonna Call? - RV Tip #90
Make a list of phone numbers (family contacts, emergency services, coach and chassis manufacturer, dealer, insurance, etc.). Make copies so both the pilot and copilot can carry one, put one up front in the coach, one near the bed, and one in the tow vehicle. It is nearly impossible to get to some of this information, for example, when stored under the bed or in a cabinet obstructed by the slide—especially when slides cannot be opened for any reason!
6. Keep the Doors Closed - RV Tip #23
Cabinet doors may pop open when traveling and especially if you have to cross a speed bump. When your rear tires cross the speed bump at a slight angle (not at the same time), this will cause your coach to rock side-to-side—sometimes with enough action to toss dishes out of upper cabinets. Plus, you do not have to be going fast for this to happen.
7. Feeling a Bit Cranky - RV Tip #173
If you manually crank up your TV antenna or satellite dish, hang only your ignition key from the crank. That way, you can’t drive away without remembering to lower these items. The best way is to have the key in hand when you crank.
8. Extra Drawers for Your RV - RV Tip # 101
Use lids from copy paper boxes to organize and store canned goods in cabinets. The lids are available at any print or copy shop—and usually free. Slide the lids into a cabinet shelf and if your shelf happens to be above your washer/dryer, two lids will fit side-by-side. Put canned goods in the lids. Doing so will buffer them as you are driving.
9. Double Your Covers, Double Your Fun - RV Tip #115
Sink covers look nice but are nearly useless when preparing food because they totally eliminate access to the sink. Cutting larger sink covers in half will allow the cook access to the sink without sacrificing all the surface area plus actually extend the countertop work area—a definite win-win!
10. Important, Easy Electric Safety Tip - RV Tip #163
11. Give Big Pots a Shower - RV Tip #113
When you use a pot too large to easily wash in the RV galley sink—wash it in the shower. Wash water from the shower drains into the same (grey) tank as the sink water.
12. Give Fine Glassware a Hug - RV Tip #111
Store good glassware (such as crystal wine glasses) in flexible foam drink “huggies” or “koozies.” Many companies give these away or you can find them cheap at yard sales.
13. Important, Easy Electric Safety Tip - RV Tip #163
Switch off the circuit breaker at the shore power before plugging in! Just for fun, note the times that you pull into a campsite and the breaker is still on. That tells you that the previous occupant was living dangerously!
14. Regulators Under Pressure - RV Tip #166
Make certain you have purchased a water-pressure regulator for your potable water hose. This regulator will prevent excessively high water pressure from entering your coach. Some campgrounds have very high water pressure. You may see signs at the campground office warning of this high pressure and, if so, take them seriously to prevent damage to your coach.
15. Egg Cartons Offer Protection, Stability - RV Tip #103
Place egg cartons on refrigerator shelves lengthwise, front to back—they will never fall out. Plus, the carton lid will protect the eggs if anything falls in the fridge while driving. Use the eggs from the rear of the carton first. This will provide stability when you lift the egg carton.
16. Tubs for Everything - RV Tip #118
Use a small storage tub tucked back somewhere to hold kitchen gadgets that are occasionally needed but rarely used. Consider this for the grater, knife sharpener, and meat cleaver to name a few.
17. Long Storage Space -RV Tip #95
Check for storage space behind the sofa. Sometimes a short, folding ladder can be stored there. This may also be a place for mops or brooms. It is a bit inconvenient but storing long items in an RV is often difficult to do. The tallest place is often the closet.
18. Something for the Co-pilot - RV Tip #156
Just prior to pulling (or backing) in, the copilot should go outside and do a quick scan of the site. You do not want to run over or into anything that may have been left by the previous occupant.
19. Glove Up for Hand Hygiene - RV Tip #171
Keep a box of the disposable rubber gloves in the outside water compartment. Use them if you get into raw sewage. They can be purchased at any pharmacy. Don’t save and reuse the gloves. Toss them when finished. Rings and other jewelry will puncture the gloves.
20. Is Your Awning Crooked? - RV Tip #76
When putting up your awning, leave one end slightly lower than the other. This will allow water to run off and be directed away from the RV. Many RVers lower the awning nearest the rear of the coach to direct water away from the coach door. No, all those crooked awnings were set like that on purpose!
21. Let Us Spray - RV Tip #114
RVs in the low/medium-priced range may not have any type of flexible sprayer on the kitchen sink. Replacing the faucet with a unit that contains a sprayer built in to the faucet head is an excellent method for solving the sprayer issue.
22. Hiding Place to Store Spare Set of RV Keys - RV Tip #89
Before leaving on your next trip, have a full set of extra keys made including the coach ignition key, compartment keys, and any other special keys. Test them and then store keys in a plastic zipper-lock storage bag. Add a small squirt of lubricant like WD-40 to help prevent corrosion.
23. Let’s Talk About Your Weight
The weight of your RV is important. Weight affects your safety and the safety of others on the road plus the economy and operation of your RV. Weight is also regulated—that is, you must comply with the law wherever you might be driving. While it is impossible to be too underweight, it is dangerous and illegal to be overweight. Additionally, all this weight rides on your tires. Therefore, your tires are of the utmost importance since they are the single point of contact between you (or your trailer) and the highway at all speeds. Take good care of your tires.
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