Odd TIPS Clothes & Closet & Storage

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Something like the bottom one above cut in half and attached to the edge of the bed may work too.
I just keep my hiking boots behind the driver's seat.
 
B and C said:
Something like the bottom one above cut in half and attached to the edge of the bed may work too.
I just keep my hiking boots behind the driver's seat.
Good idea. It is now on my list to make a container for floor behind driver's seat. Thank you for that idea. It will be for the bigger hand tools.
I'm now thinking a 3 row of those pockets (which I have & am not using) could be easily strapped onto upper backside of my front driver's seat which is between main curtain and back of seat. Wouldn't matter if it gets squished a bit & would be hidden from anyone's views-yet is easy to get to. 

More a good place for small & common tools for regular equipment maintenance, or things used somewhat infrequently such as mods, like a propane adapter to fill a 1 lb can, or those brass caps, hose washers, or other necessaries like water tubing brushes that have 60 inch wired reach? 

Soon I won't have a passenger seat. It is like new, blue tweed Dodge style captain's chair. It was a good decision to remove it. Is part of my down time projects, remove & build what goes there.
 
Food Storage and cutting down on trash while traveling.
One thing I started doing around 30 years ago, when I bought food & dry goods or whatever was to go in my van, before I left the store, I'd open boxes & bags and get rid of all excess packaging right into the trashcan at the stores. Long ago, on favorite foods that had recipe on box or label, I'd cut it out and save it, or I memorized it. In bulk goods like flour or cornmeal, put those labeled recipes into your storage containers with the foods. 

That cut way down on amount of trash I had to dispose of while out traveling. Even ziplock bag box, get rid of it, store all your zippy bags in the last zippy bag you use before you buy more. Gets to be a habit. 

A store manager said to me once as he watched me dump packaging: if everyone did what you're doing, manufacturers would soon find ways to cut back on packaging materials and costs because the store would have to pay for the excess trash disposal to the city, the city would find out about the excessive packaging, then the city's board who would likely make new rules against excess waste. 

Snowballing from one idea. 
 
VJG1977 said:
Several options for hanging shoe storage.
or 

You could cut down the over the door shoe bag and use one or two rows.

:idea: Hey, it just dawned on me this morning~! I'm getting some of the vertical shoe boxes, like 3 or 4 of them for hanging on clothes rod up over my 2 big water tanks which is 32" + 6" wide. They need to each have ~3 or 4 boxes hanging. It'll be a nice fit. I'll take photos. Might take a couple weeks to get around to measure, then shop for, then for ordering those hanging boxes though. I might have to figure out how to modify 2, to get 4.
Thank you!   :D
 
Remote Control holder - bedside or arm of chair.

I went to get food etc for my Phoenix trip last night. I picked up two "99 cent placemats" in the home section of store in my colors. I gathered my remotes & stuff like pens & pencils, pocket knife. 

Fold up from long side on one placemat leaving longest remote sticking out an inch. Sew up the outside. Put remote inside and figure where next stitching line goes & sew it. 
Put next remote or ? and fit it, then sew it. 
For any item where pocket is too deep, sew across the bottom to fit the height of the item. 
Continue across for your items. 
When done, take 2nd placemat and sew it onto the remote pocket placemat. 


It took all of 15 minutes to do. I now will Enjoy it. 

What I like about this remote storage, is now the remotes are corralled, pens etc are handy, and no tabletop or drawer space is used for storing those easy to lose items.

edit: I forgot to attach the phots  :p
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1799.JPG
    IMG_1799.JPG
    731.4 KB
And Goodwill said:
Thank you! Now I'm seriously thinking on shopping around for a dirty clothes roof bin.  :D

LOL, LOL, LOL... great description "10% of my [font=Verdana,Arial,Sans-Serif]ex-mortgage and ex-utilities."[/font]
 
I did end up finding part of a shoe bag and have it hanging behind the driver's seat. Boots may not fit, but they can go behind the seat.
I plan on removing excess packaging at the grocery store also. Good tip!
 
waldenbound said:
I did end up finding part of a shoe bag and have it hanging behind the driver's seat. Boots may not fit, but they can go behind the seat.
I plan on removing excess packaging at the grocery store also.  Good tip!

