7 Tips for RV Interior Cleaning

RV living is fantastic in innumerable ways – just too many to count. But one of the things most people who’ve spent any time at all living in an RV will tell you is that keeping the rig clean as you go along is important. Otherwise, a small space can quickly be overrun by annoying little things like dirt, pet hair, dishes, and clothes & gear tossed around, etc. So, in today’s post, we thought we’d offer 7 quick tips for RV interior cleaning to make your life in your RV more relaxing and enjoyable.

This post is more about cleaning than it is about organizing. So, right off the bat let’s just say that in an RV, everything needs to have a place. Putting things right back where they belong after using them is an essential part of keeping your rig the serene environment you want and need it to be… whether you’re on vacation or living & working full-time as we are.

Now on to our 7 Tips for RV Interior Cleaning!

1. Cover Your RV Steps to Keep Dirt Out of Your RV

The first step to keeping your RV clean is not bringing in a lot of dirt and debris. We don’t wear our street shoes inside our RV and it’s a pretty important policy for any living space, really.

So, tip #1 has two components – one suggestion is to have a policy of no street shoes in the RV. Have a pair of slippers or comfortable shoes right at the entrance (unless you’re a bare-footer and that’s okay, too), and a designated place to leave street shoes.

Also, cover your RV steps with a material that has a surface to clean your shoes well before they get put in their designated spot in the rig. You’ll take a step or two into the RV, and you’d be surprised how much dirt can be tracked from there. Having a really good set of RV step covers not only improves the safety of going in and out of your RV, but also serves as a way to remove street dirt from your shoes.

These don’t need to be expensive either. After nearly 20 years of living in an RV, our favorite step covers are Prest-O-Fit Ruggids, and they’re our favorites for a great number of reasons. For more information on why we choose Ruggids as our go-to RV step covers, have a look at our post on RV step covers. It’s a quick read and gives you all the details as well as step-by-step instructions on how to install them, with photos.

Prest-O-Fit Ruggids

2. Use Environmentally Friendly All-Purpose Products for RV Interior Cleaning.

In an RV, with not a lot of room to spare, choosing one or two effective, all-purpose cleaners is important. You’ve only got so much room (and weight carrying capacity) to store cleaning supplies, after all.

We like using environmentally-friendly cleaning products as much as possible. First of all, we care about the environment (especially the immediate environment we live and breathe in all day long). But environmentally-friendly products are also often friendlier to the RV environment, including countertops, floors, walls, and windows and their seals.

You may have a favorite all-purpose cleaner that you use in your RV, and if so, you’re welcome to drop a comment in the section below this post to tell us about it. But, if not, here are a couple with think you might want to check out.

Better Life Natural All-Purpose Cleaner Spray

Better Life Natural All-Purpose Cleaner is a very popular cleaner for a reason. It works, and it works well. We’ve used it for years as our go-to cleaner onboard our RV. It’s also safe, environmentally friendly, and is never tested on animals, so it’s just an all-around good product to use.

With over 8,000 Amazon reviews, it’s clear that many people love Better Life Natural All-Purpose Cleaner – so you may want to check it out if you’re in the market for a good all-purpose cleaner.

It’s available on Amazon (and can also be found in many grocery stores), and comes in two different fragrances (we love the Clary-Sage) as well as unscented.

3. Keep Your Corian Looking New!

Sinks in RVs are often made of white Corian, and Corian surfaces can stain and yellow significantly over time. We’ve got a great tip that works to whiten Corian, even if you’ve got an older RV with Corian sinks that have taken on a very yellow and stained appearance.

We use OxiClean, and we can tell you (and show you) that it works. Have a look at our post, “How Do You Clean a Badly Stained Corian Sink?” for details, instructions, AND video proof! Our 17-year-old Corian sinks still look like new.

OxiClean is great for lots of uses, and we like to keep a tub of it on hand in the RV.

OxiClean Versatile Stain Remover

If you’re pressed for time and need to brighten your RV’s sinks or other stained/yellow surfaces such as countertops, a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is up to the task.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

IMPORTANT NOTE: many RV sinks are actually made of plastic, not Corian, and aren’t quite as durable. Be careful that the above techniques don’t etch/scratch the plastic material of your sink by testing a small area first.

