How do you keep your RV floor clean?

[Andra]

Hi all! We just bought a Pleasure Way Lexor FL, and i'm looking for suggestions for how best to keep our RV floor clean without carrying too much bulk.

Do you use an outdoor mat? If so, how big of one? It looks to me like most are quite large, and quite bulky? (not to mention pretty pricey!)

If you don't use an outdoor mat, do you have a door mat or something?

What kind of broom do you carry?

[mkguitar]

we have a hand wisk broom which sits just under the pass seat rear, by the door, than makes easier for me to sweep as we go- open side door and sweep stuff towards me, standing outside

we do use a door mat on the ground ( and a tarp under that if a messy area)
the mat has a raised lip and when driving the dog's dish goes on that to catch spills

we have a medium sized broom stored on clips in the head

our flooring is a lino type with carpet in the rear and between the front seats.

our dog ned is between those seats ( with our reflectix window covers stored under that to control heat coming through floor while driving) so the front carpet is covered.

we mostly have our bed set up, so the carpet there doesn;t get much traffic.

we have a carpet cleaner with wand that I use probably every 2 years on the carpet and upholstery

( I recently replaced the foam in our seats- so the seat covers got a good cleaning)


mike

[Andra]

How big is your ground mat?

[mkguitar]

it's a normal door mat, like you'd see at rona or cdn tire


mike

[NAZCamperVan]

Andra, Congrats on your Pleasure-Way. We have it's Canadian cousin, an LTV Free Spirit. I appreciate your concern for keeping floors "camp-clean." Here's my strategy:
if camping for longer than 1 night, we'll deploy our outdoor rug. We found a compact outdoor mat (5'x'7') that folds up and stores behind driver seat. For shorter stays, we always put out a small (2'x3') inexpensive rubber doormat on the ground. It doubles as a shower mat for using the outdoor shower. This mat rolls up and fits in a nifty space along the sliding door step (like it was made to go there.) For inside, I found a fun, washable area rug (Target) that fits inside the slider door. We have a short-handle broom (fits in space between cabinet and sliderdoor) that is very handy for the daily sweep. Enjoy the adventure.

[Andra]

Originally Posted by NAZCamperVan

Andra, Congrats on your Pleasure-Way. We have it's Canadian cousin, an LTV Free Spirit. I appreciate your concern for keeping floors "camp-clean." Here's my strategy:
if camping for longer than 1 night, we'll deploy our outdoor rug. We found a compact outdoor mat (5'x'7') that folds up and stores behind driver seat. For shorter stays, we always put out a small (2'x3') inexpensive rubber doormat on the ground. It doubles as a shower mat for using the outdoor shower. This mat rolls up and fits in a nifty space along the sliding door step (like it was made to go there.) For inside, I found a fun, washable area rug (Target) that fits inside the slider door. We have a short-handle broom (fits in space between cabinet and sliderdoor) that is very handy for the daily sweep. Enjoy the adventure.

Thanks for the tips! Btw Pleasure Way is based in Saskatoon, so it's Canadian too!

[Jon in AZ]

We have a no-shoes-inside policy at home and camping. A small 4x6 outdoor mat makes a nice place to take them off and put them on as you enter and exit. Bonus of the no-shoes policy is it tends to limit unnecessary in-and-outs.

[mkguitar]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

We have a no-shoes-inside policy

for me I can only barefoot or flip flop in the van or my head scrapes ceiling



yes, take shoes off outside, or at the least kick the dirt off as you would with snow
we wipe dogs feet with towel when we can catch her



mike

[rowiebowie]

We use a small 2' x 3' mat with rubber nibs. Seems to work good and more importantly, shakes out clean.

Inside, we sweep and use a wet swiffer. The wet swiffer pads are always too wet so I wring them out first. If the handle is not readily accessible, I've been known to push it around the floor on the sole of my shoe.

[TygerMark]

Originally Posted by Jon in AZ

We have a no-shoes-inside policy at home and camping.

that's right.......

[themexicandoctor]

Japanese style, shoes off is the best answer.

[rowiebowie]

I'm amazed there are so many with "shoes off" policy. We would love to do it too, but then there's the problem of where to store your shoes. We don't have any place that wouldn't be tripped over by the two of us or or 70lb. standard Poodle. Plus, we'd just be putting them right back on when we go outside as that is where we mostly stay.