YAY! Good for you. I do the same at mailbox. Throw away right there. Seems silly to bring the excess home, it piles up, then we have to handle it twice or more before it gets thrown away. I'd rather throw it away in their trash cans, not mine. 

I have a new project. Today I picked up a $9.00 aluminum piano hinge, 30 inches long, from home store LOWES. It can be cut into halves, for my two bin's liddens.
Hinge for BINS.jpeg
I have two large 16" deep clothes bins under my bed, I want to keep lids on them, but to have lids, I have to pull the bins all the way out to get inside the bins. The lids are that good, and tight fitting. It is annoying.

I will use a #4 steel hose clamp, to tightly fasten an Exacto knife hook C blade onto the barrel of my soldering iron, is effective as a "hot knife" like those used in plastics industry. I will use a carpenters square as a edge guide on the lids and use hot knife to cut the lids as straight as possible. The cutting area will be easier if I place the lid over two 2x4 boards for the hot knife blade to do its job, rather than bump into or burn what is below. 
A soldering iron is kool tool when working with plastics. You melt a hole with a small tip, then use 1/2" machine screws to attach the piano hinge. 

In my mind's video recorded movie, these bin lids are working so good, I'm glad I did it. Now I only have to slide the bins out 1/3 of the way, and the hinged lid is working lovely! Picture that!
While I'm at the lid job, I will fashion a small functioning handle to easily lift the lids, using 2 screws, a strip of heavy weight plastic (2 layers cut from a laundry detergent bottle - OR?) and 2 spacers or even 2 or 3 extra nuts used as spacers under the handle. Would save having to pick at edge of those odammit bin liddens to get them to open up. A small handle would be so much easier to use.

I will take photos when I get the bin's lids & hinges done, after I get back up to ex-mortgaged home base. I have to be here until Saturday morning.
 

Attachments

  • Hinge for BINS.jpeg
    Hinge for BINS.jpeg
    24.9 KB
And Goodwill said:
Remote Control holder - bedside or arm of chair.

I forgot to mention, I did a wide zig-zag at the opening of each pocket before sewing straight down, only to reinforce the upper edge of each pocket. I also did a zig-zag on top of a straight stitch when I attached the 2nd placemat to the one with the pockets. You don't have to do the ziggy zagging, but it would prevent stress tearing. 

Post photos if you make these. I'd love to see yours.
 
Storage Jars & Bottles, some have the strangest product inside.

In visiting friends this afternoon, one is an elder lady, I helped them clean out a couple cabinets. 
I am always looking for easy store jars or other dark glass bottles for repurposing containers for storage of various food items. I buy a few things in quantity to keep contents fresher, longer. Some things cost less in quantity. 

Peppercorns. Recently I bought two 12 ounce bags which will last me a long while, they come in brittle plastic bags and are not good for long term storage and keeping fresh. 

She was throwing away a large flat sturdy plastic bottle that had an air tight cap, once held powdered Miralax which was empty. I rescued it from her trash, and now it holds my two new bags of peppercorns and will keep them fresh long term. Removing the label using goof off will happen soon. 

I could use two or three more of those same bottles, the 2nd for storing my wheat seeds for sprouting. It is good to have some greens, like Wheatgrass growing while out on the road and sprouts to put into cooked meals. After I remove my passenger seat and build up the area, I will have a sort of a mini greenhouse sprouting jar to do my seed sproutings, and maybe a Holy Basil plant growing out in the open on top shelf which will be located at base of window level, just because I can. I'm also thinking of growing Cilantro for garnish on my slow cooked Mexican Beans.

There is always the "sprouting lids" found on Amazon which fits onto a 1 quart Mayonnaise jar or Newman's Own & other Spaghetti sauce jars, those are canning jars. You don't need to buy the lids. Buy a box of canning jar rings, cut some metal screen to fit the ring. You can also use a dremel and cut out the lid that came on the jars then add the screen. You pour water into the jar through the screen, gently twist jar, then pour the water out through the screen. It is easy. 

Cilantro and Basil grow like weeds, they're easy, a little sun & watering. 
Thar's gonna be a tiny Garden in that thar Dodge cab barreling down the road!

