Optimize space in your RV shower to make it feel bigger than it is

By Gail Marsh
I can sing in our RV’s shower, but there’s no room to dance! Trust me. Even though we have a “walk-in” shower with triple-panel glass doors, it’s still small. Our RV shower feels especially cramped when grandkids add their shampoos, washcloths, and body wash bottles to our own collection of loofahs and products. To solve this issue, I’ve researched several ways to make the most of that small space. Here are some ideas I’ve found.

RV shower storage options

• Tension rod. Installing a shower tension rod is one of the best hacks we’ve done to maximize our RV’s shower. We chose to place our tension rod at one end of the shower. We use the rod to dry towels, swimsuits, and more when the grandchildren aren’t along. When they camp with us, we use this hanging mesh organizer to hold their shampoos and more.

• Over-the-door storage. This style of storage container can be placed over the bathroom door. But it can hook over the shower wall, as well. I think we’d probably hang the wire storage system on the inside of our shower to hold shampoos, etc. If you choose to position it on the outside of the shower wall, it could store bath essentials like lotions, extra soaps, hair products, deodorant, etc.

• Suction cup holders: I’ll be honest. I’ve not had good luck with suction cups. Our shower wall has just enough texture that it will not sustain suction, especially when the RV is traveling down the road. Too often I’ve had a real mess of shampoos and body wash bottles on the floor of the shower. If your shower features smoother walls, they may just work for you.

RV shower water considerations

• Replace the showerhead. The water coming from our shower head was abysmal, at best. We replaced it with a low-flow, high-efficiency showerhead and we’re so much happier. We use less water. The new head has several different settings. And I love the hand-held feature.

• Boost your RV’s water heater. This is the unit we’re currently investigating. It’s an on-demand water heater. According to its manufacturer, Bosch, it can be installed at point-of-use on the floor, shelf, or mounted to a wall. (We’d use it to supplement our current RV water heater for shower use.) This unit weighs just 17 pounds and boasts a quick recovery time. The best news is that it comes with a six-year warranty on the unit, with a two-year warranty on parts. Yes, it’s a bit pricey, but would really help out when four or more grandkids camp with us at once.

Other tips

• Curved curtain rod. You may have one of these for your stix-n-brix home. If so, you already know that with this shower curtain you gain eight inches of elbow room inside your shower. That’s a 30 percent increase in shower area—a game changer! We used a curved shower curtain rod in a previous RV and loved it!

• Drain strainer: Keeping hair, leaves, and other debris out of your shower drain is a must if you want your shower to drain properly. Devices like this one catch all of the above so your drain runs well. There is a variety of drain strainers on the market. Choose the one that works best for you. You’ll be glad you did!

Newer RV showers are going bigger with hinged teak seats and other fancy shower upgrades. Some shower enclosures I saw at a recent RV show seemed bigger than the shower we have in our stix-n-brix home. But there’s no need to have “shower envy.” All you have to do is try a few tips and hacks and you’ll be happily singing in your RV shower soon!

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