We have divided duties. The wife does the majority of cleaning at home, but I do all the cleaning in the van. Out in the dusty, rocky West, that does mean sweeping a couple of times a day. The Swiffer is mostly right before bed so we can walk around barefoot when getting up during the night (several times).

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by rowiebowie

I'm amazed there are so many with "shoes off" policy. We would love to do it too, but then there's the problem of where to store your shoes. We don't have any place that wouldn't be tripped over by the two of us or or 70lb. standard Poodle. Plus, we'd just be putting them right back on when we go outside as that is where we mostly stay.

Most places they stay on the mat outside the camper. If local conditions make that unwise they go under the front swivel seats- mine under mine and hers under hers. I always have two pairs of shoes for travel: an easy-on, easy-off pair for use in camp, and a sturdy pair of walking shoes for forays out of camp. Add a pair of flip-flops for use around water.

My wife is Asian, so it's something that came with the deal. You get used to it, and it has its advantages. For one, the trouble of taking them off and putting them on means I'll think twice about going into the camper for some little thing I don't really need. And that in turn means fewer bugs get inside.

We started the camping practice with our Scamp trailer, which is all-carpet inside and just made sense. In the Roadtrek I added a long, thick carpet runner down the center aisle, very comfortable to walk on sans shoes. A hand broom and dust pan reside in the bin just inside the door. Once a day I sweep out around the door, and I vacuum the carpet between trips.

[soohma]

I bought a length of brown indoor/outdoor carpeting to use as a door mat outside. Dries quickly, shakes out nice and folds up for storage. Inexpensive also. And I have a wisk broom also that cleans the lino portion quickly and does an ok job on the carpeting until I can get home and really clean it.

[Bmecalo]

We carry a small rubber doormat and small outdoor rug 4×6 for outside short and long stays. I use a child's play broom on the interior because the handle is about 2 ft long. I can get into tight places with it.

[Southern Driver]

I have a 2016 Lexor. I found cheap runners and rugs (matching) and I add a black mat at the sliding door that keeps out the vast majority of shoe dirt. Knocked over glass of red wine = buy one new mat. Also helps some in the winter.

[Lou]

We also have a child's toy broom as well as a small mat at the top of the stairs. We have a small doormat for outside that we seldom use. We are wandering not camping so unless it is wet and mucky we keep our shoes on until evening. We store current shoes under passenger seat or sometimes on the bottom stair (inside).

[JonK]

We once met a guy that carried a very small leaf blower, would open the sliding and rear doors and just blow it out. Hey, he travels alone and it makes sense as a guy type tool based solution.

RE; shoes outside, I left my new leather hikers ouside on night and the next morning one was gone, presumably because it either tasted or smelled good, or both. That hasn't stopped me from leaving them out.

[avanti]

We find a whisk broom to be the ideal tool to keep the floor clean. Gets into the nooks and crannies.

Between trips, I like those Dyson cordless vacs. Amazing machines. A bit pricy to dedicate to the van, though.

[InterBlog]

*LOVE* the "shoes off" comments, guys. Obviously none of you are

DDDDOG OWNERSSSSS!



Answer for the OP: Using absolutely every method I can dream up to throw at the problem.

(1) Long-shave the dog before we leave on extended trips. Trim paw fur especially, which tends to get caked in mud.

(2) Gray astroturf cut and velcro'd into all step wells to remove some accumulation from shoes upon ingress. (Gray matches the van color scheme)

(3) Gray astroturf whole mat onboard for placement outside the sliding door...

(4)... as an overlayer to the CG Sand-free mat that I have sized for outside the slider area.

(5) Special receptacle for hiking / work boots, solid body container, placed on top of our black tank, so that there is a contained place to put them after they are removed (it catches some of the dirt that falls off).

(6) FLOR brand carpet tiles grouped and strategically placed to serve as dirt magnets. They are a commercial-grade product, practically indestructible and can be removed and thrown in the lake if necessary to get the mud out (as well as dog barf). No exaggeration - I throw them in the lake. Evidence below.

(7) Broom with an extendable handle.

(eight) 12 volt hand vac (I cannot put that number in brackets as it changes it to an emoji)

I am sure I've forgotten a few more.

We boondock almost exclusively, living in the woods in our van for weeks at a time. It Gets Filthy.

Here are the FLOR tiles in the van, in the lake, and sunning happily on the bank to dry. Look as good as new after their swim, eh? (I've attached multiple tiles together to make the van inserts).





And the boot bucket, pic taken eons ago when the boots were actually clean: