What is a Norwex Facebook Party?

From time to time, I post on "What Works for Us" in the form of tips, techniques, hacks or products.  This post is all about Norwex -- a line of products that work for us.

Maybe you've heard of Norwex and don't know exactly what 'it' is.   Norwex is company that strives to reduce the amount of harmful chemicals used in homes.  Their top sellers can replace MULTIPLE products...counter spray, rolls of paper towels, fabric spray, even shower cleaner!

Using only water, the EnviroCloth cleans up to 99% of bacteria! Most of the cloths are also antibacterial, and have Backlock (MicroSilver). Silver is an antimicrobial, which means it suffocates mold, mildew and bacteria. 😷.  I usually don't get into the weeds with these kind of things, but who doesn't want a clean countertop?  Or bathroom sink?  All WITHOUT the harmful chemicals.  That is what Norwex brings -- chemically safe ways to keep your home clean.

As RVers, we tend to stay away from a lot of chemicals (e.g. We know Draino is not a good way to clean out the sink traps...).  
But Norwex is for everyone, not just RVers. Since a lot of products can be replaced with just an EnviroCloth, you can save so much space!

I hosted a Facebook party a couple of months ago and thought it was time to do it again.  If you are curious, interested, repeat customers, or just supportive -- this is for you!  If you'd like to join us, just let me know and I will send you an invite!  

Just for the record, I don't sell Norwex...but Kelly does.  She's the expert and can answer all your questions.  

So what can Norwex do for you?  Here are a few before/after pictures:

 Water marks on the refrigerator

 Arm rests on RV capitans' chairs 

 Grout dirt build up on RV ceramic tile floor

Clean windows using water and the Window cloth

Cleaning fabric covered chairs

Cleaning the front of a cruddy looking woodstove

Fingerprints and smears off refrigerator and cooktop stove

Reduces amount of cleaning stuff under the sink

The Norwex main microfiber cloth is called an EnviroCloth, think of "E" for "everything"...this cloth is going to replace so many of your cleaners!👍🏻  Using only water, the envirocloth cleans up to 99% of bacteria!

Most of the cloths are also antibacterial, and have Backlock (MicroSilver). Silver is an antimicrobial, which means it suffocates mold, mildew and bacteria. 😷

This baby (the cleaning clothes) does the trick.  With just water.  What??  Yes. Wet the window, windshield, mirror, your eye glasses - etc.  and wipe it dry with the EnviroCloth/Window Cloth.

Over the years I was a little skeptical of Norwex, but I decided to check it out and glad I did.

Kelly's Norwex Web site

I will be hosting a virtual Facebook party starting Wednesday that continues throughout the week, sharing about how I use my Norwex cloths to clean— using only water! These cloths clean BETTER than our traditional go-to’s, take up LESS SPACE (a BIG plus for RV’ers!) and are really easy to use!

If you are interested, let me know I'll send you an invite? 
There is no pressure to buy anything at all- just check in throughout the week to my Facebook Group, comment, ask questions, and enter in the giveaways (free things!). 

Hope this helps and you can see why we say, "Norwex works for us".  
That's all for this week - be sure to let me know if you want to join our Facebook Party.  

As always -- thanks for joining for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!

No Rodents or Elephants!

Over the past few years we have seen the increasing popularity of LED lights on RVs.  The lights on the underside of the main awning makes good sense to me.  The color lights, blinking light show, strobe lights never did.

Until I learned another reason for them. I have long said that you learn something everyday in this lifestyle.  There is more to the 'bling than meets the eye.  While engaged in conversation at an infrequent happy hour (for us) at Marj and George's. Rick and Cath talked about all the damage that he had on his truck due to rodents.

Some rascals crawled up under his truck and chewed on some wires and it was a mess.  Before it was all over, it caused several thousand dollars worth of damage.

The conversation moved to LED lights under the truck and how that would keep the rodents from climbing up into the harness and wiring and all.

Really??

I thought LED lights under the vehicles and rig were for cosmetic purposes primarily.

I was lamenting about our neighbors lights a few weeks ago while we were camped at Catalina State Park.  They were across from us with the majestic  Catalinas in the background.  I was prepared to enjoy the sunset bouncing off the spectacular Catalina Mountains when I noticed our neighbors had raised the hood on their car and hung a mechanics light.

And it was right in line with our sight of view of the mountains!

Ugh!  What was going on there?  So much for that idea!

Fast forward a couple of weeks later to our time here in Agave Gulch Campground (otherwise know as the Davis-Monthan AFB FamCamp, and we were at one of those infrequent but fun happy hours with friends.

