Questions about our new Oliver Elite?

[LoriL]

Hello,

We just picked up our new Oliver Elite over Memorial Day!  We are new to this scene and there is so much to learn!  First of all where so I get the wooden slats for the bathroom floor?  What us the best cleaner to use in the bathroom?  Any other tips and tricks?

Thanks for your help,

Lori

[Rivernerd]

2 minutes ago, LoriL said:

 First of all where so I get the wooden slats for the bathroom floor?

From Oliver owner Foy Sperring.  Link to his catalog below.  Or, just search for "Foy" using this forum's search tool.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xYYE_R9dKxbNapgWqzYcaaDYCtEj_m6v/view?usp=sharing

[LoriL]

Thank you!

[topgun2]

10 hours ago, LoriL said:

Any other tips and tricks?

Yes - but - there are simply too many to mention.

Go to the Ollie Modifications section of the Forum and start reading.  Here you will find enough to keep you very busy for awhile and keep your wallet empty.

Have fun!

Bill

[Patriot]

10 hours ago, LoriL said:

Hello,

We just picked up our new Oliver Elite over Memorial Day!  We are new to this scene and there is so much to learn!  First of all where so I get the wooden slats for the bathroom floor?  What us the best cleaner to use in the bathroom?  Any other tips and tricks?

Thanks for your help,

Lori

Here you go LorL - Foy does amazing woodworking and we have a few of his crafts in our Ollie. 
 

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xYYE_R9dKxbNapgWqzYcaaDYCtEj_m6v/view

[Dave and Kimberly]

Congratulations on your new Ollie!  We just picked ours up in May... so understand your excitement!   Just a suggestion:  go camping for a while to figure out how you use it... what style of camping works for you, etc..   I spent 10 months making lists of things I thought we would want to buy or modify when the time came.   Fortunately we were able to travel for 3 or 4 weeks and now in real use...quickly we discovered some things we hadn't thought of as well as some things that fell off the list.    This will help you prioritize projects based on time and money.  The Oliver is so nice... nothing is "urgent".

[SeaDawg]

Lori, since you specifically asked about the bathroom,  I  use windex or a mild dish soap and water solution to clean the trailer most of the time. I don't use household toilet bowl  chemicals in the toilet, either, as many dump stations are big septic tanks. My toilet brush is a relatively soft brush from dollar tree.  Probably more of a bottle brush than toilet brush.  All plastic. No metal to rust.

For sanitizing and mildew removal, I prefer hydrogen peroxide to bleach based products. Still best to ventilate well, but much less harsh on your lungs (and your trailer, your wallet, and the environment in general) than chlorine bleach based products. You can put regular drug store 3 per cent hydrogen peroxide in an opaque spray bottle, and just spray it on surfaces and watch the mildew and dirt loosen. Wipe it off. I just used some again this morning, on a bamboo dish  drying rack, and it worked great. I scrubbed it off with an old toothbrush, wiped with a rag, and rinsed. 

This time around, I treated the rack (after sun drying) woth food grade mineral oil. ($2 in the laxative section in walmart. It's what I use on all my wooden and bamboo cutting boards and cutlery handles. No need to buy expensive cutting board oil, which is basically the same product.)

Btw, once you get your trailer shiny clean, you might consider putting  a coat of wax on the walls and countertops. (Unless you have a nonskid shower mat, like foys wood one, I wouldn't wax the floor.) I do this annually, to keep the interior gelcoat shiny bright and sealed. I forgot to do it last year, and for the first time in 14 years, had a couple small spots on the sink counter  that were difficult to remove. Firmly convinced that the interior wax is a step i won't forget, again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LoriL]

Thanks so much for all that information!~. I will try the hydrogen peroxide. 

[Chris and Lisa]

SeaDawg,

What sort of wax do you use on the interior?

My husband and I picked our new ollie up in July.  We've been on the road ever since.  I have been using mild soap and water and a cotton bar towel for most cleaning, but I love your suggestion of hydrogen peroxide,

Lisa

[SeaDawg]

We use the same stuff on the inside as the outside. Used to be 3m ultra marine (since discontinued), now Collinite marine paste wax. I don't have the can with me ( We're camping),  but I can look up the number for you.

Don't use it on the shower floor, unless you use a teak mat, as it will make it too slippery. Everywhere else is good.

You could probably use any decent fiberglass boat wax on the inside, as it doesn't get the same abuse as the exterior. The only year we didn't wax the interior, I got some difficult to remove stains on the counter. (Ours are white.)

Understand,  I'm a wax nerd. We wax our powder coated white aluminum  porch railings, too. Helps shed the rain, and seed and leaf stains. 

I love that you've been on the road since pickup. I hope you're having a wonderful journey.  Good on you, and safe travels!

[SeaDawg]

Collinite 885 is the wax we currently use.

They also make a liquid,  probably easier to use.