What scares me the most about someday transitioning to full-time RV living is RV kitchen storage! Honestly, it really shouldn’t bother me because I only have a two-butt kitchen at home (yeah, I said that!). However, I like my gadgets…Kitchen Aid mixer (wouldn’t make the cut), multiple crockpots (I’d have to pare it down to one or just use the instant pot), baking sheets and pans, etc.
So, how do we organize this tiny one-butt kitchen for efficient storage? If you’re a weekend warrior like me, it’s not super difficult because you can eat a lot of sandwiches or cook outside, but if you’re going full timing it, that’s another story!
For those of you new to my blog (or maybe new-ish), I’m a recovering former employee of The Container Store (TCS)…so be warned, this post will contain A LOT of TCS products! It’s seriously like an addiction…Hello, my name is Becky and I’m a former TCS employee! LOL! #organizationforever
Before we get started, here are a few other posts I’ve done about organizing other areas of your RV that you might find useful:
- Making the most of your clothes organization: RV Capsule Wardrobe – Minimize Your Wardrobe, Maximize Your Space
- How to deal with cooking in a small kitchen: – RV Cooking Ideas – Maximize With Less (seeing a pattern here?) 🙂
- Rethinking a terribly inefficient design – RV Remodel – Laundry and Shoe Storage
- General storage ideas for the whole RV – RV Storage Ideas – Let’s Get Organized!
Let’s lead with my all-time favorite tip (I feel like this should be last…who cares?!):
RV STORAGE ON BLANK WALLS
What does that mean? When looking for RV kitchen storage look for a blank wall, even if it’s two feet wide and three feet high or smaller? Use these blank spaces to make unintentional storage areas functional.
I have a 21′ camper. My kitchen is LITERALLY 4 or 5 feet long! I have a storage rack on one end of the lower kitchen cabinet that holds canned goods and I intend to put some small bins on the other end for fresh food storage.
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One end of the upper cabinet has our key hook/basket combo on it for pertinent RV park info. If we needed more storage, we could always use the other end of that cabinet for something small.
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MAGNETIC RV KITCHEN STORAGE
Right off the top of my head, I know for sure most people have some sort of vent-a-hood, fridge, and microwave. Most of these appliances are made of metal and are therefore magnetic. See what you can magnetize to them!
I store my spices on the side of my vent-a-hood. I could easily put more magnetized tins on the other side and store matches or office supplies such as paper clips and push pins if needed.
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This also conjures up memories from when my kids were small and we almost always had some kind of calendar or other organized magnetized to the side of the fridge. This would also be a great place for knife storage or large kitchen utensils if your fridge is large enough.
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These hooks would be great for any of these ideas.
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Urbio makes some great magnetic containers for just such a purpose, but they’re kind of pricey. You could even use them to grow herbs in your kitchen!
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RV KITCHEN STORAGE UNDER SHELVES
I remember the first time I saw some of these at Container Store…my mind was BLOWN (I know, I’m easy like that!)! Of course, it’s been quite some time since I worked there, so improvements have been made.
There are under shelf bins and racks for coffee mugs, wine glasses, k-cups, paper plate holders, etc. I could see using the under shelf bins for just about anything like fruit, root veggies, tea towels or washcloths, plastic wrap & aluminum foil, or plates and bowls.
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This nifty little under shelf bin could hide keys or be used as a junk drawer of sorts.
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* A word of caution about the under shelf bins: secure them or take them down on travel days! Just be sure nothing will fall out of them.
RV KITCHEN STORAGE FOR WRAPS/ZIPLOCS
While you could use an under shelf bin mentioned above, there are several other things you could do. Of course, if you have the drawer space (I forget this is an option sometimes!), use drawers.
If not (like me), you could use over the door organizers. This really isn’t even an option for me.
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I like to use The Container Store’s Multi-Purpose Bins. My favs for wraps and Ziplocs are the smallest ones (they come in 4 sizes, all pictured below). As an added bonus, if you buy them during the spring sale they are SUPER cheap…even though their normal prices range from $3.99 – $6.99!
There are two other things I’d try if any of these didn’t work. I would try to mount a rack like this somewhere on a wall.
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My last option would be to get a rack for on the shelf. This would be the last option for me because I don’t have a lot of shelf space. But my camper is the smallest of all my friends and this would be a great option for any of their campers.
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VERTICAL SPACE IN RV KITCHEN CABINETS
Sometimes we forget about using vertical space inside of the kitchen cabinets. What do I mean by that? Well, I borrowed an RV one time and opened the cabinet to find chips and snacks crammed into that cabinet! It was the proverbial scene of opening a door and stuff falling out!
