Hack #10 Slide-Out Top broom / mop.

There are so many solutions to the issue of removing and debris from the top of slide-outs before closing them. You can ruin the seals if you close it when there are twigs, and even leaves, on top so you really do need to clear it off.
Personally, i had a hard shelling out $400, or more, for a little 2 foot topper so I decided to think it over and cam up with a simple and in-expensiveness idea (after seeing some similar items already posted in other places).
For previous trips, I had been climbing up the ladder with a huge beach towel to wipe off any debris and dry up any water laying on top. I am 67 so this is not a great solution.
However, it worked perfectly well. If only I could do this without climbing. Maybe a broom to use from the ground. – like the adapter that goes on my leaf blower for clearing leaves out of the gutters.
It turned out to be incredibly easy. I purchased a cheap broom, with a wooden handle, and dug up materials from my shop.
The idea is to make a handle shaped like an upside-down letter “J”. I cut the broom handle off about 2 inches from the bottom as I wanted to have the screw in part to allow replacing the broom head later. I also wanted the option to break the handle down into 2 pieces if storage becomes an issue.
You will need some tubing to do this. Copper pipe, aluminum pipe, and sturdy PVC pipe will all work well. I used some old copper pipe pieces. You will need two elbows and a couple feet of tubing. The handle has to fit snugly into the fittings. If it is close yet a little too snug, you can sand it down until it just fits.

I did not trust how great my copper soldering might look so I decided to super glue (the copper has to be perfectly bright and clean) and rivet my joints together. Whatever you use, the rivets assure a good connection. You need one short piece of tubing to connect to the head, one about a foot long for the top, and one to connect to the handle (long enough to extend the handle high enough to sweep the top easily).

Attache the wooden pieces to the tubing by drilling a hole through the tubing and wood then secure it with a bolt and nut.

I painted the copper with a flat white primer just to make it look more acceptable and not so home-made.


If I need to mop water off, I have a mop head that slips right over the broom and makes short work of it.