Five Organization Tips For Your Travel Trailer

Organizing things can be a pain sometimes. Especially when you have such little room to organize it in. Most of the time, we have trouble packing just our clothes into a suitcase, but packing it up for a long period of time in what is the equivalent of a tiny-house-on-wheels, can leave lots of people stumped. Fear not though, I have you covered!

The move from your multiple bedroom house to an RV can often seem intimidating. Downsizing is hard for anybody and nobody can prepare you for downsizing that much. Once you’ve finally downsized it all to a reasonable size though, you feel that sense of confidence that makes you want to puff your chest and sing from the rooftops ‘hey, I just accomplished that! Nothing can scare me now.’ Actually, the lack of organization that you’re about to have can be pretty scary.

Once you get into your new home on wheels, all ready to take on the world, you realize just how much room that tiny bit of stuff can take up. You get into super OCD cleaning mode, but even then, everything seems cluttered. It makes you feel defeated. Suddenly the walls are closing in, and you’re realizing just how small this tiny home is. You start to regret your decision, and begin pacing all five feet of your floor space in the living room/kitchen. How do you organize all of this stuff that used to effortlessly sink into your bedroom with no worries?

1. Don’t forget to take advantage of the cheaper stores:

Automatically, you want to rush to grab organization tools. You feel a need for

something that will work, and do its job well. So, of course, you make a beeline straight to IKEA. One look at that small $19.99 plastic tub that folds into the wall, and you start to wonder how much you really need organization. Three of those, would sure damper your check book, and you have dinner with the Johnsons next weekend.

Actually, organization tools can be really overrated. Now don’t get me wrong, some are super helpful, and IKEA sure has a wide variety of them, but maybe it’s best to start small. In fact, a trip to your nearest dollar store might be your best bet.

Surprisingly enough, the smaller stores like that, have a lot of usable organization items. You can get jewelry organizers, small containers for the kids’ crayons, and that silverware tray you’ve been needing for less than five bucks. So, before deciding to go all out with the big items, scout out your nearest Dollar Tree, or Ninety-Nine Cent store, and collect the best items you can find from there before raiding the bigger, more intimidating stores.

After leaving the Dollar Tree, you’re starting to get that happy, proud feeling again. Things are going to be okay. You have exactly what you need to make things feel less cluttered, and now you don’t have to shove stuff into the hidden spaces underneath the chairs when the in laws come to visit.

Well, it’s true you’ve freed up some space, but you’ll still want to take advantage of those little nooks and crannies.

2. Take advantage of ALL of those hidden places in the right ways:

Almost every RV has some kind of hidden spot. Whether it’s under the fold out bed, or in the cupboard in the wall, it’s there, and it is definitely useful. While it may seem like a perfect hiding place for clutter, since you’re usually shoving stuff in there just to get it out of the way, it’s actually an opportunity for more organization. Allow me to elaborate:

Remember all of those organization supplies you got a minute ago? The little storage bins? Yep, you’re going to want to use those in all of the hidden places. In any place you don’t keep food or clothes, you can keep something else. Put all of George’s Legos in the little container you bought, and shove them under the fold out bed. Keep all of your cleaning supplies in a box under the cabinet. Put your makeup in that tiny spot in the bathroom by placing it in one of those smaller tubs, and putting it sideways into the cupboard. The opportunities are endless, as long as you take advantage of all of that extra space (and sell places out of plastic tubs).

Now you’re feeling pretty good about yourself. You’ve gotten everything packed up all nicely in the color-coded tubs, and things feel way less cluttered. You glance at your watch and realize that you’ve been so busy you haven’t even had dinner. Since you’re suddenly starving, you open up the freezer to get out one of those microwaveable pizzas.

AVALANCHE! You bolt out of the way as tons of veggies and junk food come pouring out.

Oops. Guess you forgot you shoved all of that in there earlier. At this point, it’s kind of tempting to grab that ice cream off the ground and collapse onto the couch in a heap of tears and chocolatey goodness, but nope! You push yourself to organize anyways.

