After living full-time in our RV for a month, we realized that in general, tiny living really wasn’t that hard! However, the one area I had frustrations with was the kitchen. We immediately realized we needed to get creative with better storage solutions. I’m going to share five items we purchased that made a huge impact on our organization and made living in the RV easier and much more pleasant!
1. Spice Rack Spice Gripper
I really enjoy cooking, but cooking in a tiny kitchen has its challenges. I was keeping all of my spices in a storage bin, high up in a tall cabinet. The bin was overflowing, it was hard to reach, and it was a big pain to get down and put back away. I started researching alternative methods for storing spices and found these great spice holders. They have a sticky back if you want to place them on something, and they also come with tiny screws and screw holes so you can attach them more securely if needed. I chose to use the stickers AND screws. (We travel a lot and with all the bouncing and bumping our RV does, I wanted to extra assurance these guys were staying PUT!)
They come in strips of four, but only three fit inside my cabinet doors, so I was able to easily snap off the fourth one in order to make them work for my space, which was nice. Thirty-six come in a pack, which is great, since I have so many spices! Now my spices are much more accessible, and this one change alone makes cooking in a tiny kitchen more enjoyable!
2. Utensil Holders
Our RV kitchen only has one real drawer, and that means a lot of random things get stuck in that drawer! Thinking it would be fine, I had sectioned it off with plastic caddies to be more organized. But it was still a pain to get to the things we use on a regular basis out easily, like silverware! Ikea makes some simple buckets that can mount on a wall with a metal rod, and we had the empty wall space to put it on, making this an obvious choice.
Three buckets fit nicely on the 22.5” rod, so we use one for silverware, one for kitchen devices (scissors, can opener, etc.) and to make it look a little nicer, we put a cute succulent in the middle bucket! The buckets and the hardware come in multiple colors/finishes, so you can customize the look to fit your taste. There are also different sized rods, which allows you to pick the size that best fits your needs.
3. Door Mount Kitchen Wrap Organizer
Since we only have one drawer, boxes of things like baggies, cling wrap and foil were just tossed under the kitchen sink. This became frustrating, because sometimes I would toss a little too hard and those boxes would end up in the very back of the cabinet and get buried under other things and be super difficult to find when I need them! In my search for a better solution, I found an organizer that mounts to the inside of a cabinet. This was a perfect solution! Now, all I have to do is open the bottom cabinet under the sink, and VOILA! There are my baggies, wraps and foils!
4. Wall Mount Storage Basket
Since counter space is scarce in an RV, I wanted to eliminate random things that I would find lying around that created clutter. The outlet at the end of the island seems to be the popular spot for charging phones and devices, which means those devices are taking up the counter space while charging! I need every inch of counter space when I’m trying to cook a meal. Worrying about spilling something on an expensive device that was laying around was an issue I needed a solution for.
I found a wall-mountable wire storage basket that exactly fit the bill of what I was looking for. I attached it to the end of the island, so that when a device is charging, it can be placed in the basket instead of on the counter. It’s also a great place to store chargers, remotes, or other random things that I don’t want laying around! Since it’s wire, it’s easy to see what is inside. So, the smaller items we used to misplace all the time have a home and are easy to find!
5. Cabinet Shelf Racks
Most of our RV cabinets are not very deep but are tall. I realized we weren’t making the most of our cabinet space and could do better with the space we did have. By adding shelf racks to every cabinet in our kitchen, we basically doubled our usable cabinet space! You can find these racks almost anywhere. Walmart, Amazon, Bed, Bath and Beyond… I’ve even seen them at The Dollar Tree before for A DOLLAR!!! You can’t beat that!
Adding these simple storage solutions in our RV kitchen has made cooking, baking and just LIVING in our RV much more enjoyable! I hope you will try some of them out if you’re having similar frustrations in YOUR tiny kitchen!
Check out this related free video Simple RV Kitchen Storage Solutions To Maximize Space:
Interested in more information about your RV kitchen? You may also like:
RV Kitchen Faucet Replacement Instructions Reduce The Noise Caused By RV Sinks RV Refrigerator Troubleshooting: Checking Fridge Seals Buying A Used RV: Appliance Inspection How To Make An Organizational Tray For Your RV Storage Drawers 8 Tips For A More Luxurious RV Experience
About the Author:
Lauren is a wife, mother of two, photographer, blogger and lover of nature and adventure! Currently traveling around the U.S. in a fifth wheel, Lauren and her family seek to live life to the fullest and continue to look for ways to simplify their lives in order to live larger with less. Follow along on their journey by visiting their family travel blog.
The lighting is terrible in our kitchen. Do you have suggestions on improving the lighting?
Hello Heather,
Thank you for contacting us.
