Decluttering your RV should be a top priority

When is the best time to declutter your RV? Right now! That’s because if you’re like most RVers, decluttering may rank pretty low on your priority scale. It shouldn’t, though! I’ve discovered that RV life is much more enjoyable once you declutter.

Why declutter?

There are several good reasons to declutter your RV. Here are just a few:

• Weight. Everything weighs something. Yes, some things weigh less than others, but it all adds up. Decluttering can help reduce the overall weight of your rig, help you distribute weight more evenly, and put less strain on your vehicle.
• Fire safety. Clutter can fuel a fire and fire in an RV spreads quickly. This often results in a total loss. Paper, fabric, paint, and other hobby materials need to be purged often to prevent a potential fire hazard.
• Functionality. A decluttered RV functions best. Knowing where each item belongs helps your RV life go smoothly. Instead of searching for something that you know is “in that cupboard somewhere,” you can access what you need and get on with your day.
• Health. Often the result of clutter is dust. If you have allergies, you’ll really appreciate a decluttered RV. Mold or mold spores can also result from clutter. Get rid of it!
• Social interaction. You may be more likely to welcome a new RV friend inside your rig if things are clean and orderly.

Where to begin?

Choose a spot. Any spot. The trick is to begin. Get started. You don’t need to declutter the entire RV in one day. Pick an area and declutter it. Like the Nike slogan says: Just do it!

Kitchen

• Slow cookers. I was so surprised to discover we have two slow cookers packed in our RV kitchen. Two! Both cookers are identical and are a large size. By removing one I freed up a lot of space and I can still make soups and other family favorite meals.
• Ice maker. Our portable ice maker is great. However, since we recently replaced our RV refrigerator with a full-size residential model, we no longer need a separate ice maker. Out it goes!

Tip: If you have appliances you rarely use, consider removing them as you declutter.

• Towels. “How many kitchen towels and dishcloths do you need?” my husband wondered. (He was intrigued by my decluttering and eagerly joined in!) I had to agree that two dish towels and two dishcloths is enough since I normally do laundry once a week. I put the extras into a box for removal.
• Plates and cups. Unless you regularly entertain large groups, you can probably reduce the number of plates, cups, and glasses in your RV’s kitchen. We have enough for our children and grandchildren. The issue? We don’t camp with them as much as we used to. The grandchildren are older and involved in sports, etc. I can definitely take out some plates and cups.

Tip: I placed the extra dishes into a box marked “Family camping.” That way I can easily bring the box back into our rig when the entire family comes along.

• Cookware. I was able to declutter my RV pots and pans cupboard, too. Since we usually buy fresh or frozen veggies that can be steamed inside the microwave or grilled outside, we no longer use saucepans. Out they go!
• Cleaning supplies. We store our cleaning supplies under the kitchen sink. (Doesn’t everyone?) I discovered dried-out wipes in a canister of Clorox wipes, so they found their way into the trash. I also trashed several tattered rags and combined two nearly empty glass cleaner spray bottles into one.

Tip: Be careful combining cleaning products as harmful chemicals may result.

Living space

• Maps and brochures. My husband sorted through a stack of maps and brochures, discarding the outdated ones.

Tip: If you choose to keep old campground maps, decide on a method to store them. Perhaps put them in a three-ring binder, organized by year. That way, you can more easily locate and review them.

• Books, DVDs, etc. We also decluttered a drawer that held several books and DVDs. I took the ones we no longer wanted to the campground “Library.”
• Extra linens. Remember the extra plates and cups for family camp-overs? The extra bed linens for the sleeper sofa went into the same “Family camping” box as above.
• Games. It was fun to declutter our RV’s collection of games. Together my DH and I recalled times past when the children were smaller. We removed the “early learning” games we used to play with them. We counted the cards in each deck to make sure all were accounted for and tossed out any games with too many missing pieces to function properly.
• Miscellaneous. Finally, we tackled a drawer of miscellaneous items (aka, the junk drawer). Inside I found décor items from our very first RV! Sadly, our current rig doesn’t have wall space for them, so out they go, along with dead batteries, old campground maps, and a 2021 wall calendar.

Whew!

It felt so good to declutter our RV. We still have the bathroom, bedroom, and basement to go, but that will have to wait for another day—another article! I hope I’ve inspired you to declutter your RV. Trust me, you’ll feel a real sense of accomplishment and love the improved functionality, as well. Happy RVing!

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