4. Clean Your Toilet Bowl Without Harming RV Toilet Components

Cleaning the toilet bowl is something we all do regularly, and an RV toilet is no different. However, you want to be sure not to cause damage to your RV toilet components by using harsh chemicals. This is very important in order to keep the toilet seals in good condition (so they don’t need to be replaced), to keep the surface of the toilet itself in good condition, and to keep the black tank and the black tank’s dump valve & seals in good working condition.

There are many reasons why using regular household toilet bowl cleaner in your RV toilet is NOT a good idea. If you’d like more details in this regard, feel free to have a look at our post, “Can I Use Household Toilet Bowl Cleaner In My RV Toilet?”

Meanwhile, we suggest this product which will not only clean your RV toilet bowl but also uses a combination of enzymes, beneficial bacteria, and tank-enhancing microbes to remove stains, lubricate toilet seals, boost holding tank waste decomposition, and reduce tank odor. All without harsh chemicals.

Unique RV Toilet Bowl Cleaner and Black Holding Tank Enhancer Liquid 24

If you prefer a drop-in bowl cleaner, we suggest this one from Dometic, a trusted RV toilet manufacturer:

5. Use Microfiber Cleaning Cloths for all Sorts of RV Interior Cleaning

Next on our list of 7 tips for RV interior cleaning is a bunch of microfiber cleaning cloths.

We like these because they’re absorbent and dry quickly, and they come in a large package of 36 for a reasonable amount of money. One of our favorite ways to use them is for cleaning windows & mirrors: use one that’s been wet and wrung out to clean, and a second dry one to dry the glass off. You’ll have sparkling windows/mirrors WITHOUT using any harsh/smelly chemicals.

Zwipes Microfiber Towel Cleaning Cloths, 36 Pack, Assorted

These cloths are useful for too many tasks to list, among them the quick daily clean-up of your rig’s counters and other surfaces. We can assure you that if you have a pack of 36 microfiber cloths like these, (which are a great size and store away easily), you’ll find a multitude of uses for them.

6. Use a Microfiber Mop

In keeping with the microfiber theme, a microfiber mop is nothing short of amazing as a cleaning tool, especially if you have hard-surfaced floors (as opposed to carpeting).

A high-quality dry/wet mop can be used on wood, laminate, tile, and vinyl floors, and can even be used on your RV walls and ceilings (obviously NOT after being used on the floors – that should go without saying, but you never know!)

18″ Professional Microfiber Mop – Hardwood Floor Mop – Dry & Wet Mop for Wood, Laminate, Tile, Vinyl Floors

Two wet/dry pads and a dust pad come with this highly regarded mop system. If you use the pads wet, they dry quickly, and all of the pads can be tossed into the washing machine to be cleaned for the next use.

These are fabulous for collecting dust and pet hair as well as deep cleaning your floors when used as a wet mop.

7. Invest in a Small Vacuum

A little dustbuster goes a long way in an RV.

Depending on the size of your RV, you may want a full-sized vacuum (we use a Shark Navigator Lift-Away that we absolutely LOVE), but many RVers swear by the small hand-held vacuums like this one with a lithium-ion battery:

BLACK+DECKER 20V Max Cordless Handheld Vacuum

If you’d prefer to go a simpler, less expensive route, you can grab a little broom and dustpan set to keep in your RV. Just remember to try to vacuum or sweep at least daily, otherwise, things can get overwhelming pretty quickly, particularly if you have sandy-pawed pets or goldfish-cracker-eating children!

Guay Clean Brush and Dustpan Set

What’s Your Favorite RV Interior Cleaning Tip?

Those are our 7 quick tips for RV interior cleaning. They’re simple, and they work!

But hey – we’re two adult (meticulous) guys who travel without kids or pets and who’ve been living in an RV for nearly 20 years. We also don’t smoke, or wear shoes in the house, and are pretty neat by nature. So keeping our RV interior clean is possibly a little less complicated than it might be for some other travelers.

We’d love to know what works best for those of you who travel with super-shedders like long-haired cats or Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Labs, Corgis, Siberian Huskies, and Great Pyrenees!

We’d also love to hear from those of you who travel with sweet little curtain climbers or drool droppers of everything (also known as babies), or with teenagers who cook for themselves and …yikes.

We’d love to hear what works best for you. Drop us a comment below to share your cleaning secrets!

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