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Organize Your RV Like a Pro
Too much in the RV is a problem many of us encounter. For instance, you’re shifting things around often, running into items you know you don’t need, or can’t seem to find the items that you do need when you need them. It takes time to get everything organized, discipline to keep it organized, and perhaps a little creativity to develop storage solutions you may not already have. Plus, too much stuff in the RV could lead to unintentionally overloading your
camper, which is unsafe particularly when it comes to towing capacity.
STEP 1: KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE.
If you really want to know what you have in your RV, then
you really should write down everything you have in the RV. This is a tremendous task, but this is the best starting point for professionally organizing your RV. This is regardless of the type of RV you have, or the space available.
STEP 2: PURGE.
Now that you know exactly what you have in the RV, you can start removing items. Do you need 12 plates? Why are there three rolls of garbage bags? You should go through this process once a year by looking in every area and bin and asking yourself, do I really need this? What you carry may change as well, depending on where you’ll be camping in a particular year or who will be coming along.
STEP 3: MAXIMIZE SPACES.
If you’ve been RVing for a while already, then you already know there are some areas where you would like to better optimize and maximize the space to make it easier to keep organized. Closets, pantries, and kitchen cabinets are prime examples. For closets, tiered hangers, wall hooks, double-hang rods, floor racks, shoe organizers, and soft hanging organizers can help you make use of every square inch of space. When it comes
to pantries and keeping food organized, one of the biggest space savers is to remove bulk items from the packaging and
order them in clear containers that fit better on pantry shelves. Magazine racks can be placed in more vertically oriented spaces to maximize vertical space and hold items such as cutting boards and cookie sheets, or even canned goods. Items in kitchen cabinets should have dedicated space; label the shelves if needed to make sure everything returns to its spot. The insides of doors of cabinets and sides of counters and walls under the cabinets are also spaces where you can add Velcro, Command hooks,
or magnetic surfaces (for items such as magnetic spice jars or knives) to keep things organized and handy.
STEP 4: DESIGNATE SPACES.
Each and every item should have its place: where you put the keys, where to find the flashlights, and where to store the games. Storage bins should be appropriately sized for where they will be stored, whether that’s in an upper compartment, under furniture, in a cabinet, or in an exterior storage space. They should also
be clearly labeled on multiple sides for easy recognition. If you want to go a step further, make (and print out) a list of what each storage bin contains and tape it to the inside of the lid; leave room on the paper for writing in additional items.
Another important consideration is to store items where they will be the best available when you need them. You don’t want a bin that you use frequently to be under a bench so that you have to get on your hands and knees every time you need something from it. This takes some thinking and may require some real-life practice to find the ideal spot.
12 • 2024 MICHIGAN RV & CAMPGROUNDS
MichiganRVandCampgrounds.org