Tips and Tricks: Getting Better Sleep in Your Motorhome

Tips and tricks with Linda: how to sleep when you have turned all the lights off, gotten into bed, only to realize that it's not dark enough. What happened, you're closed shades?

Looking around there are small lights everywhere, glowing different colors, blue-green-red-yellow etc. Where are they coming from? Oh that's right, one is coming from the alarm clock with it's big bold numbers, with the dim button on. It's still bright, especially when it is coming from the cabinet above your head. My solution was static cling smoke film, cut to size and placed over the clock face. (Some clocks without a dim button I used two layers of film.) What prompted this particular article happened one night in a coach with a household fridge. The floor plan featured a wonderful king size adjustable bed in a slide out. However, located caddy cornered in the kitchen was a Household fridge. It's beautiful baby blue lights showing where the ice and water are dispensed are nice during the day, but not at night. Other larger lights are “Smart TVs,” DVD players, etc. You get where I'm coming from, flat-ish surface illumination. The first place I found smoke static cling film was in the baby section of Walmart. Now it is readily found in most big box stores and online. The static cling film doesn't require a solution to apply. It only needs to be free of dust or dirt and dry to work. It's washable and reusable.

I need it to be as dark as possible to go to sleep and return to sleep after a trip to the bathroom. No need to turn on a light, there are small colored lights leading the way.

Living in a demo coach for many years my solution had to be temporary and easily removable to the new owner. Depending on the size and shape of the lights is what I used. Lights like the water pump etc. I used “FunTak” or Tacky putty mentioned from my previous article. It can be found at hobby places like Hobby Lobby, JoAnns, Walmart, etc.

Stretching, pulling, and rolling a very small ball of the putty I pressed it on the face of the light, not covering the sides of the light. This way, you still see the switch is on, but it won't be glaring in your face at night. Since the lights are 12V there isn't enough heat to worry about softening the putty. As an owner, you could use a dab of nail polish on the light face, not sides, in what ever color you choose, or a piece of colored duct tape will do the trick.

Boy, does this bring back many wonderful memories for me, traveling our great country in a motorhome, lights dulled of course . . . . 

Until next time, Linda 

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