Check out these awesome tips & tricks to streamline your motor home experience and short cut you to smarter, easier tiny living.
Here’s a list of amazing hacks to improve your experience with cheap and easy-to-access items that you can get at most hardware or dollar stores.
*This post contains affiliate links.
1. STORAGE
Nest Bowls & Containers
Buy plates, bowls, and containers that fit into each other well, saving you heaps of space in cupboards.
Our first set of bowls was low profile and they nested better in a stack.
The second set is taller and a stack of them is harder to get in and out of the shelf when they’re all nested so bear that in mind when choosing.
Here is my favourite set up after years of tiny living.
You can also separate the measuring spoons from the ring if you want to use them in separate containers or individually.
Hang Rods
You can hang suspension rods in existing closets or even in the shower space to create places to hang your clothing.
Ready-made, extendable pole sets are to be found at hardware stores across NZ like Mitre 10, Bunnings, or even the Warehouse. Amazon has this one that is well-reviewed.
Smaller rails make handy mini hanging areas for bath mats, tea towels, or a few coat hangers.
They even make good racks to secure books or tins on shelving.
Use Hooks Everywhere
We use screw-in, plastic-coated cup hooks, and S hooks from dollar shops all over the place in our bus.
They’re great for holding up items like fans, the dish rack (when not in use), tea towels, bags, keys, and more.
Our kettle has a loop handle which we hang up on a S hook when we need the burner or surface space for cooking.
We’ve even run curtain wire through a series of cup hooks on one side of the bus under overhead cabinets which has given us extra ‘line’ space that we use to hang sunglasses out of the way, dry beach/bath towels or let wet dish towels or togs drip dry over the kitchen sink.
Other larger screw-in hooks have given us additional hanging space over the bus footwell area. It’s great for hats, coats, and dressing gowns to hang when not in use.
Command hooks are valuable too if you want to be able to cleanly remove them in the future. I’ve found this feature awesome as a lot of our surfaces are timber and would have been be spoiled if white foamy patches were left behind every time we had moved them.
Command hooks come in a huge range of sizes and suspend anything from utensils to pictures, brooms, and coats all of which help to organise items in small spaces well.
Use Banana and Sistema boxes
Clip-It boxes are great for storing so many things. We’re huge fans and use several Sistema products for kitchen and household storage.
We use a 5L Sistema container for our cereal. It holds a full 1kg box of wheat box perfectly and keeps it fresh. We store flour in the 7L one, use the 2L boxes for organising and stacking things like nuts, seeds, and pretzels in the pantry.
The smallest boxes are perfect for snacks and one even made a good bait box for the boys at one point!
The plastic jug is great for holding drinking water and fits into the fridge well if you want to chill it. It has a wide base so it’s stable plus the self-sealing lid makes it harder to spill.
We buy ours at The Warehouse and Pak ‘n Save in New Zealand but they’re available overseas too at places like Tesco and Amazon.
Another good storage option is Dole banana boxes you can get from fruit shops or supermarkets. They are 600 x 400mm, come with lids, and can stack well in shallow spaces like under beds.
We have a few under our master bed and find them handy for swapping seasonal clothing in and out of circulation and for extra books. We’ve tried plastic boxes there too but find them too deep for that space so we can’t double stack them.
Since banana boxes are cardboard, you can write what each contains on the side which helps in finding things quicker later on.
We’ve used them a lot when storing things from our house. They are easy to move, stack, and dispose of when you don’t need them anymore plus they were free to begin with.
Use Bungee Cords
So useful! These hold down tarps, strap things to bike racks, or hold things closed. Long sections make great spontaneous washing lines or can suspend a tarp, blanket or sheet for a quick screening, kid’s fort, or shaded area.
Use Suction Cup Holders
These little guys keep items stored out of high traffic spaces and keep things tidy too.
We use suction cup toothbrush holders and love them.
We got them in pairs from the Warehouse for next to nothing and they’ve been long-lasting and reliable.
You can hang a hand towel, toilet roll holders, or a shower caddy with suction cups too so you don’t have to drill into your shower lining and break its seal.
