broom as vac

[2swans]

??? we have only taken small local trips in our TM since recently purchasing a TM. are we in for a surprise when we take a fly fishing trip in the mountains, regarding carpets and dirt, etc? we have sawed off  a broom handle so it just fits in the closet,for travel. put a hanger hole on the broom and will hang it on an over-the-wall hook above tub while camped. we thought that would do the dirt, leaves job. but we've not camped in such a luxurious camper before(carpet, armstrong linoleum). do we NEED a vac? thanks for suggestions. ;) 2swans

Personally, I was suprised how much dirt and stuff gets tracked in. I bought a couple of those plastic carpet looking things to strap over my steps going into the camper. (any camping trailer store, maybe about 10-15 dollars each). They really made a big difference, worth every penny, but I still find the need to vacuum every couple days.

Mack

We also have a short handled broom.  But, IMHO there is frequent need for a vacuum.  We started out using a small Oreck canister vac, which we stored in the compartment under the chair.  However, we felt the need for a beater bar on the vacuum.  We now carry along the 8 pound Oreck upright.  It's home is in the tub, unless we are using the shower.  It works well.

Happy Trails...........George

[Paul_Heuvelhorst]

In spite of all the wonderful experiences we had in the 3 years of traveling in a TM, keeping the carpet clean was a nuisance for us.  We bought the "lobby-size" broom for taking care of the day-to-day stuff, and carried a small "Red Devil" 120VAC vac to clean the carpet when we were somewhere with 'shore power.'

When we bought our new trailer, we specified "no carpet."  It is all vinyl flooring.  We have a couple of 'throw rugs' that, when dirty, go into the washing machine on laundry day.  My wife can sponge-clean the floor of our 27' trailer quicker than she could vacuum the inside of our 2619.  

We are not convinced that carpeting belongs in an RV that travels into the back country, or where wet and muddy feet will track in dirt... after all, didn't you buy your RV to get you away from the concrete and grass you have at home?

Happy trails,

[Bruce]

Regarding your tip on having your new TM spec'd with all vinyl floors Paul, we are with you 100%.
My wife insisted that our new TM come with vinyl and I think it was the best decision we made. The factory balked a bit, something about it being more difficult to seal the slide out without carpet on the floor, but we have not had any problems with that. Cleaning out the unit is just so much easier you have to wonder why they put carpet in at all!
BTW we have found what we consider the perfect tool for cleaning our vinyl floors. It is a broom with an extendable handle and rubber bristles called "The Sweepa". I believe it is made in Italy. I have seen it in some of those eco minded home  products  catalogs like Seventh Generation but we found ours in Target. The rubber bristles, more like short nubs, really do a great job on getting the dirt off the floor and in a dustpan or simply pushed out the door. The  other side of the broom has a squeege, great for wiping out spills.
We do not carry a vacuum at all.

Bruce Martin

[arknoah]

The vac is a necessity.  We have a little brush and dustpan just for everyday picking up of debris, but a little dust devil with beater bar that is stored in the area beneath the oven.  While it can be a pain, it only takes a few minutes to use it.

Since we have small children, we also agree on the issue of carpeting.  We always take off our shoes before coming inside the unit, but small kids sometimes forget this, and there isn't a great deal of area by the door to keep the dirty shoes.  Next time we buy something, as Paul has suggested, we will get a unit with no carpeting in it at all.  

F. J. & Ellen

[hal]

We use a 12 volt hand car vacuum.  It works when there is no electricity available and plugs into the cigarette receptacle. Many of the small ac vacuums are a joke but this one does an effective job. It came as a set with with a small air compressor (for bicycle tires).    When things get pretty bad, we use a small broom.  It is the size a child would use. We store it stored inside the clothes closet.  When at home our  our trailer gets  a thorough vacuuming with the house vac.

Best thing is the bissell go-vac.  They cost about 30$ and the stick on the vacuum unscrews into 3 pieces for easy storage.  They work well on the small amount of carpet and vinyl and it is a cordless rechargable vacuum.  It has good power and quickly cleans up the entire camper :D :D :D