You can always install more fixtures or upgrade the current ones. If you have incadesent bulbs, they can be upgraded to a higher wattage or LED. If you already have LED then you could look into adding more fixtures. We have some videos talking about the differences and advantages of both styles.
https://www.rvrepairclub.com/video/install-new-rv-led-bulbs-to-brighten-the-area-007788/
https://www.rvrepairclub.com/video/rv-led-lights-are-they-right-for-your-rv-007773/
https://www.rvrepairclub.com/video/brighten-your-life-on-the-road-with-rv-led-lights-007819/
Sincerely,
Sarah
RV Repair Club Video Membership
How do I hook up a washer to my kitchen sink?
Hello Darlene,
Here’s what the experts had to say about your question:
If you want to install it to the water lines you would need to install an adapter to go in line from the connections at the faucet or you will need to cut the line and install a valve to connect the water lines to it. Drain lines for a washer usually just go into the drain. You can either run it into the sink bowl or you would have to cut and splice into the drain piping under the sink and install a straight pipe up for the drain to go into. This is all custom to what you have and what you need to do, but most likely you will have to cut and splice into the plumbing lines.
Sincerely,
Dan
RV Repair Club Technical Expert
Please let us know if you have any further questions
Sincerely,
Sarah
RV Repair Club Video Membership
We love our Georgie boy motor home
I’m sorry, but I don’t believe these grippers, racks, and cup holders maximize the space for storage, nor are they vary attractive, especially those outside of the cabinet drawers. Better to install wire shelving behind the doors in which more spice containers can be stored, recessed to still allow for the cabinet doors to be fully closed. Foil packages can be more efficiently stored in the horizontal position using the larger of the wire shelving in your pantry. The cups holding the utensils are less than secure when in transit, and the wire shelves on the sides of a cabinet, and not particularly attractive.
Is there a water drain for winterizing
Hello Roy,
This is for members to our online community. We do have a $2.04. annual entrance offer if you are interested? This would include access to expert advice (like this), plus discounts, hours of Premium videos, etc. Below is the link to join if you are interested:
https://go.rvrepairclub.com/C29446
Sincerely,
Sarah
RV Repair Club Video Membership
We’ve just discovered another option for spices. There is an expandable spice shelf now available at Walmart called “Spicey Shelf.” It comes with 2 shelves that can expand width wise (smallest width is 7 5/8″) thus giving you 2 levels to store your spices, it basically forms a “U” shape, giving you back additional storage in the “center.” We also learned that even when a “pantry” is available in a unit, it IS NOT insulated! Therefore, you can’t store bread or items with a “melting” point. In our case, bread was our biggest problem. We installed (using Command products) a bread basket on the side of our pantry! It holds 3 pkgs of buns AND a loaf of bread with no smashing! Going to have to schedule a trip to our local IKEA as I LOVE the bucket & rod silverware storage!!!
Always looking for ideas on our RV!
I’m a newbie FT RV-er, except my camper is parked in a mobile home community so won’t be traveling. I’m glad I found this group because I’m noticing small projects as I am moving in. How soon would a camper need new windows? I’ve already ordered new curtains but the windows appear to be old, with some rust on the screens. And of course, remnants of duct tape on the walls around the windows. What’s the best way to change that appearance?
Hi Susan,
As long as the windows don’t have issues they shouldn’t need replacing. The screens can be replaced but I wouldn’t replace the windows themselves unless they broke for some reason. I would be cautious about the tape. It is possible they are trying to cover up a leak or using it to seal from a potential leak. The most important things with windows is to make sure they are sealed properly. If they are really old or there are signs of water damage I would remove the windows and install new seal gaskets around them to unsure they last a lot longer.
Sincerely,
Dan
RV Repair Club
Refrigerator works fine while we are using the trailer [seasonal site] on electric. When we leave for a week or so and return [everything left on], the fridge has shut down. We use electric hook up. I have had someone look at it [with 25 yrs. experience] and he claims that the fridge is working fine on both electric and propane. I do not want to leave propane on while we are away from trailer. Is it possible that the campground “cuts back” on power during the week days and this causes my fridge to shut down? Thanks
Hello John,
What is the year, make, and model of your RV? I would gladly get the question submitted after I get that additional information.
If you have any other concerns, please contact us at 1-855-706-3536, or chat with us on our site.
We greatly appreciate your business!
Sincerely,
Lindsay
RV Repair Club Video Membership
where can I find self adhesive wall coverings?
Hello Melanie,
Thank you for contacting us. They are available in a lot of places, Home Depot, Amazon and any wall covering store.
If you have any other concerns, please contact us at 1-855-706-3536, or chat with us on our site.
We greatly appreciate your business!
