The Best RV Hacks You Shouldn’t Overlook

RV Hacks No.1 - Keep All Toiletries and Towels Organized

Nobody likes towels, soaps, and shampoo bottles lying around. Even worse, you definitely wouldn't want them on the bathroom floor, which could easily happen if you have to suddenly brake and stop while driving.

And for those that like order, you would hate it if someone were just to mix up all the towels, leaving you to guess which one is yours - urgghhh! And, it would be disastrous to go searching for toiletries throughout your RV just because you didn't put them in the bathroom beforehand.

To prevent this you need shelving space and one of the best RV hacks is to get some storage bins like the ones in the picture. These are available in most supermarkets and hardware stores for cheap, and of course you can get them on Amazon. Pick ones that fit your requirements and simply attach them to a spare bathroom wall. 

You can either drill holes for screws and secure them into place or use heavy-duty, double-sided tape. Use double-sided tape only if you are sure you are not going to place something too heavy inside the bins.

See-through, transparent, or rack-style bins are best for this purpose. They allow you to see what's kept inside the bins clearly. The bins will prevent clutter and keep your toiletries organized. This hack will save you tons of trouble while in your RV, allowing you to keep your personal toiletries separate, and prevent them from going missing.

RV Hacks No.2 - PVC Pipes Aren’t Just for Water

Our next idea is one of the most quirky RV hacks. Taking along your cosmetics and hair tools is a necessity for many, but of course they take up vital space. Well if you have some spare PVC pipe lying around, or even get some cheap from the hardware store, you can make a holder for your vanity equipment.

It's a good idea to get yourself a conjunction piece like the one in the picture. Doing this will allow you to store two hair tools together easily. If you're worried about whether it's safe to keep hot hair tools inside a PVC pipe, then worry not. These holders are perfect and will even allow your equipment to cool off. Just make sure to pick the correct PVC pipe size, one that fits and holds your hair tools perfectly.

You don't just want to leave there. After all, you don't want a boring color pipe with, do you? Get creative and paint or spray the holder to make it look classier. You can also easily sand down the edges for a smoother finish, and paint it with any color you like, and you can even get some glue and get even more creative if you like.

No.3 - Up-Cycle Your Denim for an Easy-to-Make Cutlery Holder

Have you got an old pair of jeans laying around? Some you're intending to throw away? Well don't throw them away! You can make a cutlery holder out of them.

Not only will a denim cutlery holder keep your spoons, knives, and forks organized, but it will also keep them in place. 

All you need is a piece of old denim from a pair of jeans, jacket, or shorts, and a sewing machine. Don't worry if you don't own a sewing machine, you can simply sew this cutlery holder up with a needle and thread, too, it'll just take a bit longer. Once you decide how large you want your holder to be and how many compartments you need, it all becomes easier. Just make sure your pockets are deep enough so the cutlery won't fall out. 8-10 inches deep should be ok.

You can then sew the required pockets onto a larger piece of denim. The larger piece needs to be the size of the space you will mount the fabric onto. Once all sewn up, all that is left to do is pin it up and get some cutlery organized!

No.4 - Light Things Up - No More Stumbling at Night

Sick of tripping and falling down the stairs of your RV? Are you worried that one of your kids or elderly people will take a tumble whilst using the stairs at night? Then, worry not!

The next RV hack we're going to suggest is for preventing mishaps and will make sure people can see where they're going in the deep of night.

It all depends on how much you're willing to spend and whether you have similar equipment lying around. What you can do on the stairs to make them more secure is to install lights on each step. Not only does this add an aesthetic feel, but it also makes them more safer and more secure.

The next step is to pick out the kind of lights you'd like to put up. As we mentioned before, this hack gives you tons of options. You can pick LED strips that can be pasted onto the stairs, solar, or battery-powered lights and even glow-in-the-dark strips.

It's necessary to assess first and foremost whether you can provide a power connection to your lights. If you can, all you'll need to do is simply plug them into the nearest power source. Remember to make sure the wires are tucked in securely, as that could be hazardous.

If you don't have a power source, it's best to invest in self-charging, battery-operated, or glow-in-the-dark light strips. It also depends on how much you want your stairs to light up.

RV Hacks No.5 - Keep Your Tissues Within Reach

Do you have kids around and are resigned to that fact that it's going to get messy? Are you someone who will likely need tissues within arms reach? Then you are going to love this RV hack!

If you already have some sort of removable rods in your RV, then you simply need to thread a tissue roll or two through them or tissue boxes behind them to keep your tissues organized. But if you don't, all you need are a couple of adjustable rods that can be extended and screwed across any length.

These are widely available at any hardware store and are very cheap. Get your hands on three or four of these, and you're good to go. Non-adjustable rods will also fulfill your purpose, given that you know the exact length of the area where you'll be putting them.

