RV Vacuuming Tips: Get Better Results & Use Your Vacuum Like Never Before

Why a post on RV vacuuming tips? Because RVs can collect dust, dirt, sand, and other unwanted debris very easily. You’re camping, after all, and stuff gets tracked in. But an RV is also a small living space, and small spaces need to be kept as free of dirt, dust, and other types of debris as possible. Maybe its just us, but we think it’s more comfortable to live in a clean space.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take long to clean a small space, so let’s grab a vacuum cleaner and gather some tips and tricks from cleaning experts to make the process even easier and more effective!

11 Pro Tips for Vacuuming Like a Cleaning Service

Just to be clear, we’re not here to tell you how to do your regular cleaning. We assume you all know how to keep a home clean… vacuum in one direction, then the other, blah blah blah. Instead, we’re sharing some tips and tricks that are more like add-ons to enhance your vacuum cleaner’s use, based on suggestions from professional cleaners.

Here we go!

Get a Good Vacuum

This one probably goes without saying, but it’s one of the top tips from the pros… so we’re including it anyway. Buying a decent vacuum is a worthwhile investment. Not only is it essential to have a vacuum that sucks (haha), it’s an appliance you’ll regularly use, so it’s worth grabbing the best one you can afford right from the start. Chances are fair that if you don’t, you’ll be replacing it before you know it.

Take a look at our post discussing 7 of the best RV vacuum cleaners, including our own. That post has something for every size RV and every budget.

Here’s John using our vacuum to clean the living room of our old RV. This vacuum might be too large for a Class B motorhome, for instance. So check out our post to see some of the best RV vacuum cleaners for any size RV and any size budget.

Use the “Stocking Method” to Locate/Retrieve Small Items

Retrieving small items from tight places (can you think of any of those in your RV?) can be tricky, especially if you don’t want the vacuum to consume the item! Finding small things you’ve lost in your carpet can be tricky too. So, check out this pro tip:

Take a piece of stretchy material similar to hosiery, tights, or a thin sock and stretch it over the top of your crevice tool (or just over the hose if you don’t have a crevice tool). Use a rubber band or tape to hold the material in place on the hose/tool, and use your vacuum cleaner to suck the small item up.

Using a piece of cloth like a stocking or sock stretched over the end of a vacuum cleaner wand/hose can let you use the suction to retrieve small items from hard-to-reach places.

The material allows the vacuum to suck up the item/items, without them ending up in the bag/canister.

This method is also great for finding a small item you’ve lost such as an earring. Stretch the material over the tool or hose and start in the area where you think you lost it. Before you know it, your lost item should be stuck to the material stretched over the suction piece.

Clean Your RV Vent Fan Screens Without Removing Them

Use the upholstery brush attachment to clean your RV vent fan screens without removing them. Many of you may already do this, but here’s the pro tip: turn the fan on high before you start, so anything that’s knocked loose and not sucked up by the vacuum will be held in place on the screen and/or blown outside.

Use a Vacuum to Clean Your Window Treatments

According to the pros, vacuuming your fabric window treatments and coverings is the best way to clean and dust them.

You can use a brush tool to vacuum dust away from window blinds and other window treatments. Just don’t allow the dust to build up for too long.

If your vacuum has a small tool, you may want to use it. Just be sure to vacuum them regularly… waiting too long allows dust to accumulate, making it harder to keep them clean.

Use a Vacuum to Clean Your Window Screens

Most of us remove and thoroughly wash our window screens at least once a year, but vacuuming them regularly is a great way to keep them free of dust and debris in between more major cleanings.

Use a Vacuum to Prevent a Fire!

If your RV (or your home) has a clothes dryer, be sure to vacuum your lint trap & dryer vent regularly. This handy attachment may be beneficial – thousands of reviewers say it is!

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Use the “Paper Towel Tube Method” to Vacuum Narrow Spaces

Use a paper towel tube in place of a lost or missing crevice tool to vacuum in very narrow spots, such as window tracks. Place the tube over the hose and close the end to your desired width to fit where it needs to go.

Join Forces with Baking Soda

Enhance your carpet cleaning by sprinkling baking soda over your carpet or rug. Allow it to sit there briefly and then vacuum it up. Baking soda absorbs odors and helps deep-clean carpet fibers, going beyond just sucking up surface dust and debris. Don’t forget your area rugs…unless, of course, you’ve got washable area rugs from My Magic Carpet like the ones we’ve been using and machine washing for years now!

Change the Vacuum Bag/Clean the Canister!

If the “change bag” indicator light comes on (if your vacuum has one), you’ll obviously want to change the bag before using your vacuum again. But professionals suggest changing your bag or emptying the canister more frequently, long before the bag becomes full! Even if you only vacuum once a week, they recommend emptying/replacing it at least once a month (of course, that recommendation is based on the average-sized sticks-and-bricks house… you can probably extend that frequency based on the small size of typical RVs!)

In addition to ensuring that your vacuum thoroughly cleans your RV and doesn’t start spewing dust onto your carpets, regular bag changing (or canister emptying) also helps to keep the vacuum operating much more efficiently.

Check the Filters!

If, like our vacuum, yours has additional filters for dust and allergens, be sure to check them regularly. If your filter isn’t clean, the vacuum’s performance is likely to suffer. Clogged, dirty vacuum filters restrict airflow, limiting the vacuum’s suction.

Sweep Hardwood Floors

That’s right – even if you have a “hard floor” setting on your vacuum, professionals recommend sweeping (or dry mopping) rather than vacuuming hardwood floors. That’s because some hardwoods scratch very easily, and the risk is high that you’ll scratch the floors regardless of the vacuum’s setting.

If you have hardwood floors, professionals say it’s best to sweep or dry mop them rather than vacuuming which can scratch some wood very easily.

Got Any RV Vacuuming Tips to Offer?

If you’ve got tips for how to use a vacuum that maybe the pros haven’t even thought of, toss them our way in the comments section below!

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