Sincerely,
Joan
RV Repair Club Video Membership
I like the Ikea tubs for storage. We have those in our house. When I hang things in our trailer, the screws hold for a little while then seem to loosen or strip out. Is there a specific type of fastener to work on these thin cabinets and walls? Our trailer is new so would like to keep it without a bunch of stripped out holes! Thanks.
John,
The best thing to use on all panels are the 3M Command Strips. They have great adhesion and don’t put holes into the panels. The panels are at most 1/4″, usually less and can’t support much. With the Command strips though they actually cover more of a surface area and can hold more without damaging the wall. If you need to go into the panel it is best to secure to a stud, usually found by the seam tape on the panels. Gorilla Hooks also work really well in the panels but again they leave holes, very small though.
Sincerely,
Dan
RV Repair Club Technical Expert
Thank you for the Idea`s
You’re welcome!
Has any loss the on board Relearn software. Since My battery when dead while re- learning tire press I lost all wireless data in RCDLR module. I have replaced, but can’t get this reprogrammed without costing me many hours with diagnostic checks of modules with the proper body scanner and then find why the data is not flowing through the system. I have checked all the simple things like fuse(s) and wires.
My drawer in my motorhome will not stay shut, how do I fix it.
Does this rv have a place to store sewer hose while traveling.
REPLACE KITCHEN FAUCET
Have to keep it on gas because the electric shuts down after a few days.
So where did you find the clips for the spice rack?
Hello Paul,
There are available online at many places. Amazon carries many different styles from many manufactures. I will post a few links below to a few different ones.
https://www.amazon.com/Bellemain-Spice-Gripper-Strips-Plastic/dp/B00I9KP6H0/ref=asc_df_B00I9KP6H0/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=216574878909&hvpos=1o2&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17031214750769725784&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9015531&hvtargid=pla-352293479891&psc=1
https://www.amazon.com/SpiceStor-Organizer-Combo-Cabinet-Spice/dp/B00XCL7516/ref=asc_df_B00XCL7516/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=167142021489&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17031214750769725784&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9015531&hvtargid=pla-272684512766&psc=1
https://www.wayfair.com/kitchen-tabletop/pdp/rebrilliant-organizer-20-jar-spice-jar-and-rack-set-rebr4552.html
I hope this helps!
Dan
RV Repair Club Video Membership
We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first-year membership.
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Great ideas where can these items be purchased?
The storage is deep. Do I make holes screwing in stuff? I dont know for the spices.
Hi Jacqueline,
Yes when using screws it will leave holes in the walls when removing. If using the same tip for spices on the door, you have to use very small screws. It really depends on the thickness of the door but you have to make sure it won’t poke out the other side. If you have deep cabinets and have trouble pulling out stuff, you can always get sliding racks to come out or storage bins to easily pull out bulk stuff instead of many single items.
Thanks,
Dan
RV Repair Club Video Membership
We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first-year membership.
https://go.rvrepairclub.com/C15396
Try using #8 or#10 screws THROUGH from the front outside of the door using washers and nuts to secure the rack Will never come loose!
I ordered a Solara slide topper to install my self. I have read the instructions, viewed YouTube and have someone lined up to help. Do you have any pointers before I start. I’m a veteran DIY guy but respect an expert.
Hello David,
When installing the brackets on the slide, make sure they grab well. Sometimes there is not much meat behind the wall and the screws can strip out. If this happens, you would have to use rivets to hold it more secure. This doesn’t happen too often, but just be prepared in case it does. Make sure to use putty tape behind everything that you screw into the wall to prevent water from entering. When the awning track is installed, widen one of the ends with a screw driver to make it easier for the fabric gimp to go into the track. Once installed run it in a out a few times to make sure it is centered before installing the gimp screw into the fabric rail, this is what holds it in place. If you experience a wrinkle in the fabric when it rolls up, pull some tension on that side of the fabric when installing the gimp screw. The extra tension will help stretch the fabric a little bit and clear the wrinkle. Also something important is to make sure the fabric rail is installed high enough to where it leaves at least a little bit of a down slope to the awning tube. You don’t want the tube to be higher than the rail, this will cause water to flow towards the wall and it collects debris. I have even seen factory installed ones come like this and it can be problematic in the future. There really isn’t too much else to do, the installs are fairly easy and it is a lot easier with some help.
Best of luck!
Dan
RV Repair Club Video Membership
We’d love to have you be a part of our community. We are convinced you will enjoy the benefits of becoming a member and having access to the best instructional how to videos and professional tips. We would like to offer you a special promotion for your first-year membership.
https://go.rvrepairclub.com/C15396
Thanks! — you’re my first how-to Blog experience for the inside of my RV. Good strategies. :-)