This post may contain affiliate links.
Life in a small space can go from organized to cluttered mess in a New York minute. RV organization is even more important when living in a small camper like a Class B RV. Optimizing space and staying organized can be challenging. Whether you’re in a large RV or a small camper, these 10 RV organization hacks will ensure your space stays clutter-free without breaking the bank.
Simple RV Organization Hacks
Table of Contents
#1 Canvas Shoe Bag
Repurpose that extra canvas bag into a shoe bag. Joe and I take our shoes off when we’re inside the camper van. We found the best way to keep shoes out of the way is to put them in a bag by the entrance. You can keep the bag on the ground or hang it on sturdy hooks.
Cost: Free
#2 Tension Rod Towel Rack
Our second RV organization tip is to use a tension rod to hang paper towels, hand towels, or kitchen towels. We use a 24 inch tension rod in the kitchen to hang a roll of paper towels. There’s also plenty of room leftover for a kitchen towel.
Cost: $5+ Buy on Amazon
#3 Damage Free Hooks
Hooks are handy when it comes to organizing keys or little trinkets. We have a variety of damage free hooks we use to keep things organized. The small hooks are also good for hanging photos/postcards throughout the space.
Cost: $4+ Buy on Amazon
#4 Roll Clothes To Maximize Space
Regardless of how much storage space our camper provides, we practice space saving by rolling our clothes. Joe is able to fit 5 pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of convertible pants, 2 pairs of shorts inside a cabinet that’s 10’ tall, 19 1/2’ wide, 11’ deep at the bottom and 4 1/2’ deep on top.
Cost: Free
#5 Pillowcase Laundry Bag
One of my favorite tips for organizing an RV is to repurpose an old pillowcase as a laundry bag. This is a simple and effective solution for managing laundry in a small space. You can easily tuck it away in a corner or store it in a closet. The best part is that when laundry day arrives, you can conveniently wash the pillowcase along with your clothes.
Cost: Free
#6 Trinkets Box
Charging cords, batteries, headphones, scissors, tape. The list goes on. Stay organized in your RV by placing these items inside a small storage box. It also makes life a lot easier the next time you’re looking for those AA batteries. No more digging through different drawers to find the things you need. Keep all the trinkets in one box in a designated spot.
Cost: $8+ Buy on Amazon
#7 Belt Straps
Do you have an extra belt lying around? Here’s another personal tip for RV organization: turn that belt into a multi-purpose strap. Just like the nylon belts that came with our convertible pants and doubled as straps, you can use an extra belt to keep cords neatly organized or even to hold curtains open. It’s a simple and free way to add a bit of order to your RV living space.
Cost: Free
#8 Small Towels
The towels I grew up using in China is the equivalent of an American hand towel. The smaller towel is enough to dry my body after a shower and it takes up less space and less time to dry. Using smaller towels is a personal choice that has greatly helped in keeping our RV bathroom more organized and spacious.
Cost: Free
#9 Collapsable Storage Bins
The key to staying organized in a small space is to prevent things from exploding all over the place. Certain temporary items find their way to our small space such as shipping boxes or packaging for new camera gear. A collapsable storage bin is perfect for organizing these temporary items in one place. Once we decide to chuck these items, we can collapse and stow the bin away.
Cost: $10 Buy on Amazon
#10 Socks to the Rescue
If you live in a small space that also drives down the road, items will rattle. To protect glassware or anything that may rattle, we repurposed our old socks. Slip a long sock over a wine bottle and an ankle sock over a glass jar. You can also put a few trinkets inside a sock and put that inside the jar.
Cost: Free
Need More Inspiration? Check out our video on RV organization.
How do you stay organized in your small space? Share your RV organization hacks with us by leaving a comment below.
Hi Guys. We love watching your videos. So inspired now that we are planning on getting a rig like yours. We realize that we need to get out there! Have to say though, every time we watch, we need to be drinking coffee! Ha, ha.
Thanks Liz! Appreciate you taking the time to leave us a comment. See you on the road.
Do you have a toilet and shower in your camper?
I like all your suggestions for small campers.
I like Kaits hair!! Looks good.
We aren’t traveling this yr taking some time off and regrouping but always keeping up with you all
Thanks Judy! We do have a toilet and shower.
A lot of great storage items can be purchased from a dollar general for just $1
Hi Kait and Joe, you convinced me…bought my AKTIV September 25??
See ya on the road.
Congrats Kathy! Look forward to seeing you on the road.
Hi guys,
We just met you at thump coffee in bend. Love your blog. Will continue to stay in touch as we embark on our own adventures. Please look us up when in chapel hill nc- if that’s where you end up floating to.
Dawn
Hi Dawn! Great meeting you all this morning. Thanks for the note and we will definitely look you up when we visit NC.
Do you listen to audio books and get a commission when we too order?
We don’t listen to audio books but we would get a commission if you purchased one through our links.
Thank you for your FB posts and YouTube videos. In 2 weeks we will be living in our 5th wheel full time. We didn’t think we would have this opportunity so early in our lives but now we can’t wait. Adventure here we come.
That’s great Danielle! Have an amazing adventure and maybe our paths will cross. Happy trails.
My wife and I are looking at class b’s, will sell our house in 2018! One solution I pondered for boondocking, and for winter camping when water line freezing is a risk, was attaching a Gamma Seal lid on a 5 gallon compost bucket. Just toss a scoop of peat moss in, each time. Then the lid screws down, even with a trash bag hanging over the sides, airtight! But I plan on throwing out the bag every day or two with the other trash, no long term compost. (And rule #1: never get any #1 in the #2, the synergy will create the most highly unpleasant fragrance!) Someone brought up a health concern with poopie in the dumpster. But with my wife and I having been home health nurses we have seen plenty of adult poopie diapers going in the garbage. Waste management systems across the land know this is part of the equation. Hey thanks for the info on the scrubba washing bag, looks like a great option!
You’re welcome for the advice and we had some “adventures” of our own with a composting toilet…https://weretherussos.com/composting-toilet-in-a-rv/
My wife and I have been enjoying your videos on YouTube for some time now. We are avid travelers and road trippers and get a lot of inspiration from you. Right now we’re exploring in our little red car, but hope to get an RV in the next few years. There is so much useful information on your blog I wish I had checked it out some time ago.
Keep up the good work, good luck with the new van, I’m off to check out your pages on starting a blog, it may be time for me to try again. have a great day.
Hi Ray! Thank you for following our journey and very glad to hear you’re finding the content useful. Let us know which RV you end up with. Enjoy your travels in the little red car for now.
Hey what do you think of the small clothes washers, some which are hand or pedal powered?
Hi Ron. We’ve met a few people that use the hand powered clothes washer and it seems works out well for their needs. We have the Scrubba washing bag for smaller items and it doesn’t take up much space. For the majority of the time we go to the laundromat.
Good info thanks. You may have already fixed this but you need to get something to adjust your seat belt. I don’t remember which video but you put the strap down across your arm. I am an x -ray tech and all I can see is a broken humerus if you have to stop fast or (not sending bad juju) crash. Plus it would not hold you back.
Sorry, I am not a crazy stickler for seatbelts, but the way you had yours got my attention.
Brenda
Hi Brenda! I really appreciate the comment and concern about the seatbelt. It’s something I did without realizing and I’ve been paying special attention to it when we’re driving. Thank you for the reminder.