Rick was talking about how badly some rodents had crawled up under his Ford F-150 and chewed us a wiring harness.  It was pretty bad.  As in $2500 bad.  It cost him that much to get it fixed at dealer.  Since then he and another friend we were with - George - have both used LED lights to ward off rodents.

I told my brother about it and he was a bit skeptical.  So much so that he said, "No rodents now and probably no elephants...?".   Right.  But then he wasn't paying to get the wiring redone on his F-150.

It got us to thinking and the light bulb went on.  After all these years, I thought the rope LED lights under RV's were just the latest bling on the market.  I didn't realize they served a useful purpose.

After coming to that realization we started talking about doing a rope LED perimeter for our coach to keep the buggers (and rodents away.  I started at Amazon and found a number of varieties.  Pam was a Costco and sent a picture of this to me.

We decided we'd get enough lengths to circle the Roadrunner and if we didn't like it, we'd return them.

I kept the boxes and the parts that came with it.  Each box had a bag of rope light holders to attach it to a surface like a fence or building or something of that nature.  I didn't need any of those to spread it out on the ground.

It also came with a controller and a remote.  I had a five foot extension cord to plug it into the pedestal and then connect the controller which was connected to the first rope light extension.  

Shortly before dark, we turned on the lights and set them to the strobe mode.  It looked pretty cool.  Pam looked out the window after about 30 minutes and notice the light beams bouncing off the side of our neighbors' RV's.  Not too sure how much they were appreciating that, so I quickly got the remote and set it to a constant light.

We were satisfied with the result and think we'll keep them.

Another consideration then became how to store them when we pack up and move.  We looked for some type of cord reel at Home Depot and came up with this:

I wound the entire connected length of almost 100 feet onto it and it fit.  It was a close fit, but one reel will work when it is time to pack up and move to another site.

Hopefully we will not see any rodents under the Roadrunner.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Traveling Tips - Cold Weather

We have been on the road now for a little over a week.  We have, like most of you, been experiencing cold weather.  In an RV, that can make life a little more difficult.  There are a few things we do that make it cold weather living in a RV doable and quite enjoyable.  It is all part of the adventure.

We left Virginia Beach and drove south toward Florida.  The farther south we went we noticed the front heater aka as "dash heat" was not blowing warm air.  Hmmm.  We forgot that we had the reverse problem last summer in the heat when our air conditioner would not blow cool air.

When we took it in to Bay Diesel at Red Bay, they added freon and serviced the A/C.  A tech also told me about the yellow shutoff valve near the transmission back underneath the engine.  He gave it a half turn to block the flow or warm air through the hose to the front.

I forgot all that.  In the last few days, after Pam and I experienced some cold driving in the front of the coach, we stumbled upon our conversation with the tech.  I didn't remember where the shutoff valve was located exactly.  The weather has been rainy and nasty so I wasn't anxious to get down on the ground and wedge myself under there to poke around.  We waited until we were in a better spot to do anything about it.

I called Bay Diesel yesterday morning and talked to the man himself.  Nice to talk to Chris.  He explained where the engine heater shutoff valve was:  near the bell housing and chassis frame.

Since I did not know what bell housing was, I looked it up on Google and figured out what it looked like.

It was freezing cold outside at our campground in Houston, but we were on a dry concrete pad and I figured it was as good a time as any to see what I could do.

l bundled up with gloves and work jacket and got a moving blanket to lay on.  I didn't know how long I was going to be on the ground but it doesn't take long to get cold laying on cold concrete.   I also put my headlamp to good use.  I have recently started using it more to free up my hands.

I wanted to see if I could squeeze under the coach since it was leveled and sitting pretty low to the ground.  I was able to wiggle my way under the tight space.  I looked up and around and just tried to get my bearings.  I looked where the hoses were and were they were leading.  It wasn't too long before I found the yellow shutoff valve.

I was able to get one arm raised and turn the valve where it was in line with the hose.

Then I crawled out from under the coach, picked up and put away my things.

I was surprised:  I turned a simple 5 minute job into a simple 5 minute job!
I thought:  I am winning at life!!  Yes!!!! :)
I only got excited because I have learned that things that seem simple often times aren't simple and if they are simple, I know I often have a way making things harder than they need to be...

So there it is - how to open the valve and get hot air blowing into the front dash heater.  We verified it worked and were a lot warmer on the drive to Cowtown RV Park in Aledo, TX, where we are camped for a few days.

While we are at it, I thought I'd note our own version of winterizing.  Since we live in the Roadrunner 24/7 even in cold weather at times, here are some of the things we do to make our home warmer.

Pam devised a curtain hanging system with a standard rod that is held in place with 3 self adhesive plastic Command-brand plastic hooks.  Kelly gave her a two curtains that she no longer needed and it fits in place and keeps the cold from the window and door at bay.

