Non-Toxic RV Cleaning: Don’t Poison Your Living Space!

We’ve lived in our Class A motorhome full-time for almost 20 years now. We love it, but there’s no denying that an RV is a small living space. That’s why we’re cautious about the RV cleaning supplies we use, favoring only natural RV cleaners that are non-toxic.

We believe it’s important to use natural cleaning products to keep an RV clean, so we thought we’d write a post sharing some of the products we’ve come to trust over the years along with some homemade RV cleaning options that are inexpensive and contain only natural ingredients and no harsh chemicals.

Why Is It Important to Use Non-Toxic RV Cleaning Products?

When you’re living in a small space with little airflow, you’re in constant contact with the cleaning products you use (and any toxins they produce). And those toxins can be trapped in your living space for a long time.

Using safe, all-natural, non-toxic cleaning supplies is a good way to avoid dangerous exposure.

This is why our personal RV cleaning solutions are non-toxic and eco-friendly.

What Are Some of the Best Natural RV Cleaners Available?

There are a couple of ways you can go to clean your RV naturally. You can use commercially-produced RV cleaning options, or you can go the DIY route and use natural products you probably already have onboard.

Let’s take a look at both options and some of the best RV cleaners in both categories.

Commercially Available Non-Toxic RV Cleaning Products

There are a number of good natural cleaning products on the market today.

Following are some of our favorites, along with some of the most popular with other RVers.

Better Life Products

Better Life cleaning products have thousands of positive reviews. We’ve used the products ourselves for years and like them very much.

These natural cleaning products are great for multiple surfaces, from floors & walls to toilets, showers, countertops, appliances, and even carpets.

Better Life cleaning agents clean without leaving any residue behind and are free of petroleum products, surfactants, VOCs (volatile organic compounds), parabens, and alkylphenols.

Here’s their all-purpose, unscented cleaner that’s great for use all over the RV:

They also have a specific tub & tile cleaner, a kitchen & bath scrubber, as well as a toilet cleaner, but we think that the all-purpose cleaner is a great all-around choice for RVers who don’t want to carry multiple cleaning products.

Nevertheless, we’ll drop the links here if you’re interested in reading more about these products.

And finally, Better Life makes a powerful floor cleaner with 10,500 mostly positive reviews:

Seventh Generation Products

Seventh Generation products are also very popular and have an excellent reputation. We use these cleaning products, too, and like them very much.

With respect to those who prefer kosher ingredients, Seventh Generation’s all-purpose cleaner is certified kosher-parve. It contains no synthetic scents, bleach, chlorine, phosphates, or animal ingredients, nor are Seventh Generation products tested on animals.

Seventh Generation makes many different types of natural cleaning products including all-purpose cleaners like this one as well as dish soap, dishwasher pods, laundry soaps, and disinfecting wipes.

All have thousands of positive reviews from users.

Puracy National Cleaning Products

Puracy natural RV cleaners use a plant-based formula that can be used on any surface throughout your home or RV. It’s highly effective at removing all types of stains, including grease & oil, stains from pet accidents, lipstick, juices, and even tree sap and adhesives.

Most important, it’s safe around children and pets and is certified cruelty free.

Puracy products are very popular and come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. With over 11,000 Amazon reviews, more than 90% positive, it sounds like a fair bet you’ll like this product.

Mrs. Meyer’s All-Purpose Cleaning Products

Mrs. Meyer’s natural cleaning products are very popular and widely available. Their natural RV cleaners use essential oils and plant-derived ingredients to keep your rig clean.

The product works well on non-porous surfaces such as countertops, walls, wood and tile floors, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, and even stone.

Mrs. Meyer’s cleaning products are biodegradable and are never tested on animals. They’re made from natural cleaning agents and contain no glycol solvents, formaldehyde, phthalates, or parabens.

Note that this product is not a disinfectant:

Unique RV Toilet Bowl and Tank Cleaner

Specifically designed for use on RVs and boats, Unique RV toilet bowl cleaner is a non-toxic and eco-friendly way to clean RV toilet bowls and RV holding tanks.

If harsh chemicals are used to clean your RV’s toilet bowl, they can interfere with the process of the contents beginning to break down in your black tank, and can even destroy toilet seals.

Products like Unique RV toilet bowl cleaner eliminate odors while also boosting the digestion of waste in the black tank and lubricate toilet seals to keep them sealing well for much longer.

Unique RV is said to be used by more RVers than any other toilet cleaner. It’s safe on plastic, ceramic, and porcelain toilet bowls, and won’t harm seals and valves.

It’s even good for campground septic systems.

DIY Natural RV Cleaners Made from Basic Non-Toxic Ingredients

If you’ve got any of the following products on hand in your RV, you’ve got a great non-toxic natural cleaner. We’re willing to bet you might have at least one of these handy in your rig right now (if not, they’re readily available at just about any supermarket)! Just pick up a few spray bottles to have on hand so you’ll be ready to use your homemade natural cleaning products.

Baking Soda

Baking soda is not only a natural cleaning agent, but it’s also a natural scrubbing agent (due to the gritty nature of the soda) and water softener. This combination of capabilities makes it great for removing water spots, mineral buildup, and soap scum from your shower, sinks, and faucets.

Baking soda is also an excellent grease-cutting cleaning agent and is completely non-toxic. However, it’s not a disinfectant.

White Vinegar

Vinegar is not only an excellent natural cleaning agent, but it’s also a powerful disinfectant. Many people use only white vinegar (cut 1/2 & 1/2 with water) as their home cleaning product.

You may have seen our post on what to do if your RV shower head is clogged, but – spoiler – it involves using baking soda and vinegar.

Citric Acid Powder

Derived from fruit, citric acid has been used as a natural cleaner and disinfectant since the Ancient Egyptians. Used in place of white vinegar, you can get all the same benefits (and more) without the odor (lots of people don’t like the smell of vinegar!).

In addition to being a disinfectant, citric acid is an effective descaler for removing hard water stains, limescale, and even rust. It’s also effective at removing soap scum.

Citric acid is often used as a natural alternative to bleach, both to disinfect and whiten. And it’s also a good degreasing agent and an anti-fungal.

A simple mixture of 1 tablespoon of citric acid powder dissolved in 1 cup of warm-to-hot water can be added to a spray bottle and used as a general-purpose cleaner (for more recipes and uses, check out this article at TheSpruce.com).

When combined with bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) and warm water, citric acid really shines (literally and figuratively). In fact, citric acid combined with bicarbonate of soda makes a fantastic cleaner for old RVs that have become musty and mildewy.

If you can’t find it in your local grocery store (usually with canning supplies), you can pick some up on Amazon:

What are Your Favorite Natural RV Cleaning Products?

Drop us a comment and let us know if you use natural RV cleaners in your rig. We’d love to know what your favorite RV cleaning products are.

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