Baskets & Tubs
Baskets are amazing for sorting items, for stopping things from sliding around much and for keeping sauces and spices upright so there’s less mess to clean up when you travel.
Due to the huge variety available, they will hold almost anything you have in your home. And they make pack down super easy because they help you group several things together.
Cutting some non-slip matting to size and putting it under baskets stops them sliding and helps them stay in place as we move.
We use Taurus tubs (similar to Iris in the US) in our overhead cupboards to hold first aid, torches & batteries, toilet rolls, socks, togs, and electrical supplies. We use them lidless as we found those a pain to take on and off all the time.
My basket is one that holds all the miscellaneous items that in our bus don’t get a drawer of their own. You can invariably find what you’re looking for in there!
Sterilite makes sturdy baskets that last well and are deep enough to hold most bottles upright even when moving.
2. HYGIENE
Pump soap
Find a pump soap dispenser you like, one that stays in place when you travel. When it empties buy your chosen soap as a refill and reuse that container since you know it works well in your space.
I’ve found some soaps give me a ring rash so I only buy ecostore’s range of hand soaps now which seem to have solved the problem. The vanilla & coconut handwash is my current favourite.
Ecostore sell refills but they come with a flip-top lid which I find less handy so I took a pump from another hand soap and now use the refill bottle as our shower wash container.
There are even refill stations dotted around NZ now so you can take your own container and just top it up when it’s empty. Now that’s clean and green.
Rubber Gloves & Sanitiser
Gloves are essential in my opinion for dump stations when you’ve got tanks to empty and fill.
Our experience from watching people says not to use dump stops without protection so we keep a 2L Sistema box full of disposable gloves up the front for easy access whenever they’re needed.
I’ve seen some people use heavy-duty reusable gloves which they wash after each use. Your choice.
A bottle of sanitiser sits next to the driver’s seat in our house bus for easy use for a range of hand hygiene improvement moments.
Disinfectant Spray
We keep vinegar or disinfectant in a spray bottle for cleaning benchtops, floors, and the bathroom.
It’s SO handy in a spray bottle as it’s always ready to go. Ours hangs out in the bathroom when not in use.
Toilet Chemical
The classic chemicals for use in toilets can get pricey, the bottles are often tall so fall over in the bathroom all the time, or they can be chemically harsh so we’ve switched to a more eco product.
Vanish Gold contains sodium percarbonate and can be used to break up toilet waste instead of commercial camper options.
Usually 1 Tbsp every 2-3 days does the trick. Getting it on special can make it a much cheaper alternative.
What we now use is a more concentrated version (sodium percarbonate) so only 1 tsp is required at a time.
We bought it in bulk off trademe and just decant small amounts into a suitable watertight container which we keep in the bathroom for regular use.
It’s environmentally friendly, can be used as a cleaner and removes mould too.
3. FOOD & COOKING
Pest & Smell Proofing
Being mobile and warm, your camper can be invaded by ants or mice and cockroaches wherever you go, especially in winter when they’re looking for shelter and food sources.
Have rodent baits stashed in cavity spaces around your vehicle year-round. As they are often blue and could stain things they touch, I’ve put mine in little snack bags and partially sealed them. This way they can still be found by pests but mess is reduced.
If you have kids on board and you’re worried about them finding or touching it, maybe it’s a good idea to use bait stations to hide it in instead.
Raid ant poison is our go-to bait for ants which especially love our sugar sources like honey and jam. A few drops of this poison in a milk or yogurt lid placed on or under counters quickly gets rid of them.
Cockroach traps are effective against these resilient invaders. Surface spray could be useful too so they are repelled or die even from walking over it.
Washing dishes after meals daily keeps things cleaner and less likely to draw pests in at night for food scraps.
Refrigerate all your leftovers – use sealable containers or sandwich bags to reduce odours.
Pots & Pans
Get a steamer set so you can cook two things at once and save gas.
Spray Oil
I bought rice bran oil in a spray can and have found so many uses for it.
It’s an easy and no-mess cooking solution plus you can lube things with it in a pinch.
4. HOME
Fleece Knee Blankets
Use lightweight, easy-to-clean & dry fleece knee blankets for cold days and nights spent sitting around.
