What’s better than helpful tips? Helpful tips from actual RVers! Here is the “second edition” of an article I wrote last summer.
Thanks to RVers who not only solved problems with their rigs but also took the time to share their tips with the rest of us!
No more spiders!
Tim Anderson was tired of finding so many spiders nesting inside his RV wheel chocks. He solved the problem with a can of high-density spray foam insulation. To complete his DIY wheel chock project, he also added some handles! Smart thinking!
Mosquitoes blown away
Gianpaolo Paoli posted this simple but very effective tip on Facebook. Place a small fan outside of your RV door. (See yellow circled area.) The air movement will keep mosquitoes away because they are notoriously weak fliers. This has prevented the pesky bugs from getting inside the RV! Gianpaolo said this took him six years to figure out. Ha!
DIY clothes dryer
A clever craftsman constructed this wooden hanger for drying clothes from a wall-mounted fishing pole rack. It easily fastens (and unfastens) on his RV’s ladder. On wash day, T-shirts are placed on hangers that hang from the holes. You could also use clothes clips to fasten socks and more to the hangers for drying. Bonus: The drying rack stores easily and takes up practically no space!
Stick it to bugs!
Lauren (an RV neighbor on a recent trip) provided this tip: Tired of so many bugs entering her RV via the electrical and water cords, she applied some Gorilla Tape to each hose. Beginning at the point where the cord(s) touch the ground, she applied the tape backwards (sticky side out) all the way to the RV connection. Lauren’s result could keep an entomologist busy for days!
Handle it
Handle that RV entry door! A clever RVer used screws to fasten a metal handle to his RV’s entry door. It’s so much easier to close the door now that I’ll wager even a child camper could manage it.
Adria L Williams adds, “Use a pop socket as a door handle. Found one that said Happy Camper. They have some with Bigfoot, a forest, the mountains, a river, and really cute designs on Amazon.”
Don’t hit your head
A clever gal used her Cricut machine to record their RV’s dimensions on clear, self-stick vinyl. Then the sticker was placed on their sun visor where it’s easily referenced!
This is a stick-up (idea)
We’ve all collected souvenirs from places we’ve visited. Rather than stuff these memory-inducing items inside a drawer, check out this idea from Amelia Sara! Stickers were applied to plexiglass first. Then, Command hanging strips were used to fasten the plexiglass to the wall. The souvenirs provide happy memories flashbacks, do not impede movement as you walk by, and keep your RV junk drawer happy! Note: Do not use excess pressure on the plexiglass. It can crack! Closely follow the hanging strip directions for best results.
Your turn
Here’s your chance! Do you have an RV tip to share? Use the comments to do so. Then watch for your tip in an upcoming newsletter! Thank you!
MORE TIPS:
- Three easy DIY RV tips from smart RVers
- RVers share a few handy DIY tips
- Our top 10, most-read tips for RVers in 2025
- Cables in a tangle? Use this quick tip to tame them
- Do you know about Amazon’s secret tips for RVers?
RVT1248
Tips-newer trailers with the huge front window over head of bed. Those windows are pretty but in sunny hot weather they cook the inside of the camper & and in bed your pillows keep messing up the blinds. We took two tension curtain rods, one at the top & one at the bottom. We got a set of blackout curtains and cut them to length and sewed another pocket at the bottom. We placed the curtain panels on the rods and inserted the rods inside trim that holds the blind in place in the window. No more hot sun beating in and you can open curtains easily when you want the light. They are also easy to take out and wash.
What a great tip! Thanks, Michelle. Happy and safe travels to you!
My tip is to move to a place that doesn’t have many spiders, cockroaches, mosquitoes, rodents, mold, mildew, and leaking roofs. Like the SW US: low humidity, lots of sun and blue skies 300 days a year, and fewer rodents (except rabbits!). Of course, also widespread drought and more wildfires (yes, less humidity means less rainfall). But there are very few cactus wildfires!
Awning arms, ground stakes, guy wires are all trip hazards. I carry an inexpensive roll of surveyor’s flagging tape (many bright colors available) and add fluttering strips to these hazards.