The most difficult part of living in an RV is the limited available space.
You can only fit so many people, animals, and items in your vehicle before it no longer functions.
On average, most RVs are between 20-45 feet long, 8.5 feet wide, and 14 feet tall.
On average, that’s 275 sq feet of space, which is smaller than most small studio apartments.
Because of the limited space, every part of your camper must be organized in the most efficient way possible. Otherwise, you won’t be able to fit what you need inside. Making the best use of the space you have will also create a more comfortable trip and help everyone be happier along the way.
But before you start organizing, there are a few important steps you must complete.
Figure Out What You Have
How can you start organizing if you don’t know what you have?
Create an inventory of all of your items that’s easy for you to frequently change.
You’ll probably want to store this information on a computer.
Find a Place for Everything
If you can’t find a place to store that dish cozy you don’t want to get rid of, chances are good you don’t need it.
Finding a spot to put everything will make it much easier to keep your small living space clean and organized.
Get Rid of Things You Don’t Need
Living in an RV does not mix well with having 20 plates, 40 pairs of shoes, and eight computers. You must pair your possessions down to necessities.
Create a Cleaning Schedule
Life is messy, which means cleaning isn’t something you can just do once and get it over with.
Creating a cleaning schedule is a great way to make sure your mobile home stays organized after you’ve put all of that effort in.
Optimizing Each Area of Your RV
RVs are generally split into five main areas.
- Kitchen
- Bathroom
- Bedroom
- Living Room
- Basement and Storage
Creating and sticking to a plan to organize and clean each of these areas will help you optimize what little space you have.
Kitchen
Cookware easily sucks up a ton of space in your RV.
You’ll want to find collapsible gadgets as often as possible, so they take very little space in your limited storage options.
Pegboard is a great way to store pots, pans, and other items that don’t come in collapsible options on the wall. Suction cup hooks are also a great way to hang things without putting holes in your RV walls.
Storing spices can be one of the most frustrating aspects of keeping a small kitchen.
Counter space is limited so you can’t keep them there, but putting them in a storage container takes a lot of time to sort through them. Instead, consider installing a spice rack right under one of your cabinets to save storage and counter space.
Bathroom
All of those hygiene products take up a lot of space, and the bathroom is probably one of the smaller parts of your camper.
You’ll want to find ways to store your towels, shampoo, toothbrush, and more in some kind of hanging container.
Pick one up from the store, or check out hundreds of ideas on creating storage for your RV bathroom on Pinterest.
Bedroom
Using the space under your bed is one of the best tricks you can apply for bedroom storage space.
You can also make a storage headboard to store books and other forms of entertainment over your head.
There’s no room for a nightstand in an RV. Instead of trying to cram everything under your bed, or worse yet sleeping with it, you can create a caddy that attaches to the side of your bed.
The way you store your clothes will also make a huge difference in the amount of storage space you have on hand.
Learning how to fold your clothes to take up the least amount of space possible will open up more storage space, and help you create a place to keep everything.
One trick many people who live in a small space use is sleeping in a fold out bed.
That way, when you’re not sleeping, you can use the space for entertainment or other things during the day. You can also install a hammock for yourself, or use collapsible bunk beds for your kids.
Living Room
Many RVs have a bedroom that doubles as a living room. Reducing your number of rooms is a great way to open up space for larger important items you can’t seem to fit in your trailer.
You can do this by having a sofa bed that folds out and converting the space for sleeping at night.
If you don’t want to go without TV, mounting a small flat screen onto the wall is a great way to make sure you don’t miss your shows when you’re at an RV park.
Keep your remotes at hand by affixing them to the wall with Velcro.
You can also make the most of your shelving space by adding hooks at the ends. This gives you more places to hang important items you need to hang onto such as jackets, glasses, and keys.
Basement and Storage
Outside storage is a great way to store things you don’t need to keep inside.
Consider adding a tow cargo carrier to the rear of your RV to stash a couple of bins.
You can also install roof mounts on both your camper and your towing vehicle to store outdoor gear like bikes and canoes. Keep your RV hoses secure by handing them up with nylon velcro strips.
Living in an RV doesn’t have to be crowded or cramped.
When you have a good organizational system in place, you’ll be able to store all of your essentials in a neat and orderly way.
Make sure you only keep what you need, and enjoy your on the road lifestyle!