Kids love snuggling in these as they travel too.
Buy or make a pillow that stuffs into your vent cavities.
They keep draughts and cold out well and can double as a cushion if needed.
Fans
Grab a fan or two for hot days.
$5 USB fans from The Warehouse have been a winner in our kids’ bunks and up with the driver and they plug in to any USB ports.
You can get USB sockets from places like AliExpress and Amazon and dot them around.
Lighting
Buy strips of LED to create mood lighting. You can even programme some of them for different sequences or colours.
As they’re usually mounted on flexible strips, they can be twisted around rails, corners or be pinned in place above windows as you like to create ambiance.
If you come in and out of your van in the dark, install a solar, sensor or push button light near the door so you can see what you’re doing.
Glow in the dark tape could make stairs safer by highlighting them with non-slip strips.
Use Reusable Bags
Available at almost every shop now, these handy bags help with shopping, carrying washing, and more.
We’ve used them for library trips and other outings, to donate items to charity shops and for holding the recycling at times.
Use Adhesive Window Film
Window vinyl is a godsend for added privacy and hides internal accessories from passersby.
It can also decorate bodywork, be one way only, help with thermal insulation, or be sign-written for advertising on.
We’ve blacked some full and some part sections of our house bus windows on the outside with a black matte vinyl that came in a roll and it has held up brilliantly and looks smart.
5. OTHER
Digital Photo Frame
Wall space is minimal so load your travel pictures into a digital frame that displays them.
It’s space-saving and can be a conversation starter. Many now have wireless sharing so you can instantly send or receive photos and videos via Wi-Fi using apps or email. Awesome for keeping in touch and up to date even when you’re away from home on the road.
Libraries
When you’re feeling cabin feverish, get out to a local library for a change of scene.
They often have comfy chairs, open spaces, gardens, host community activities, and most often provide free wifi.
Hose Fittings, Duct Tape & Cable Ties
It’s almost guaranteed that different towns have different dump station setups and invariably they don’t provide hose fittings to connect up your water hoses.
Get a 2L container and fill it with all the hose fittings possible before you leave home so you won’t come unstuck when you’re desperate.
Duct tape is so versatile. Take a roll wherever you go. We’ve made kites, repaired tents, poles, clothes, and a roof leak in the past with it. I reckon it would be great for first aid in a pinch too!
Cable ties do a thousand jobs. When vanning, we mostly use them to tidy wires and hold push taps on when filling our tanks so you don’t have to press the tap on for ages – a real hand saver.
Spiders
They appear out of nowhere and make your motor home look messy inside and out.
Mix up a spray bottle with bug concentrate and spray the exterior of your vehicle especially around lights and hatches where they seem to gather and inside if any are lurking.
We use Kiwicare’s ‘No Bugs Super’ from Mitre 10 and it last for months. It comes in concentrate or ready to spray versions.
Bust reversing stress
It’s the best accessory for reducing yelling and those tense moments when people walk behind you or you’re reversing into a parking spot or trying to dodge trees.
This is an amazing item to have in a camper and will likely reduce your stress when driving. We love ours.
Have Your Own Tools & Ladder
Jobs crop up every time we hit the road even if we thought we’d done them all before leaving. Having your own equipment allows you to be more independent and can save you in a tight spot out on the road.
We’d never be without at least a basic set of tools to fix things that break or come loose.
One of our best purchases has been an aluminium extension ladder.
It saves a ton of space by compacting down, is lightweight, and super handy to fix any roof or solar issues that come up.
Automate All You Can
Before hitting the road, get set up with online banking and automate all tasks you can with apps. It can save you time and money.
We love the NZMCA which you can use to pay for overnight stays at all NZMCA parks around New Zealand. It saves us dark or wet walks over to the shed and relieves the pressure to carry cash.
And since dreams are free, if I wished for anything to hack my motor homing life even further, it’d be a mini portable projector – a super space-saving entertainment device.
A close second choice would be a wall-mounted cordless Dyson vacuum cleaner to remove all on-board sweeping woes.
Is there a hack or item that’s saved you time, stress, or money?
Share it with us in the comments.
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Thanks!
Meagan