Sometimes if I buy convenience Deli side dishes I also buy them for their clear plastic disposable containers and they stack well and also hold zippy bags of sprouting seeds, I wash them, poke holes in the lids with a nail or my soldering iron tip, and use them to sprout other varieties of my favorite sprouting seeds. Just put very wet but not dripping paper towels to fit down in bottom part of container with a good amount of your seeds on top. Add water as needed. The ones that look like clear plastic tall cottage cheese containers are the best for sprouting. In a few days you have fresh sprouted greens. 

Part of keeping healthy while on the road, is having some good fresh foods, including greens. 

Mung bean sprouts go very well on sandwiches and in main dishes or stir fry. I make a mean Asian "mock" fresh vegetable stir fry in my 2 quart 120 Watt slow cooker with sprouts and it is tasty! I start it early in the day & it is ready for dinner that night.

That is the end of my afternoon musings. Dinner is nearly finished and I'm hungry! I made hot chili with beans. My van smells like Ye Olde Mexican Restaurant, and it is gonna be good!
 
ODD TIPS on Clothes:
SOCKS with a hole in the heel - What do you do now? 
Make Gators for Hands & Arms!
I don't know about you all, but I walk a lot when out and about. I get a hole in heels of my best summer and winter socks. Usually 2 or 3 pairs a year. Even my best winter WigWam wool hiking socks get holes.
Cut off the front half of the foot part, put your thumb through the heel's hole, stretch it bigger if need be. 
If they are knit socks, then you must take a needle and a bit of fine yarn and whip stitch the edges round and round, to prevent further raveling. I try to catch each stitch in the sock. USE the cut off part of the sock for the yarn edge whip stitching. Unravel it & use it.

Now you have Fingerless Gloves to keep your hand & wrists warm. I play a stringed instrument, warmed up hands/arms are absolutely necessary for me. I keep a few on hand (pun intended) and give the rest away. People love them when doing outside chores in winter, and I'm spreading warmth and cheer! I'm happy when I get a hole in my sock heel. It means I walked a lot.


Use it up, wear it out, make it do! 
That became an old WW2 saying; I think it got started back during the 1929 depression era. My Mom, born in 1921 said it repeatedly while I grew up. Mama programmed me good :p I sure loved my Mama!
 
:D I can't wait to hear your tips, in a year, more likely LESS. I can bet your first tip will be on better ways of keeping warm  :p
 
ODD way of storing a Van KEY!

I've been locked out of my homes and vans, back in the early years. It's inconvenient, annoying. Kind of a kick myself in the butt thing.
My spin-off to the trick which everyone knows about - the hidden magnetic key holder which I never trusted, or used - is "bits of Earth", resin, hot glue & a hacksaw and a quick visit to my friends at their machine shop.

One of the joys of not having one of those "new" keys that has the auto lock system remote built in, is being able to use a hacksaw and cut it down to the smallest area yet still able to grab turn it in the ignition or door locks. Mine has a small diamond at the end of the key part. Just big enough & gives just enough leverage to turn the key.

I took a couple to a few bits of earth's ground objects - sand, stones, pebbles, old fake grass, twigs, or ?  - and made a slight but odd shaped depression in the ground near my campsites, just large enough to cover the key when right side up & finished.  Line it with plastic wrap. Lay in your "camo" bits of Earth and dribble small amounts of resin onto the topside. Just a few drops at a time, you don't want it to get to the surface. Yes, if you only have some craft resin it takes a day or so, unless you get some of the 2 part epoxy glue which works for stones & twigs, etc. You can coat a couple very small or flat stones with resin and then cover it with dirt or sand. Create what looks to be the same natural design as where you intend on hiding it near to your campsite. 

Use a bit of hot glue & glue key onto back of chosen key terrain when you get to a new camp spot.

I have 4 different small key "camo terrains" for different campsites, they're small and they are Earth Camo'd and blend in. You'd never find one even if you stumbled upon one of them. But I know where they are and no one ever sees me when I put one out when in remote areas soon after arriving to a new site. If you're in a sandy or dirt area, you can partially bury it. 

Hopefully you remember where you hid your spare key terrain. So far, I've been lucky and I'm not (too) forgetful, not yet. 
I admit, if I do the stone or pebble key terrain and hide it in an area where it would be too hard for even me to find, I have made small "maps" to help me locate my hidden key. After a while, it's easy, you recognize your key holder's terrain patterns right away. You get good at spotting Waldo too.

