6 Everyday Items All Full-Time RVers Need!
- mealizwest
- Feb 27, 2019
- 6 min read
Full-time RV living is not always fun and games - there is a lot of normal maintenance and "housework" that still needs to be done, even in a tiny space! There are also some inconveniences that you don't usually encounter in a brick & mortar house. Here are 6 of the items that we've found to be critical in our everyday full-time RV living!
1) Washer/Dryer Combo
While I know that not every rig has the hookups for a washer/dryer - and not everyone wants them - we felt that it was a must-have for us and I'm sure glad we did! I do laundry every single day.
Let me repeat that: EVERY SINGLE DAY!
I'm super thankful that Chelsea figured out how to re-wire and re-plumb our rig to make hookups for this wonderful machine! If I had to go somewhere other than my camper to do this, I'd go on strike!
We have a Splendide 7100XC Combo Washer/Dryer Ventless and we love it!
It fits small loads - generally the clothes we wore the day before - but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It means that I stay on top of the laundry and it usually doesn't get too backed up. It will also fit a single Queen-sized top sheet or fitted sheet or most regular throw blankets. You do have to be careful not to over-load the drum, but my philosophy has been this:
when in doubt, take some out!
It doesn't use too much laundry detergent (just a tablespoon per load) and it means that I don't have to go somewhere else to do my laundry (score!).
We chose to go with the ventless option mostly because we didn't want to cut a hole in the camper we'd just spent 10 months painfully renovating (we're chickens, we know!). We did lots of research and found that a ventless washer/dryer combo was the best choice for us. The only drawback that I've found is that if you don't snatch your clothes out of the machine as soon as it clicks, you'll have perma-wrinkles. I didn't even know gym shorts could wrinkle until we used it for the first time!
If you don't grab them before the wrinkles have time to set and lay them out (we hang the dampest ones over the shower to cool down), you're going to have to iron. Sometimes even if I grab them as soon as it clicks, I'll still have to iron Chelsea's work shirts (specially if I forget to unroll her sleeves before I wash them...*sigh*). The next list item helps me do that in this small space!
2) Ironing board/ Iron
Having a tabletop ironing board and steam iron stored away in our camper is a lifesaver when I can't be there to grab the clothes out as soon as the dry cycle finishes.
[we like to run it on the weekend when we go out to explore or do errands]
Sometimes even when we are there, some clothes just end up wrinkled and need to be ironed. We got these for our camper and couldn't be happier:
I use our kitchen island to iron our clothes when the need arises. It's easy to move close enough to an outlet and large enough of a counter space to fit the countertop ironing board we got. I love that the legs fold up and it stores so perfectly between our table and the wall!
Chelsea picked out my iron (with the help of my Aunt Christine) and it's fantastic! It's the first steam iron I've ever owned and suffice it to say I didn't know what I was missing! The retractable cord and slim design makes storing it super simple!
3) Multi-Purpose Vacuum
I don't know about y'all, but with three small animals and two people, my floors are constantly dirty. I have a broom, but sometimes for daily (or multiple times daily) floor cleanings, I prefer to use this super nifty vacuum that we picked up!
The Bissell Bolt XRT Pet 2-in-1 Vacuum is lightweight (always a must in a camper), compact and versatile with it's 2-in-1 functionality. Not only does the handle bend backwards to get under furniture, but it also comes with a crevice tool w/dusting brush, pet hair nozzle tool, and pet hair brush roll all for the hand vac! It makes vacuuming out the air vents a snap as well as dusting the baseboards!
The best part? It's cordless!
Just a few hours charging time and this little sucker is just ready to go!
(ha! see what I did there? LOL)
If you're planning on spending more than a few days in your camper, I'd highly recommend getting one of these bad boys to make cleaning your floors a breeze!
4) Spray Mop
After I've got all the hair and dust off the floors, I like to use this handy O-Cedar ProMist Max Spray Mop to remove the unseen yuck that comes with constant foot traffic - be it human or pet.
I love the spray mop because I can choose what cleaning product I want to use and how diluted I want it to be without having to tote around a bucket. Also, the microfiber cleaning pads are easy to remove and replace, easy on my floors and super easy to clean! I just throw them in the wash with my towels and BAM! Ready to be used again!
I've had multiple brands of spray mops before this one and none of them have held up this well! I love that the microfiber cleaning cloths slide onto the mop instead of being attached with Velcro to the bottom as the Velcro on those usually tear off after a few uses.
This handy little mop is sturdy, sleek and is handling full-time RV life pretty well! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone searching for a suitable spray mop.
[ I store both #3 and #4 - along with our broom - between Chelsea's chair and the wall. It may not be too pretty, but it's easy to get to and the only place we had tall enough to store them all ]
5) Tankless Water Heater
When we got the camper, it had a 5-gallon (I think) water heater already installed. From years of camping with my parents growing up (2 kids, 2 adults) I knew that those things don't last long at all. You'd be mid-shower and YIKES! You've got frostbite. After explaining all of the cons to Chelsea (she didn't RV camp as a kid... she tent camped. *shudder*), we decided that tankless was the way to go!
We picked out this Girard 2GWHAM On-Demand Tankless Water Heater and haven't regretted it!
Not having to worry about if I'll have hot water to wash dishes with after Chelsea showers is a convenience that I love. It's so nice to know that as long as we have propane, we have hot water. It comes with a really nifty control panel that we mounted on some pretty aluminum sheet metal where you can control the temperature or read any errors that come up - like if you're out of propane.
It was pretty easy to install and hook up (if I go by the lack of yelling from Chelsea). The only drawback that we've noticed is that if the water pressure isn't high enough (we went to a private RV park that had really weak water pressure), we don't get hot water - which is a bummer. But it's still worth it to us as we don't encounter that problem often.
If you're thinking of switching to tankless, the Wests say "DO IT!"
6) Battery Banks / Portable Chargers
Unless you've got a brand new rig (and if you do, I'm kind of jealous), odds are that you won't have many outlets in convenient places. Chelsea's overstuffed chair in the living room slide isn't anywhere near an outlet and having extension cords all over the place isn't really our style.
One of the things we brought with us from our brick & mortar were the 4 battery banks that we'd accumulated over the years. I think 1 was from Chelsea's camping gear (again - tent camping. Definitely only her thing. I need a toilet that flushes, thank you very much) and the other 3 were stocking-stuffer gifts from my techy mama over the years. She always gets us a battery bank and a few USB flash drives and they are truly a lifesaver.
I try to keep one on the charger and change them out every couple of hours (when I remember). We've made it a habit to check and make sure we don't leave or go to sleep with one charging (always be aware of fire hazards in your rig), but they really do come in handy! Between iPads, tablets, vapes, phones, bluetooth speakers and all of the handheld technology we all know and love, outlets are hard to come by and having a few of these battery banks charged up really make a difference!
These are our 6 everyday items we feel are handy to have for full-time RVers! What everyday items do you use the most? Do you have a few things you find yourself using day after day?
Log in and let us know what they are in the comments!
We love hearing from you and hearing all about the things you find most useful in your camper life! Even if you're not full-timers, what items do you have to have when you go camping?
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