It is important to keep the interior of the RV clean for your own sanity. No one wants to live in dirt.
While there might not be many people in your RV, the area per person is more intense versus a big home. Plus, while we enjoy the outdoors, the dirt, sand, leaves and bugs seem to be attracted to our RVs.
Small RVs also mean that you don't want to have special cleaners for everything taking up space. Everything needs to be compact and used in multiple ways. My six basics are:
1. Sponge
The simple sponge with just water works in many cases. I like the ones with a scouring pad for extra help. This is used for washing dishes along with wiping down counters and camping equipment.
2. Dishwashing soap
Of course, you need to wash your dishes. But once we empty a hand soap container, we refill it with our dishwashing soap. It works well in cleaning our hands and isn't too aggressive. I like Dawn, but I'm sure other soaps will work. This means you only need one container of spare liquid soap as a refill.
3. White vinegar
My largest use of white vinegar is as a general cleaner. Mix four parts water to one part vinegar and add a squirt or two of the dishwashing soap. More vinegar in the same recipe can be used as a stronger cleaner. Put it in an empty spray bottle for a cleaner that can be sprayed on windows, walls, the dashboard or other surfaces.
Vinegar can also be used to clean your RV's water tanks including the clean water and the hot water tank. I've also heard vinegar can be used for salad dressings and sauces!
4. Baking soda
We buy two small boxes of baking soda and put them in our refrigerator and freezer to reduce smells. Then, when we need baking soda for cleaning, we use the same baking soda.
I also like using baking soda and a sponge to clean the sink. A few tablespoons of baking soda in the sink with hot water can keep the gray tank clean. Every once in a while, we pour baking soda in a drain (black or gray), then pour vinegar. The foaming increases the cleaning power.
5. Wet-and-dry mop
I like having a wet-and-dry mop. I use the dry mop to quickly dust the floor to get rid of sand and dust. When the floor needs a deeper cleaning, I use my vinegar general cleaner. I spray that on a section of the floor then follow with the map. The wet-and-dry mop saves space, plus I don't need a bucket of water for a sponge mop.
6. Feather duster
This is my "splurge" in space. A small feather duster can be used to dust the interior of the RV. I even use it to gently dust the car or the outside of the RV when dirt has splashed up or leaves cover the windshield.
These six items can keep the interior of your RV clean without taking up much of your limited space. Do you have something different you can recommend for cleaning?
