Author :Stephanie A. Mayberry in Education
There are so many great RV hacks to organize a small space that you can easily start using right away! When space is at such a premium as it is in the RV, you will find yourself seeking a way to use every available space to make sure you can travel with everything you need. Here are some of our favorite RV hacks for organization. These are tiny living spaces so even a little clutter can get out of hand really fast.
Baskets.
Baskets are a great way to sort and compartmentalize little items. The cabinets in our travel trailer are cavernous. I use plastic containers to store stuff (more on that later), but for things we use every day like towels and such, I use baskets. They are rectangular or square baskets so they fit well among the storage containers with no wasted space. I also have a couple of small baskets in our living area, one for me and one for my husband. I keep some pens, notecards, lotion, and hair ties in mine. Instead of setting my phone on a counter or table I drop it in the basket. My husband keeps his guitar picks, various cables, and several music gadgets. When we move we just drop them in one of the ottomans and go.
White Board
I got one of those small dry erase boards from the Dollar Tree and mounted it on the inside of my pantry door. I use it for to do lists, grocery lists, and other important notes. I also use the bottom third to record the RV campground name, address, spot number and other relevant info of where we are staying. That way if there is an emergency I don’t have to waste time digging around for an address so the police or ambulance can get to me – it’s right there on my pantry door. Oh, and get your own pen. The one that comes with the board is lousy.
Storage Ottomans
This is one of my favorite finds. I picked up a couple of small, cube storage ottomans and they are wonderful! We use them for storage, we prop our feet on them, and we use them as extra seating. They are small enough that they don’t get in the way, but provide some very nice extra storage. I got them in a nice chocolate brown and they go nicely with our décor in here. They are great space savers.
Plastic Containers
My life wouldn’t be the same without my waterproof plastic storage containers. I get the transparent ones so I can see what is inside, and I stack them in my cabinets. When we are in transit everything stays right where it should and when we are parked I can get to what I need quickly and easily. They stack so it is easy to keep closets and cabinets organized, plus they are square so the fit well with my baskets – no wasted space.
Mop Holder
Mop holders are just super cool. You can use them to hold your mop and broom, but they will also hold oh so much more! Put them in strategic areas to hold your flashlights, or install them on the inside of cabinets to hold your spices. There are tons of creative uses for this handy little gadget.
Shoe Organizer
I was first introduced to the shoe organizer idea by my mother-in-law. She lives in a house and has a plastic shoe organizer hanging on her bathroom door to hold her toiletries and bathroom type items. Most RV bathroom doors can accommodate them as well (I am not a fan though, it just seems to get in my way) or you can hang one in your shower. A really cool idea for shoe organizers, though, is to cut them so that the pockets are a horizontal strip as opposed to a vertical strip. Attach them to your bed frame and create extra storage all around your bed. Hey, every little bit of extra storage helps!
One of the best pieces of advice I can give you for organizing your RV is make use of the vertical space. In RVs there’s usually lots of it. You can use cabinet organizers like a wire stacking shelf to create an additional shelf, but you better make sure you secure it well or you are going to have some problems when you move your RV. Open stack baskets work well too. A plastic magazine organizer is great for holding your paper plates – or real plates for that matter. They are a great use of vertical space. Think stacked.
What’s your favorite RV organization hack? I would love to hear about it. Share it in the comments!
Stephanie A. Mayberry escaped the hustle and bustle of city life in Washington, D.C. where she worked as an analyst, FOIA officer, and technical writer for the U.S. federal government to pursue her first love, freelance writing, full time. She has been a writer, author, public speaker, and photographer for more than 25 years; now she, her husband, and little dog Gizmo enjoy the laid back lifestyle as RV full-timers going wherever the wind takes them. Learn more about Stephanie at stephaniemayberry.com
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