I got a Snuggy years ago and keep it over my leather recliner in cold weather.  Instead of cold leather, I sit on a warm blanket.

If you look real close, you can see a small blue comforter that I also drape over me.  Just like at everyone else's house, we use throws/afghan/comforters when we read or watch TV.

Last fall we got new carpet installed at MSRV in Golden/Red Bay.  Daniel did a great job with the install and put a binding on a couple of pieces of extra carpet.  I paid him extra to put binding on two long pieces I keep rolled up in the basement.  During cold weather we keep them unrolled and minimize the exposure of those cold ceramic tiles.

 Heaters.  We have a large electric space heater for the front area

In the back near the shower/bathroom, we have a smaller ceramic heater.  We turn them both off at night and pile on the blankets if necessary.

The DS bedroom slide has some drafts around the rubber seal from the outside.  Pam puts some rags and towels in strategic places to cover the holes.  Most of the time we don't even notice it and its no big deal, but in the cold weather when it is windy we can tell where the drafts are coming from.  This simple fix takes care of it.

Those are some of the things we do to keep warm in cold weather.  I left out the best way to stay warm -- stay in places that are 80 degrees and above!

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  We hope you are well and warm!

More Things We Use

Another in a series of things Pam and I use that may be of some help or interest to our readers...We use certain products or do things a certain way and have picked up some ideas we like to share.

1. Baskets in the Refrigerator.  And bungee tie downs - 
Dortha bought some of these baskets for the refrigerator and Pam has used them ever since our first few months on the road.

Pam also uses baskets to keep things in the freezer.  Bungee cords help keep everything from moving around too much when we roll down the road.

2. Freightliner Large plastic wrench hubcap bolt tool -  
Frank was in the campsite right across from us when we were still finishing up our full time working.  During those couple of weeks, he sold me a tool that came in handy last week.

He had a Fleetwood Discovery on a Freightliner chassis and had taken the wheels off a few times.  He noticed that his bright and shiny hubcaps were permanently scarred and gouged by the mechanics who used metal wrenches to get the center screw off.  This plastic one worked like a champ when I put on my new hubcap.

3. Foot/boot scraper - 
In Florida this past winter it was hard to keep from tracking sand into the Roadrunner and messing up the floors.  We looked a number of times at Home Depot and Lowes but did not find one.  We saw one back in December but for some reason it is a seasonal item.

While in Virginia Beach, I used our Amazon Prime account and ordered this scraper that sits outside by our steps.  It works well.

4. Dish tub in the sink /Suds down the toilet -
When Pam and I first started tent camping, she always took along a dish tub to clean things up after dinner.  I don't know whether by habit or ingenuity, she continued that practice.

One thing that enables us to do is pour soapy water down the black tank regularly.  We have a hose rinse set up that is useful also, but this puts 'good use' to the used dish water and also cleans our black tank.

5. Smell Management - strike matches in the bathroom -
After we had used a jar candle, Pam kept it and we place it on the heat duct ledge in the bathroom near a box of strike matches.

Matches are considerable cheaper than bathroom fragrances.  We light the match, let it burn down and blow it out and it does the job well.  We've been doing this for years now, ever since we visited 'Bradley on the Rocks' - Marg and Bill's cottage in Ontario on Lake Huron.

That's all for now - thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!

Some More Things That Work for Us

I wanted to add to my collection of things that we do or products that we use might be of value or interest to our readers.  In the not too distant future, I intend to put a 'Page' tab on the blog that shows a collection of things.  I am not selling anything---just offering some ideas.

Last winter we camped in Virginia Beach beginning in December.  We departed in April after the arrival of our awesome grandson.  During those few months it got really cold and we learned to deal with ice and snow and temperatures down to 9 degrees.

One thing a friend had was a digital infrared thermometer.  He used it a couple times to help me determine where the pipes were frozen on the outside spigot.  I also thought it would be useful to do a quick check on the Roadrunner tires when we stop at Rest Stops on our traveling days.

Very handy and about $18 on Amazon.

Each time we stop I try to park on level ground.  Sometimes it is a matter of slight adjustments like a foot or two on a dirt, grass or gravel campsite.  Other times I don't have much options on asphalt or concrete spots.

We have an automatic HWH hydraulic leveling system but I really hate to be in places where wheels have to be off the ground to level things.  That doesn't happen often.  Even with our automatic system, sometimes it needs a small manual adjustment.  We use the 12" torpedo level and turn it north-south and then east-west between the driver and passenger seats.  I also take the same readings back on the floor by the bathroom.  Pam operates the leveling system while I call out the readings.  Quick and simple and something we have used for a long time.  Handy and stores better than the long 3' levels.
Surprisingly these things go for as little as $7 and can get pretty pricey.

