Every once in a while, you have to clear the clutter and bring order to your RV. Just like a sticks and bricks house, things can get out of hand. I spent a very pleasant day in my RV emptying every cabinet and really deciding on whether what I was unearthing from the depths of the cabinets was worthy of a spot. Each item that you bring along adds not only physical weight but mental weight. When you have to dig past things to get at what you are looking for, your vacation vibe can start fading quickly. I dug in to not only declutter but to organize and better access what made the cut.
The silverware drawer was a real problem. It was plenty large but not being utilized to its full potential. I started by taking out the premade storage container the manufacturer put in because it wasted a lot of real estate. I found some clear shallow lucite pans that fit perfectly in the drawer. Lucky break. This allowed me to separate all the gadgets from the utensils and be able to see what I was looking for at a glance. I also love that I can simply pull out the cutlery bin and take it outside to the picnic table. I not only fit a lot more in the space, but I can now find what I am searching for.
My next problem cabinet was the one over the kitchen sink. It is one large cabinet without a middle shelf which would have made the space more user friendly. My dishes and drinkware are stored there but every time I arrive at a campground it looks like they all went through a rinse cycle. I tried lining the cabinet with shelf liner but that only keeps the bottom plate from sliding all around. I purchased the same lucite containers but taller and stored my plates vertically. These containers have nice built-in handles as well so I can grab the whole container and bring it outside. I used a container designed for carrying crafts to stash my wine tumblers, to-go cups, and straws and I had just enough room left over to squeeze in my coffee tumblers. This brought order to this cabinet, and everything stays in place on driving days.
I used the clear containers next, to corral my t-shirts and socks, two clothing items that are camping staples for me. I used the boat system of folding and stacking t-shirts so I can see them and pull out the one I want. This allows me to put lots of t-shirts in one space and get the one I want without displacing the whole stack. With socks I can also see what’s there and grab what I want. The container I used was designed for snacks but it’s working just great for socks.
I used the same clear container to manage the refrigerator shelf I keep all the condiments on. A camping hack for me is to buy small containers of condiments that I can refill from larger family sized jars in the fridge. I stash them in this long container that just happened to fit perfectly on my fridge door. I keep the bottom door shelf on my home fridge free to store this container so when I am heading out to camp I can just grab all my condiments at once. Easy breezy.