3. Ziploc bags are lifesavers:

Fridge and freezer items can literally be some of the most tear inducing, brain hurting, laziness inspiring things because of one simple fact: Most RVs have small fridges. Now some luck out and have those nice, normal sized fridges, but nonetheless, the freezers are usually impossibly tiny. Which sucks, since most of your food comes out of the freezer.

There’s always a solution though, and this one goes by two words: Ziploc bags. These are another cheap item, or if you want to go all out and get those really nice, heavy duty ones from IKEA, go ahead. Either way, Ziploc bags are a lifesaver. They condense your food so much nicer than those clunky, cardboard boxes. You can pour all of those fish-sticks into that little half gallon bag, and you’ve now cleared out a box worth of space. Do the same with your frozen veggies, and all other items like that, and you’ve now, somewhat miraculously, opened up so much more space in your freezer.

Ahh. Now you can finally sit down to relax. But first, you want to get out of those skinny jeans that have been cutting off your circulation all day. You rush to the bedroom, and pull open the drawer to the side of your bed, er at least, you try to open it. It gets stuck on that baggy T-shirt you forced in there. You finally get the drawer loose, completely. The whole thing comes out, and clothes go flying everywhere.

*sigh* I’m starting to feel exhausted for you.

4. If it’s possible, roll it up:

Clothes have gone all over the floor and things are starting to look doubtful for you. Everything you touch shows more and more of a mess. Well, I can solve the clothes problem, but maybe not the mess.

One of the first things I learned when we moved into an RV was to always keep my clothes neat. I’m not saying I actually do that though, because it’s kind of legendary how much I DON’T do that. I just toss my shirt back into the drawer and hope it doesn’t explode on me when I open it. However, some people cannot stand the constantly messy clothes, and the drawer always getting stuck thing, so it’s best to have a back-up plan when you need that little bit of organization in your life.

For your folded clothes, try rolling them up instead. Twist that jogging outfit into one, tight, little roll, and shove it into the back of your drawer. This makes it easier to pack things up without your clothes getting stuck and you get to pull out easily organized outfits.

Now that THAT’S done, you finally can relax. You pull out your freshly folded pajamas and let the incredible amount of work you’ve done sink in. At this point you’re so exhausted that all you want to do is crawl in bed. Begrudgingly though, you drag yourself to your bathroom, which is pretty much as tiny as it gets, to brush your teeth. As soon as you open the door though, you realize the one thing you’ve forgotten. Laundry. Ah yes. The dreaded mesh basket that is no longer able to contain all of the clothes you’ve stuffed in there.

The laundromat is long past closing, and besides, you’re far too tired to get up and drive all the way down there to wait two hours and successfully have a pair of clean jeans. The ones you wore today will do just fine for tomorrow. Nonetheless though, as you see that overflowing tub of work, you come to one conclusion. You not quite done yet.

5. Shove it in the shower:

First of all, congratulations on getting this far. No, really, you deserve applause for that.

*applauds*

Now though, you have to do your last bit of organization before clocking in for the night, and waking up to a nice, uncluttered house on wheels. Luckily enough, this is probably the most simplistic part yet (seeing as you can fit all of those dirty clothes into the laundry boxes).

As you’ll learn, the shower is a great hiding place for things. *nervous laughter* The curtains help a lot. But all of that overflowing laundry needs to be shoved someplace. After all, the Jacobs are coming over tomorrow to tour your new travel trailer. The best place for that basket is the shower.

If you have one of those little box showers, it won’t be hidden, but it will be out of the way, and if the bathroom stays off limits, no one will see it. If you have a longer shower though, you can fit MUCH more laundry, and hide it easily behind a curtain.

Now that that’s done, you can finally settle in for the night. You plop exhaustedly into bed, and dwell on all of the wonderful spring cleaning you’ve done today.

Even if you aren’t living in your house on wheels, these tips can be helpful for when you stay in it. A little bit of organization can make a huge difference for that weekend in the Redwoods. Organization is a difficult task, especially when the place you’re organizing is so small, but nonetheless, there are always ways to declutter the clutter, and truly enjoy spending time in your very own home on wheels.