Andy McPhee would have found the bed in the Lunar Clubman 470/2 he tested in the May issue more comfortable if he had arranged the cushions as below. We have made up the double bed this way in our past three vans and have never suffered backache caused by sleeping over joints in the cushions, so why not give it a try?
AK Haw
Doncaster, South Yorks

To avoid foot infection, cut a rubber bath mat in half and take it with you when using site showers – or make a wooden mat, like Peter Manley did (Top Tips, February 2003), and instead of using it as a doormat, use it in the showers.
Steven Douglass
Blyth, Northumberland

To keep the toilet clean, flush the toilet briefly before use to make the surface of the bowl slippery, then line it with a cheap paper napkin.
When you've finished, flush the toilet and open the waste valve, and the contents of the bowl are neatly wrapped up in the tissue, which flushes neatly into the holding tank, leaving the bowl and seal clean. All our caravanning friends now use the toilet in this way.
Richard Bunn
Fakenham, Norfolk

To remove the adhesive left by dealers' labels on new caravans, rub a small amount of eucalyptus oil on the area with a dry cloth. Leave for a few minutes, then rub gently, and the stickiness comes off easily.
Wendy Lowe
Barnsley, South Yorkshire

To attach a number plate to your caravan, use household silicone sealant. First put a zig-zag line of sealant on the back of the plate, then place it on the van and put sealant round the edges of the plate to make it totally water- and weather-proof.
Removal is easy if you change your van: take a sharp knife and cut around the seal. We have used this system for our past two caravans without damaging either one.
John Gatland
Llanmartin, Gwent

To prevent seven-pin plug cables dragging in transit, twist them together and bind with cling film, then connect to the towing vehicle.
Mr M Taylor
Sileby, Leicester

To get mud out of the bikes tyres before putting them into the awning, use a hand-pumped de-icer bottle and fill it with warm water – the jet produced is strong enough to blast the mud out of the tyres in a fraction of the time a brush will take.
Neil Plucknett
Via email

Use a mineral water bottle to prevent people cutting their feet on sharp metal awning pegs. Cut the top off a bottle, about 10cm to 15cm down and dispose of the bottom. Thread the guy rope through the top of the plastic bottle, replace the rope and place the bottle over the peg, pushing it down to cover the peg. This prevents nasty cuts.
Keither Stone
Nieuwegein, Holland

To keep an Aquaroll cool in the summer, wrap a car windscreen deflector (of the type that has tin foil on one side and foam the other) around the bottle. Use sticky tape to hold it in place. To keep the Aquaroll warm in winter, wrap it in a raincoat, to make it water- and frostproof.
G Betton
Via email

French supermarkets and service station 24-hour facilities can only be used with a French credit card.
If you visit France regularly and you don't want to get caught short, why not open a French bank account? We joined Credit Lyonnais, which was a simple procedure.
All we needed was two utility bills and the latest pay slip. Shortly before we go to France we transfer sufficient money to meet all our expenses. The commission charges for the transfer are usually less than credit card interest rates. We pay for autoroute tolls with our ‘carte bleu', which cuts queuing times at booths. It also enables us to take advantage of supermarket loyalty card schemes.
Dave Heatley
Frampton Cotterell, Bristol