Hello fellow Sojourners. I’m your host Dave Laton and welcome to Travel With A Purpose, a podcast designed to keep sojourners and friends informed, entertained, and inspired.
In today’s episode we will be talking about some simple ideas to help keep the RV clean or at least looking clean.
Certainly, high on the list of RV living challenges is keeping the interior of the rig clean. It's right up there with maximizing our space. And in fact, it is directly related to maximizing space. By the way, I gave some ideas about that in episode 36. But it seems that no matter how hard we work at it, things just get dirty, dusty, or misplaced. It seems to be a never-ending battle.
We're not talking necessarily about showroom clean, ready for a photo to place in a magazine or sales brochure. But I think we can agree on a simple concept of what is clean. We learn to live with the lived-in look.
One more thought. Try not to compare yourself with others. We all have our own standard of what is clean. Those that have pets have a whole new level of challenges. We don't have a fur buddy so I'll save that topic for another day.
Let's explore just a few tips for helping us keep the rig clean. The more we practice these, the more they become a habit.
1. Remove your shoes before coming into the rig, or at least remove them as soon as you get in the rig. This might be a challenge if you are wearing lace-up boots. If it is impractical to remove your shoes, then at least have a good mat outside that you can thoroughly brush of the soles of your shoes before going into the rig.
And one more thing about shoes, put shoes in a specified place if you are not wearing them. I made an opening on the side of our bed that I can slip extra shoes into. This also removes an annoying clutter that shoes just naturally have.
The second thing we can do is to always make the bed. This can be an automatic part of getting ready in the morning. It doesn't take a long time. It might be more difficult if the bed doesn't allow you to move around to all sides. But taking the time to make the bed helps present an organized and decluttered rig. And this is very important if you have a bed in the general living space.
The third tip is to clean and put away dishes after each meal. We have a rule in our home and our rig. My wife does most of the cooking and I clean up afterwards. She's a better cook so that is my way of contributing to the cause. And, she seems to appreciate it. I put the dishes away except for the pots. She has a certain way she likes to fit them and it is an unsolvable puzzle to me.
The next tip is to clean the countertop. Not only the countertop, I also take a few minutes after washing the dishes to clean the stove surface. We try to keep our countertop clear of clutter. When you live in an RV, everything has to have a secure location anyway, as there’s no way you can keep things out on the counter while you travel. With our very limited countertop space we need to keep the clutter off so that we have space when we cook. Part of that is making sure that the counters are wiped clean too.
Next, remember to put clothes away. We don't have a washer and dryer in our rig so it means we make trips to the laundromat. Once we wash and dry we fold everything. Then when we get back to the rig, we put everything away. Again, my wife has specific places she likes her clothes and I have mine so it is easier for us to put our own things away. But the important thing is, put clothes away. Again, this is not only for cleanliness but also reduces clutter.
If there's a garment I plan to wear the next day, I hang it on a hook in the bedroom, out of the way and ready for the next day.
This next tip maybe should be number 1. Get rid of clutter!
I know we've mentioned this before, but a big part of keeping the rig clean and making it look clean is to declutter. Get rid of excess items that are not truly needed. Refrain mightily from adding extra things to the rig unless you get rid of things. Then remember the rule, a place for everything and everything in its place. I must be honest here…I'm not perfect in this task.
My wife suggests using baskets to place small or loose items. We have some that fit in cubby holes. When I remodeled our camper (see episode 12) I converted some space to add cubby holes just right for small baskets.
We also like to make use of Command Hooks or other such removable hooks. We use them for all sorts of ways to put things in a special place. The nice thing is they are removable and don't leave holes or damage the wall.
By the way, those of us that went through basic training in the military remember how everything had a place and it had to be put in place just so. I kind of use that for my essential items like my keys, watch, phone, and billfold. I have a specific place so I don't have to look around for them in the morning.
Well, that's not everything we can do to clean and make the rig look clean but these are some simple habits that help. If you have some ideas, please share them with me and I'll put them in another episode.
Well, friends, that wraps up this episode and thank you for listening.
If you are interested in being a guest on our podcast or know someone we should have as a guest, or you have a topic we should talk about, please email me at: sojournersevangelize@gmail.com. Also, please follow our podcast to keep updated when new episodes are published.
I’m your host Dave Laton and remember we glorify God as together we, “Travel With A Purpose”!