To clean your awning rail at the start of the season, wrap a piece of soft cloth around a piece of cord or rope about 8mm thick. Insert one end into the awning channel and slide it through the rail until it comes out the other end, then pull the remainder through. This will remove any muck or dead insects. Then apply a liberal coating of silicone spray polish to the cloth and insert the cord into the rail again, working it down the length of the awning rail, replenishing the silicone spray as required. The awning will then slide easily onto the rail when you come to pitch up for the first trip of the year.
Tim Smith
Derbyshire

Under the sink of my my Swift Challenger 400SE there is a cupboard with a sliding door. I stash pickles, sauces and soups here, but they do tend to make a mess. To overcome this I bought a plastic set of drawers from B&Q consisting of two units 13in high by 15in wide by 18in deep and two drawers 9in deep by the same width and height. Two drawers fit perfectly on the cupboard's shelf and the other deep drawer complete with runner fits very well under the shelf. The plastic boxes for each drawer means everything is easy to find, and any nasty spills from the soy sauce or ketchup bottles are simple to clean. The complete set cost just under £20 – money very well spent.
Peter Baines
Paisley

If caravan's rooflight lets the light through and wakes you up early in the morning, make yourself a blackout pad. Cut a piece of cardboard to fit the roof vent, cover it with dark fabric, such as an old black T-shirt, place it in a plastic bag to make it waterproof, and hold it in place by placing it between the roof vent and the flyscreen: you're instant plunged into darkness.
Sue Morgan
Morriston, Swansea

For ‘end-of-season' caravanners who suffer from arthritis, there's no need to struggle with removing water filters and drain plugs. Simply make a wooden socket to fit onto the water filter to turn it. For making drain plugs easier to open use a two-pence coin to remove the drain plug before leaving site. The tank should be empty by the time you arrive home.
George Saunders
Ladybank, Fife

No doubt, many caravanners make good use of the excellent Porta Potti in their vans. My only criticism of this product is that we always used to feel that it was a little too low on which to comfortably sit.
I answered our particularly predicament by making a three-sided ‘step' about 2.5 inches in height.
We covered the step with a piece of quarter-inch plywood. I then covered the plywood with a piece of carpet as close a match as I could find to our caravan's carpet. The whole thing fitted neatly underneath the Porta Potti. This in turn, not only made it more comfortable to use by raising its height, but with the open side of the step facing forward, it gave a useful storage space beneath for chemical fluid, plus other bits and pieces.
Mr M Spray
Bodedern, Holyhead

To check the amount of water in your toilet's flush tank, simply dip a short length of narrow plastic tubing down to the bottom of the tank from outside the van, placing your finger over the other end. Lift the piping clear of the tank and the depth of toilet flush water remaining in it will be contained in the length of tubing.
Charles Sayer
Epsom, Surrey

When trying to remove old cracked and faded plastic graphics or stripes on the outside of the caravan, use a hairdryer and gently ease the plastic away from the surface. If the strips are old and rip or crumble away, try sticking insulation tape or masking tape over the original plastic and use the hairdryer as before; the new tape sticks the old one to it, therefore preventing the old stuff tearing away. It works wonders and saves broken nails and hours of toil.
Glenys Ellwood
Via email

Here's an alternative to a spirit level, when levelling the caravan on any type of surface. Put a small hook above the middle part of the door frame, and hang a shortish plumb line down to the van door mat. Then when the line is level, insert a self-tapping screw in the doormat exactly below the position in which the plumb line rests. Now, whenever you are on site, simply see that the plumb line is directly above the screw to confirm that the caravan is level.
T W Buckley
South Wirral, Cheshire

Want to remove pet hair from your van's furnishing, but don't buy fancy sticky rollers or expensive brushes? Get a pair of builders' rubber-covered gloves and simply wipe your hand over the seat – the hair will roll up under the glove. Not only is this a cheap and effective way of removing pet hair, but the gloves can also be used again for many other jobs.
Graham Coulson
Allestree, Derby