What we did to move in

There was a bad smell in the RV when we first bought it.  So, I got to work on cleaning.  That was a BIG job.  We didn't realize that it had become a mice palace for quite some time.  Mice apparently love peanuts - there were peanut shells hidden everywhere.  When we shampooed the carpets, it immediately started smelling better.  We also shampooed the upholstery.  Right before moving in, we trimmed our existing memory foam mattress and topper to fit the bed size in the RV.  Also, cleaned the outside.  We used a mixture of LA'S ALL PURPOSE CLEANER CONCENTRATED TOTALLY AWESOME 16 OZ and Bleach to get all the stains out.  That worked really good.  We also used LA'S ALL PURPOSE CLEANER CONCENTRATED TOTALLY AWESOME 16 OZ on the carpet & upholstery.

Meanwhile, Chad went to work on the engine. It was running really well, but it had a misfire problem.  So, he changed the spark plugs & wires.  

We also needed new tires.  We had a shop mount and install them for us since we bought the tires from them.  We got 4 tires.  They are used, but they are in very good shape and they are Michelin tires.  They are mounted on the back.

The refrigerator reeked of ammonia.  After researching that it couldn't be repaired we bought a used refrigerator on Craigslist.  

When we checked out the water system, it needed a new SHURflo 4008-101-E65 3.0 Revolution Water Pump .  The toilet leaked, so we installed a new toilet valve to fix that.  And, a new faucet in the sink.  Also, decided the plumbing was too fragile, so we installed all new plumbing lines.  We used sharkbite plumbing fittings & SharkBite U860B100 PEX Tubing, 1/2-Inch by 100-Feet, so it was quick and easy.  Afterwards, we flushed out the whole system with bleach.

The furnace was also having problems - it wouldn't light.  So, Chad took that apart.

We gave the big outside compartment of the RV a nice paint job inside.  And, we sealed up all the holes & penetrations with Dap 08641 Clear Silicone Sealant 9.8-Ounce & Great Stuff 157911 Gaps and Cracks, 20-Ounce filler to hopefully keep mice out. 

We also replaced some of the existing light fixtures.  One of the ones we bought is a Gold Stars F3528001 LED Dome Light Fixture Single 921 Wedge 150 Lumens 12v Natural White (1) to save energy. 

Also needed to repair the ladder on the back of the RV so we could get up on the roof.

Because of mishaps, we ended up replacing the air conditioner fan blade....twice.

We were previously living in a 1 bedroom apartment, so we had a lot of downsizing to do.  It was a little stressful for me, but it feels really good now to be living with less.  You really don't need that much to live.

P.S. Two helpful articles I've found on how to decide what to keep for downsizing into an RV.
1. rv-living-storage-and-organization
2.  Full-Time-RVing-Downsize-Your-Home