CLEANING ITEMS

[ALAN]

We hope to get our new 3400RL in about 2 wks. My wife asked me a question I could not find a complete answer for on this forum. What cleaning supplies do you use for: Kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower, toilet. Second question: What type of soap do you use to wash hands and dishes. If there are no special items required compared to your house, then we are ok. Concerned that special materials are required due to the holding tanks.

Thanks in advance.

Alan & Kathy

[Mrs. CountryGuy]

Al and I rarely use chemicals in the holding tanks.

We use blue Dawn for dishes, cause we can also use it safely for the roof and exterior of Tana as well.

I use foaming bubbles for bathsink and tub, I wipe down tub and shower walls with one of those miracle clothes after each shower, keeps the soap from scumming up on the walls and floors, and helps to get rid of humidity asap. Use foaming bubbles for exterior of toilet, and one of those Clorox wand thingys for inside cleaning of toilet.

Kitchen sink (note I have a 2004 unit, not the new sinks) I use a little soft scrub. Rinse well. I cannot instruct on new sinks.

We wipe dishes off as much as possible before washing, reducing food particles in the grey tanks.

We practice, strongly, MORE water, LESS paper, in the black tank. Gently used paper goes in a trash can, just like the boaters used to do.

We clean the interior of the tanks with Calgon laundry additive (not bath beeds). A capful (I prefer liquid, but there is a powder form) in each gray tank and a cap to two in the black tank when we run really helps. I rarely do the Calgon thingy if we are sitting for a while.

We use a water softener, On the Go, very helpful for keeping mineral deposits and crud off the sinks, faucets, and when we used for 3 months straight in the RGV we had (sorta) functioning tank monitors, had not seen that in so long we lost count.

That is probably more than you asked for!

Enjoy that unit!! Safe rides.

[ols1932]

We use the same cleaning materials that we used in our stick house. As for chemicals for the septic tanks, you don't really need any. Some use them to cover up stinky odors, but then you have the smell of the chemical. We happen to use a biodegradable product that has no scent.

Orv

[dandt]

The biggest lesson I have learned is to keep it really basic. Comet of Soft Scrub for basic cleaning. If you live in a dry climate I would reccomend using some type of oil ..ie Scots Liq Gold, pledge orange oil etc...on the cabinets and wood to keep from cracking. I keep a bottle of Fantastic to spray stove area after cooking, cuts the grease well. And we use HappyCamper in our septic/black tank. A product in black tank helps to break down stuff so it flushes easier helps with odor as well. Use whatever hand soap, bath stuff, shampoo you want. We use AngelSoft 2ply septic safe toilet paper and make sure we use PLENTY of water in the black tank. We live in our rig FULLTIME traveling and workamping. I don't want to have to shop at speciality stores for product, takes time and costs way too much. Hope I answered some of your questions. Teresa

[WorkerB]

A few months ago I ran into a fellow Montana owner at a rest stop. I walked over and introduced myself. I discovered they were not MOCers so I gave them my card and invited them to join. They did. Before leaving they offered this recipe. It seems to work well and is a heck of a lot cheaper than store bought. I've heard that Borax or Borateem works the same as Calgon. Notice the date. Thanks to Rod & Linda I can share it with you.
John

Holding Tank Recipe

Dear Fellow Traveler,

My wife and I have been nearly full-timers in our motor home for the last two years. We have used this formula successfully in both hot and cold climates. My wife has a very sensitive nose and can detect a slight odor of the Pine-Sol but none of the bad stuff.

Recipe: To one gallon of water add –

1 cup Borateem
½ cup Pine-Sol
3 teaspoons Ammonia

Use 2 cups per treatment. Shake well before pouring.

Idea: For simplicity I sometimes use a 2-liter plastic pop bottle and make a ½ batch for storage convenience.

Hope you find it as useful as we have. I am using our local prices to arrive at the 15
Cent cost per treatment. Yours may be lower.

Happy Traveling,

Ray McGowen

PS. We make no guarantees – You’re on your own. All we know is it works for us.

1983

[Yamaha_Mama]

Hi Ray, I have a couple of questions about the recipe. Do you substitute Calgon for Borateem??? Do you put it both black and gray tanks??? Do you put it in clean empty tank, or midway through your usage??? Please excuse the stupid questions. My husband handles (thankfully) the tanks, but I am trying to get away from the chemicals and try something easier to find on the supermarket shelves that might do the job. Thanks for your help.

[WorkerB]

Yamaha_Mama,
Ray was the author of the recipe back in 1983.
Lots of folks use Calgon in their tanks to keep every thing slippery inside so when you flush the tank nothing clings to the walls or sensors in the tank. I have heard that some folks use Borax or Borateem instead of Calgon to get the same result. I don't think the Calgon or Borateem address the odor issue. For that we buy some type of holding tank deodorant like SupremeGreen. This recipe addresses both the super slippery with Borateem AND the deodorant with Pine-Sol. Not exactly sure what the purpose of the Ammonia is. So far it seems to work and it's cheap by comparison. We use the recipe in all three holding tanks to keep them clean and smelling fresh. Hope that helped. BTW, There are NO stupid questions around here. Guaranteed there was someone else out there thinking the same thing. Now they have the answer too! Travel Safely,
John

[HughM]

We have had problems with our sensors on the black tank for about 4 months. I read here on the forum to use Calgon. We just returned from a 5 days trip and used Calgon and now I'm a believer!!! Calgon works on the sensors and for the first time in months they register correctly. However it does nothing for the odor and other methods must be used for control.
Hugh