Once you get your hands on the rods, you can either

you can simply thread tissue rolls through or behind them, as shown in the picture. Furthermore, you can hold up tissue boxes as well if you place them close enough to the roof of a cabinet or cupboard. Two rods placed close to each other will help you hold up tissue boxes easily.

RV Hacks No.6 - Small Kitchen Space? Get Creative!

Is there little to no space in your RV kitchen? Or is your kitchen too small? Worried about where you're going to place your spices and cutlery? Then worry not, because we are sure you have walls, and this next RV hack will open up your space.

If you're crafty enough, you can easily create your own pan holders and cutlery box out of wood or hardboard, just like in the image above. If not, these are available for cheap in most hardware stores. You can pick the ones that fit your size, requirements, and shape. For knives, you can paste a magnetic strip across the wall to keep them within reach.

For spices too, you can get tiny wood boxes or compartments, or you can attach tiny cabinets into your RV if that's possible. You can also create an overhead shelf using two pieces of wood. Tiny bottles which hold spices and herbs and fit together perfectly in one shelf are best. These too can be bought for cheap. Similar bottles will fit together perfectly, preventing them from sliding around in case you are not able to put a door on the front.

RV Hacks No.7 - Prepare Ahead of Time With Movies On-the-Go

Spending hours on the road can be boring, especially for kids, so why not entertain them with movies. This next idea is one of the best RV hacks and is pretty much a cost free way of keeping the kids, and yourself entertained while away from home. We say cost-free because most of us these days already have Wi-Fi, mobiles phones, tablets, and 4G connections.

You can easily download movies and music beforehand to watch whilst on your trip. Simply install them on your device and connect it to your smart tv etc. Even better, if you have a Netflix subscription, your kids will be able to watch that as long as you have a secure enough connection.

If you're worried about your phone, tablet, or laptop having enough space, you can download and carry your media on a USB. Make sure you get one that can be connected directly to a phone or tablet via its port.

You can also purchase a separate connector that enables this instead. Downloading games to your devices beforehand is also a great idea. A smart move would be to carry additional chargers and/or a powerbank with you, as well.

RV Hacks No.8 - Create a DIY Magnetic Make-up Holder

Are you someone who loves keeping their makeup organized? Are you someone who loves to have all their makeup within reach while getting ready? Worried because there's no dressing table in your RV and no drawers or compartments to store your cosmetics? Then, worry not, because the next of our RV hacks is especially for you.

Keeping your make up within reach of a mirror is a necessity for most, especially if you don't keep it all in a carry basket. So, why not keep all your make up on the wall next to your mirror?

All you need to invest in is a magnetic strip or a magnetic board. The one in the link is a nice decorative board, or you can get one that will easily cut with scissors to your size needed. They generally have peel-off tape on the back so you can just attach them anywhere like a sticker. Whichever one you get, simply attach it to the wall.

Then you need some sticky magnets to place on your cosmetic products. Make sure, they're strong enough to hold your products up, but simply place stick them to the flat surface, so it can simply attach to the magnetic board.

Of course, you can always get hold of an actual magnetic strip and attach that to your wall. They're harder to come by than metallic strips, but you can get them from hardware stores. And the beauty of these is that you wouldn't need to attach little magnets to your cosmetic products. 

No.9 - Modify Your Couch for More Storage

Do you have a smaller RV? Then this hack will delight you. We're pretty sure everyone has a couch in their RV. If not, you must definitely have a flat sofa or bed, and of course, this takes up much of the room. How you can use this to your advantage is pretty simple with the next of our RV hacks. 

It''s perfect if you already have empty space beneath any of these furniture pieces. What you'll need to do is create a kind of box whose lid can be your couch, sofa, or bed. And best of all, you can section this into as many compartments as you need.

Even better, if you already have boards covering the bottom of your couch, simply saw the top off and attach door hinges. You can then further divide this into sections for storing various items, including bed sheets, towels, gadgets, jewelry, food, blankets, and anything else you can think of.

The best part of this hack is that after closing the lid, everything stays in place and is safe. Even if your RV jerks a lot, the things stored in there will stay secure and organized!

RV Hacks No.10 - Make Use of Hangers

Nobody wants flying knives, right? It's not good either when you open a cupboard and knives fall out. It happens, believe me. Knives can be dangerous, so keeping them safe, secure and out of the way is essential, especially if you take the children and pets along.

Getting a wall mounted magnetic knife holder for your sharpest instruments is a great way to keep them secure. They're relatively cheap and will keep them safe from sliding around and possibly hurting someone. And best of all, they will free up space in your drawers or cupboards for other essential items.

It's not only knives that you can keep on the wall, however. How about fixing a rail to your wall to hang all your other crockery, too. Mounted kitchen rails come in all shapes, sizes and strengths, and will allow you to keep other big items on the wall and again free up space for other things that you might not have been able to to otherwise take.

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