RV Spring Cleaning Checklist

When it comes to RV spring cleaning, you may be wondering where to start. This is where our spring cleaning checklist comes into play. This list covers both the interior and exterior of your RV, as well as some areas you can’t even see.

Follow these steps and you’ll have the cleanest RV around:

1. Wash the roof
2. Wash the awning
3. Wash the RV’s exterior
4. Spray underside of RV
5. Purge unnecessary items
6. Wipe and vacuum storage bays
7. Scrub toilets, showers, and sinks
8. Clean water system
9. Wipe down all hard surfaces inside
10. Wash insides of windows
11. Wash bedding and window treatments
12. Clean furniture
13. Mop hard floors
14. Steam clean carpet and rugs

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RV Spring Cleaning Checklist

Alright, let’s dive a little bit deeper into this spring cleaning checklist. Here are more specific instructions on how to complete each chore included so you can make sure you get the job done right. 

Wash the Roof

Start by getting up on the roof. Before you begin, look for any cracks or other potential leaky areas. Patch these with RV sealant or EternaBond tape before cleaning the roof. 

To clean the roof, use a gentle dish soap and water mixture or an RV roof cleaning product, along with a soft-bristled, long-handled brush. Scrub spots away with the brush and rinse the soapy water away using a water hose. 

Wash the Awning

The awning should also be cleaned. Extend it completely and grab a ladder so you can reach every part of the awning safely. You’ll also want to get that same soft-bristled, long handled brush and whatever cleaner you used to wash the roof. 

Scrub the awning gently to remove any spots and make sure it stays extended until it dries completely in order to avoid mildew spots. 

Wash the RV’s Exterior

While the roof and awning require something gentler, you can use a commercial auto cleaning product for most of your RV’s exterior. These are formulated to be safe on the paint used in the automotive industry—including on motorhomes. You’ll also need the aforementioned soft brush with a long handle in order to reach all of your rig. 

Once you finish washing the front, back, and sides of the RV, be sure to finish it off with a good wax. 

Spray the Underside of the RV

To finish cleaning the outside of your RV, use a water hose to give the underside of the rig a good spray-down. We recommend doing this because mud that accumulates under the RV can cause rust and other damage. Spraying this stuff off once in a while will help prevent this from happening. 

Purge Unnecessary Items

Next up: purging things. 

All RVs have a limited cargo carrying capacity, and if you let things accumulate in your cabinets and storage bays for years and years, you are very likely to exceed that limit, leading to an unsafe situation while driving the RV. 

By adding a purge to your spring cleaning checklist, you can keep the amount of stuff you’re lugging around in check. If you’re being honest with yourself about what you’ll actually use while camping, we’re willing to bet you’ll find a lot of stuff to offload. 

Wipe and Vacuum Storage Bays

The storage bays on the outside of your RV probably don’t get cleaned too often. Since you’ll be pulling everything out of the bays to purge things anyway, why not use this opportunity to wipe down the hard surfaces inside of the bays? 

If there is any carpet in the bays, you might also want to pull out your vacuum cleaner to clean those up before putting all of your items back. 

Scrub Toilets, Showers, and Sinks

Now it’s time to go inside. We like to start cleaning the interior of the RV by scrubbing the toilets, showers, and sinks.

If you’re wondering how to clean your RV’s plastic sink or shower, the answer is that you need the right kind of product (and a little bit of patience). Sometimes the white plastic used in RVs has a tendency to stain, and using a quality RV bathroom cleaner can really help make the difference!

Clean Water System

Don’t forget about your plumbing system. To clean the holding tanks and water lines, follow the steps below:

1. Start by spraying out your wastewater tanks with a backflush tool, making sure to get rid of all buildup. 
2. Fill the freshwater tank with a diluted bleach mixture, adding about ¼ cup of bleach for every 15 gallons of water.
3. Let the bleach water sit in the tank for 24 hours. 
4. Run the bleach through the water lines and into the waste tanks by using the water pump and opening the faucets.
5. Let the bleach mixture sit in the water lines and wastewater tanks for another 24 hours.
6. Dump the tanks and open low-point drains to drain the bleach water.
7. Fill the fresh tank with clean water. 
8. Use the water pump to run the clean water through all water lines by opening the faucets. 
9. Open the low-point drains and dump the tanks in order to drain the rinse water before using the system again. 

Wipe Down All Hard Surfaces Inside

Next, grab some disinfecting spray and a soft cloth and start wiping hard surfaces. 

Be sure to get all of the following:

• Countertops
• Table tops
• Shelves
• Inside and outside of cabinets
• Walls
• Appliances

Everything needs to be cleaned and disinfected. 

Wash Insides of Windows

You washed the outsides of your windows while you were washing the outside of your RV, but the insides probably still need cleaning. Windex is just fine for use on RV windows. Simply spray some on the window and use a soft cloth or paper towels to scrub and clean. 

Pay special attention to the edges of the windows where dust likes to gather. Additionally, if your exterior cleaning left water spots behind, head outside to clean the outsides of your windows with Windex. 

Wash Bedding and Window Treatments

Any fabric items in your RV should be put through the washer and dryer before you head out on your first camping trip, making laundry a must-do task on your spring cleaning checklist. 

Grab the following items and give them a good wash before putting them back where they belong:

• Curtains 
• Fabric shower curtains
• Furniture slip covers
• Pillows 
• Sheets
• Blankets 

Make sure to follow the manufacturer’s cleaning instructions to avoid damaging things!

Clean Furniture

In addition to washing furniture slip covers, you‘ll also want to clean the furniture itself. When it comes to hard furniture you can just wipe it down, but upholstered furniture is a bit trickier. 

There are a few ways to clean upholstery:

• For a general cleaning, simply run the vacuum over the furniture. You can also steam clean furniture with a steam cleaning machine if you want a deeper clean. 

• If you’re dealing with staining, spray a mixture of ¼ cup of vinegar, ¾ cup of warm water, and 1 tablespoon of dish soap onto the stained area and scrub with a cloth. From there, soak up excess moisture with a dry towel and allow the furniture to air dry. 

• If you’re trying to get rid of smells, try sprinkling baking soda on the furniture, letting it sit for a day or more, and then vacuuming it up. 

Clean Hard Floors

You will of course want to clean the floors as well. For this we recommend avoiding the traditional mop, as getting RV floors too wet can lead to water damage.

Instead, many RV owners take care of their floors using a dry mop such as a Swiffer. Just make sure whatever product or cleaning pad you use is the correct one for the type of floor your RV has, and get in those corners and under all the furniture!

Steam Clean Carpet and Rugs

The last item on our spring cleaning checklist is cleaning the carpets and rugs in your RV. You could just vacuum and call it a day, but while you’re doing a deep clean, we recommend renting a carpet cleaner from your local grocery store or using a small steam cleaner like the one linked above to get the carpets as clean as possible for the coming camping season. 

There you have it, a complete spring cleaning checklist for your RV. Why not tackle the list today so you can start camping sooner rather than later?