It’s almost springtime and that means spring cleaning. Get your elbow grease ready! While you probably go through this cleaning and purging ritual to some extent in your home each year, you should extend it your RV as well to prep it for spring and summertime travel.

One component of RV spring cleaning that’s essential to focus on is removing clutter and streamlining your “must bring” list. It’s so easy to get caught up thinking that you’ll need eight place settings and wine glasses, your espresso machine and waffle maker, every book you own, and your entire set of woodworking tools while you’re on a weeklong trip to the mountains. But bringing more than what you’ll use or actually need will only increase clutter and reduce the living space inside your RV. It can also contribute to the overall weight of your rig, which means it will consume more gas.

So, to get your RV in order, review these common items that contribute to RV clutter and learn how to trim the excess:

• Kitchen gear – Bring only as many plates, cups, and silverware as the number of people that will be traveling with you. If you fear that you’ll be at a campground and have guests, bring paper plates and plastic utensils along for backups. As for pots and pans, you really only need one of each, but limit how many you bring overall.
• Food – Even if you tend to go on long trips of more than a week, just plan to pack the essentials when it comes to food – water, bread, peanut butter, jam, crackers, cheese, some fruits and vegetables, meat, and some oil and butter for cooking. Don’t forget that wherever you’re going, there are probably grocery stores and farmer’s markets along the way. If you’re missing or run out of something, you can always buy more food.
• Tools – Yes, it’s a good idea to have some tools with you in case you need to fix something on the fly, but that doesn’t mean you should carry the entire contents of your garage with you. A small toolbox with a few screwdrivers, pliers, a knife, a hammer, duct tape, and perhaps some glue should be more than enough.
• Clothing – You probably won’t need a ball gown on your trip to the beach, so don’t pack it. And you likely won’t need your entire sweater collection either. Bring a few comfortable outfits with interchangeable pieces and footwear to last for a few days. Find a laundromat if you need to wash everything.

One of the tenets of RV travel and living is to make sure that everything has its place. If you don’t have a dedicated spot for an item, it will get left out and contribute to clutter. So in addition to reducing what you pack in your RV, you should implement unique storage options to keep everything tidy and organized. Use collapsible containers, baskets, and bags that can fold and save space when not in use. Store items under chairs or couches, and use vertical wall space if you have to as well – think hooks for hanging towels and jackets and magnetic strips to store spices in tins. You can even add shelves and other storage options inside cabinets to maximize space that’s typically unused.

Once you begin to keep your RV more organized and free of clutter, you’ll realize that you can survive and enjoy your trips without all your material possessions. To learn more, contact us today!