Again, one of my go-to products would be The Container Store’s multi-purpose bins mentioned above. They usually fit vertically inside of a cabinet with a few inches to spare. This gives you the opportunity to compartmentalize the things you’ll be putting in there.
I keep a large multi-purpose bin with all of my picnic supplies in one, which allows me to stack that stuff to high heaven without the risk of an avalanche and pull it out at as needed. Mine has paper plates and bowls, plastic utensils, plastic cups, and other things of that sort.
I also keep several of the smaller multi-purpose bins in the same cabinet. One holds drinks such as teas, coffee (and coffee making supplies), and hot chocolate. Another holds my wraps as mentioned above, and another has quick snacks.
MORE IDEAS
Here are a couple of other ideas for making better use of vertical space inside cabinets.
These stacking shelves make GREAT use of vertical space, AND they fold up if you don’t need them they store relatively flat! WIN-WIN!!! #GOTEAM
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Stacking Bins were another fav of mine from TCS because the handles turn in to make them stackable, but they no longer sell them. Feel free to use this Amazon link for these, or go to your local Walmart for them. I actually use these in my sticks & bricks house as well. I have TONS of them and the multi-purpose bins!
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RV KITCHEN STORAGE INSIDE DRAWERS
Do you think I’m gonna tell you to run to your nearest TCS? You’re not wrong! LOL! I told you it’s an addiction!!!
We had more than one customer roll up to our store and spend HOURS running in an out with products to get their RVs organized. Our manager never seemed to mind…it’s not like they had a super fast getaway car! 🙂
If you don’t have a local Container Store (and that’s pretty likely), try taking your kitchen drawers into whichever store you have nearby. If you can’t do that, write down your drawer measurements and use your imagination!
Here are a few ideas from Amazon.
I actually have these drawer dividers in my stick & bricks kitchen. They’re cheap, modular, and get the job done!
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This is also a great drawer organizer for RV kitchen storage. It has a sliding unit on top to make use of vertical space inside of the drawers.
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There are nicer versions of these drawer dividers and some even expand for wider drawers. Check out this bamboo option.
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EVERYTHING ELSE
When it comes to RV Kitchen Storage, you just have to think outside box sometimes! If you want to store something on the counter, be sure to secure it. I use a large metal can as my large utensil holder. Just to keep it secure, it stays velcroed to my countertop and I never have to worry about it falling off!
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You may also need to store things in unconventional places. Since our kitchen is so small, we like to keep our soup pan in the microwave. It’s a little inconvenient when we have to move it, but let’s be real…I have WAY worse things in my life than moving a pan when I need to make popcorn or hot chocolate! 🙂
I’ve also seen some ceiling and wall-mounted pot racks. This is a FANTASTIC idea if you plan on cooking a lot. I’m not sure how well they would hold up to travel, but there’s only one way to find out!
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One more thing…I know things tend to move around in transit. Be sure to check all cabinet doors, your fridge and freezer doors, and anything else on moving day. If you need something extra to keep stuff in the cabinets, try using those cheap little tension rods to keep things in place. Another idea is to use a small bungee cord…we use one to keep our bathroom mirror shut in transit.
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ARE YOU GOING FULL-TIME?
If you’re going to be a full-time RVer, maybe you would find Ashley Mann’s Inspired to Downsize course useful. She is the blogger at RVInspiration.com and has made this GREAT course to help you downsize in preparation for full-time RVing.
Do you have any more tips that maybe I missed? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!
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Do you unload the hanging wine glasses and cups on the inside hooks before traveling each time?
Hey Debbie! This is more of an idea for me for future use. So here’s what I would recommend…buy some plastic wine glasses, enough to fill one row of the wine glass hanger, then travel with them up. See how they handle it, then maybe buy some glass ones at a Goodwill store to test with before using your normal, nice wine glasses! That’s what I would do anyway. Hope that helps!
I have a fifth wheel and we travel quite a bit and I can tell you that before you try any of these ideas MEASURE!!!
The racks over the door will not fit, my shelf in the cupboard meets the door. And wine glasses, as much jarring and swaying as a motorhome takes, would be questionable. After a few times of pulling into camp, it’s late, you are tired, you need to hook up, everyone is hungry…AND you have a bunch of broken glass to clean up first, you will rethink your plan. Been there, done that.
Yes!!! Absolutely…know your measurements, or go to a place like a Container Store or an IKEA. See if the manager will allow you to take products in and out of the store to try ideas. You can always take your RV to a store like this, or a big box store, and purchase and return. I know that’s a HUGE pain in the rear, but it beats doing it from home. Just plan a day (and set aside a budget) to use for pre-trip organizing! Great tip, Ladygamer! Thanks!