Tips for Simple RV Living

Living in an RV can be overwhelming–whether it is for a weekend, extended trip, or even as a full-timer. Being a smaller space, it seems like it is a never-ending mess to clean up, but it doesn’t have to be that way, and you don’t need to go shopping for a bigger rig (unless you do, but you know what I mean!)

Messes are going to happen–we are living life, after all! Here are a few practices we have found that allow us to keep the chaos in check and only spend about 15 minutes doing it! And, they can be helpful, even if you don’t live in an RV.

INVENTORY Having less will definitely make life easier. Travel with card games instead of board games. Bring toys and activities that can be used a variety of ways and store easily. We keep 1-2 weeks of clothing items, and have items that can be multi-purpose or layered for different weather. For dishes, we have disposable for boondocking, but otherwise have 1 of each item (bowl, plate, cup, utensil) per person and just wash after every meal. We also only keep enough food storage containers that we have to eat leftovers after 3 days. Use digital books and movies, or a CD/DVD book to store them. We keep 7-10 days of food items, and things that can be used for more than one meal (soft taco shells also make great wraps , breakfast burritos or personal pizzas!) Finally, make sure every item has a home that isn’t out in the open–as much for travel storage as for sanity.

DAILY TASKS Our spaces serve multiple purposes in RV life, and being in an outdoor lifestyle can bring a lot of dirt in, so daily resets are key! Every morning, we make beds or convert sleeper sofas from bed to couch, we sweep/vacuum the floors, shake out the rugs, and sweep/blower the patio area. After dinner, we may sweep/vacuum the RV again, then make up the sleeping areas.

During the day, we know we have meal time, work and play time, and family time when we are inside, so as we transition between these we make sure to reset the area as we finish. That means washing, drying and putting away the dishes after each meal, packing away a game after playing, tucking the laptop away after working or scrolling, or cleaning up the art supplies after creative time. It may seem like a lot of work, but since we keep inventory to only what we need and everything has a home, it can move quickly.

ROUTINE DAYS FOR RECURRING TASKS As humans, we crave routine, so setting up days helps us not get overwhelmed and keep a rhythm. On Monday mornings after we go over the week’s plans, talk about travel and work schedules, create a dinner menu, inventory the pantry, toiletries, and other supplies and go grocery shopping. We do a full cleaning (i.e., bathroom, mop, and windows) on Friday mornings, in addition to the daily floors and kitchen reset after each meal.

Since we have a washer-dryer combo in the RV, I do laundry daily, at least 5 days a week. I do clothes Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and towels and bedding Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. If we are busy doing something else on a day, I just skip it! When we went to the laundromat, we just stashed everything in the cabinet under the sink and when it was full or we ran out, it was time!

Mornings are when we do school work and I take care of the blogs, social media and family management, like bills, budgeting, travel planning or scheduling appointments or reservations. We have family dinner daily, as well as family time a few times a week.

Our son has a set time he plays online with friends, so this is also a time we may work on the blogs and social media or travel planning, as well. Sometimes, it’s when we get time to ourselves or together. He is also interested in culinary right now, so a few times a week, we work in baking and cooking activities.

We work maintenance and repairs in as needed, so sometimes they are just a quick check, and sometimes it’s pretty much the day.

While this sounds rigid, it’s not! Having this routine helps us keep flexible. Unless it’s a reservation or appointment, none of this is rigid, and none of it is time consuming.

Start small–pick the thing that is your biggest source of stress.

Is it too many dishes to wash? Downsize, plan for simple meals, use paper plates or just a paper towel for that sandwich or toast, and reset the kitchen after the meal is done.

Is it laundry? Have a place for it like a bag in the outside garage or under the bathroom sink, like us, and go when it needs done.

Is it always picking up messes? Start by doing resets after activities, or transitioning from various stages of your day. Resetting the entire rig at least once a day is a good start and, with everyone doing something, it happens fast!

If it is too overwhelming or a little bit of everything, set a 15 minute timer and everyone does something until time goes off or it’s all done. You’d be surprised how much you’ll accomplish with the motivation of a timer, and it becomes a game with littles!

Let me know in the comments some of your top tips for keeping life under control in your RV, or your home!