We have iPhones and iPads and battery chargers and who knows what else...  We got tired of only being able to charge a couple of things at a time and opted for this 'charging station tower' which handles four cords.

 A little pricey at $20, but well worth it and something we use every day.

Now more on the business end of things.  Two things shown here:
- Camco Rhino flex system.  I have two fifteen footers incase we are a little bit away.  It works great except when you step on one of these babes.  The accordion hose doesn't do well when it has been stepped on because it creates a weak spot and eventually springs a leak from the internal wire that bents and breaks.

 But I am a big fan of this system.  15' sections go for about $20.  Thetford and others also make similar hoses.

Also - the collapsible support stand.  Some places require that the sewer hose be off the ground.  These go for about $30.  The support stand came with the Roadrunner when we bought it 7 years ago.

 Also in the wet bay  - something I use a lot is a collection of spray bottles and cleaners.  I also have a bottle waterless hand cleaner.  You never know when you have some spillage from hooking and unhooking the sewer hose, so I find it handy to have a few options right there.

I get the Dollar Tree bleach and 'Pinesol' to help and it works pretty well.

That's a few more of products and things we use around the 'house'.  If you have any ideas or questions, please get in contact.  One of the most fun things we do with this blog is meet others 'out there'.

Thanks for joining us today on Chronicles.

Snow Related Issues

First, I want to welcome our newest Followers!

Gregg

Angry Charlie

Libby

The Old Geezer

Jo Beth and Catherine

Thanks for joining the Roadrunner Chronicles!  (If they have a blog, I have linked it to their name.)

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Over the past week we have had really cold weather (last night it was down to 20 degrees) and some snow.  The cold weather affected our heater (among other things).  Our front a/c heater unit on top went out.  Heat pumps are not the way to go in cold weather.  So we are using a lot of propane for the heater and hot water.  

On Saturday we called around and decided that on Monday we were going to fill up with propane.  Uh--it was snowing pretty good on Monday.  We decided to pack up and go get the propane tank filled anyway.

This is one thing I have feared and avoided for 18 months:  Driving in the snow.  The whole idea freaks me out a bit.

We packed up and headed out.  It took us about 30 minutes to unhook everything and put everything away.

Yikes!
I found out the snow we were dealing with wasn't all that bad.  It was like driving in rain and I kept the speed down.  My issue isn't really the snow, it is my fear is ice of black ice.  The thought of skidding and sliding around in my one and only home does not appeal to me.

I think it is more about nerve...like learning to drive these big RVs for the first time.  The main thing about getting confidence is thinking about the right things.  ~ Like where I want to put the left wheel as I go down the road.  Or watching my mirrors and going slowly through tight places.  Not thinking about what could happen or oncoming traffic or who knows what else...

As I said, I took it fairly slow and we waited until about 1030 AM to get going, so it was warming up a bit.  It was probably about 35 or 36 degrees by that time.  (This is Virginia Beach?)

Since I called earlier, our guy was waiting for us and jumped right on it.  He made the hookup and filled us up in about 15 minutes.

Then it was back to the campground.  I wanted to avoid the noon time traffic and it worked out fine.

We got back to the campground, eased the Roadrunner back into our spot, hooked up the electrical and had lunch.

That was interesting!.... all these months and now we can say we have driven in snow.  Instead of dreading the thought, now I know we can do it if we have to.   (But I know this is not real snow, like what they are going through in Canada near Marg and Bill's, or in Buffalo, NY near Jon and Barb's.)    But that is fine with me -- I have no intention of ever needing to drive in the real snow, an inch or a light dusting is enough for me.

Later that day, we decided to see if we could do something about our a/c heat pump unit.  We found Meyer's RV Service which is a mobile service.  He came to our campsite yesterday.

 Tanner jumped on top of the Roadrunner and took the cover off our Coleman unit.  He found a burned up capacitor that needed replacing.  Aside from the 30 degree weather, it was a pretty easy job.

James asked about our Norcold refrigerator and we discovered we missed the recall on it in October.
He called the company, set us up and got registered, then replaced a component on the back side of the refrigerator.

They blew a fuse while working on it and after a couple of phone calls to Tiffin, we found out where it was located.  He replaced the automatic reset unit and we have that issue solved.  It took them about 2 1/2 hours to replace the capacitor in the heating unit, replace the recall item in the refrigerator (and fix the slow leak they found) and to replace the fuse.  James and his son Tanner at Meyer's Service do great work and charged me $183 which I thought was reasonable considering them came to me and it was hassle free.  I recommend them!

It has been an interesting time the last few days, but we have added to our RV full-time adventures with some cold weather experience.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  I hope you are warm were you are and enjoying the holiday season!