Be inventive so you won't ever get locked out of your home, whether sticks or stone homes, or your vehicle.
 
^^^ that would be the Mother Earth method being the key to accessing your world.  :D

The magnet ones are ridiculously cheap now and with so much plastic on vehicles now...

Here is what I used to do, silicon and duct tape a spare on top of the inner cross member, behind the bumper, inside a front opening, underneath the radiator, in the lower engine compartment. 
Got all that? 
Doesn't matter, find a spot to silicon and duct tape a spare for your vehicle that isn't easy to see yet secure and accessible. This way, there is always a key WITH the vehicle.
Fyi btw, mine isn't there anymore in case you were wondering. Found another better solution. Find your own. :D

Another problem I have is locking my keys in the car.
And with today's coded keys, spares can be expensive. +$70-125 to get them coded. Go to Walmart on a busy day, and see if they will cut you a normal key. They may or may not depending on the type of key that you have, how busy etc... They may ask or check to see if it has a chip and refuse to make one for security issues. Go back another day or to another one until you get lucky or explain that it is for unlocking the doors only. An Ace hardware would not cut one for that reason. My hidden spare will only open the door, I have a coded key hidden inside.
Backups.
 
Minivanmotoman said:
^^^ that would be the Mother Earth method being the key to accessing your world.  :D  
Doesn't matter, find a spot to silicon and duct tape a spare for your vehicle that isn't easy to see yet secure and accessible. This way, there is always a key WITH the vehicle.
Fyi btw, mine isn't there anymore in case you were wondering. Found another better solution. Find your own. :D
Oh I did. Can't give up all my newer secrets publicly. I like your methods too, nice & discreet  :cool:
A habit I started, not sure how I got this going, when I get out of van, or leave the ex-home, I always rattle & look at my keys in my hand before I shut a locked door. Like learning an instrument, you memorize that sequence of moves & sound and they're like a melody of notes. I don't think that has ever failed me. It would be what I do with keys long after which gets me locked out  :p 
I'm tricky but I'm not anywhere near perfect, still a work in progress!
 
Cut one down and keep it in your wallet too. I almost always have my wallet. Carried a wallet since I was 12 or 13. Just a habit I have. I don't take my wallet out of my pocket when I drive either. I did once and got locked out. Glad I had another on the outside but a bitch to get to.
 
Good idea. I've two thoughts. I'm thinkin' on being a "latch key" vandweller. IF I decorate a van main key to not look like a key, then, I could wear it as a necklace 24/7 year round. I wear a wide thick leather Levi belt. I might make a trip to local leather works shop and have them modify it with a stitched on thinner leather inside "pocket for key".

It's a "Van Charm"
 
There was a Life HACK video, can't find at the moment.
USB Charge cords, tend to have wires break near the plugs. Not any more!

Take a spring from old inkpen, stretch spring out a bit, about double in length, esp the tightly wound ends of spring you carefully stretch those out until they look like rest of stretched spring. 
Then spin onto the cord starting near the plug, until entire spring is wound onto the cord. 
You may have to work the spring down until it is very close to the base of the plug. 

Those sticky labels & how to remove without chemicals - hopefully - so you can reuse the container.
I know, this sounds rather silly but it really isn't. This works on about 50-60% of adhesive labels, especially works well if label isn't years old, but adhesives on the newer labels are the easiest. I try to not use Goof Off to remove labels if I can keep from it.

How to? Get an edge of label lifted using fingernail or tweezers, then pull on label very evenly and very slowly, put on your reader glasses and watch the adhesive and how it works. Pull the label off at lowest angle that you can. The sticky adhesive has a "stretch" factor. IF you pull the label too fast, then you're not giving the sticky adhesive enough time to stretch past it's hold capacity and then release from the surface it is stuck to and your label will tear.
Your label will tear if you pull on it at right angles to the surface of container.

To be honest, I enjoy getting a label removed without it tearing or ending up using Goof Off.  
It's a simple pleasure to recycle, and having patience toward defeating the cursed labels by learning to work with the label and not against it.
 
Odd TIPS at Rex & Pals, many projects from the simple to highly complex. There is something there for everyone if you're so inclined to experiment and build. 
Rex Research & Pals
 
Top