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How To Clean Dust In Your RV

This post was updated on March 15th, 2024

wooden counter in RV - feature iamge for how to clean dust in an RV
Here’s how to clean dust in your RV and keep it from building up in the first place. Photo: Shutterstock

Simple Tips To Keep Your RV Dust-Free

One way or another, RVs will get dusty inside. Driving on gravel roads, having pets with us, camping in the desert, and just spending time in the RV can all bring dust into the RV.

While you can’t eliminate dust completely from your RV, there are a few things you can do to help minimize the amount that gets into it. Here are a few tips on how to clean dust in your RV.

During travel

Minimize travel on gravel roads

While it’s not always possible, avoiding travel on gravel roads in your RV can help reduce the amount of dusting you have to do when you arrive at the campsite. Dust from gravel roads can work its way through the tiniest pinholes in the RV, so it’s really impossible to seal it out.

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Plan your travels on RV LIFE Trip Wizard and with the RV LIFE App to make sure you’re on an RV-safe route, and use the street view to see what kind of roads you’ll be traveling on.

Cover vents

Measure and cut paper (or lightweight fabric) to fit over RV vents. Clean the area around the vent and wipe with rubbing alcohol to remove any residue. Use painter’s tape to attach the vent covers.

Travel with the windows and fan covers closed

Traveling with windows or fan covers open will allow a lot of dust to enter the RV. If possible, keep them closed while you’re driving.

Plug and seal holes

Your RV probably has small holes where the wiring or plumbing enters the RV. Making sure these holes are sealed with expanding foam gap sealant will help keep dust out of the RV while you travel or camp in the desert.

Use an air purifier in your RV

An air purifier can be helpful for reducing day-to-day dust in your RV while you are camped.

Keep pets brushed out and bathed 

Pet dander can contribute a lot of dust to the RV. Brushing your pet outside every day can really help to reduce the dust inside the RV. 

Quickly bathing your dog with the outside shower (or at a dog wash station) will also go a long way to reducing the dust in the RV. Most dogs learn to enjoy regular bathing when you use warm (not hot) water and provide them with a lick mat while they get washed and rinsed. 

Check your air conditioner filter

Prevent the air conditioner from blowing dust into the RV by keeping its filter clean. Check it at the beginning of each season. If the filter looks dirty, replace it with a new one. 

For more information on this, check out this video:

How to clean dust in the RV

Once you are at your destination, it’s important to stay on top of dust buildup in your RV. You’ll want to clean dusty surfaces in your RV every day when you are using it. This is because it’s much easier to get rid of a little dust than it is to deal with a lot of dust when it gets a chance to build up. Here are our best tips on how to clean dust in your RV.

  • Use a vacuum: Vacuum all surfaces in the RV. If you have an especially heavy dust buildup, a small Shop vacuum can really help to reduce the amount of dust. For dealing with day-to-day dust, you’ll want to start by vacuuming with a good cordless vacuum or your rig’s built-in vacuum. Vacuum all surfaces and don’t forget to vacuum window and fan screens, since they will accumulate dust. 
  • Follow up with a Swiffer microfiber dusterPay special attention to the tops of valances and the area above the slide-out. Swiffer dusters are great for collecting dust.
  • Use a microfiber cloth for spot cleaning any dust you couldn’t reach with the Swiffer duster.
  • Clean Fantastic or Maxx Air fans thoroughly: You should clean the fans with a microfiber cloth weekly to keep them from blowing dust back down into the RV.  

Conclusion

Keeping dust out of the RV will help you minimize how much dust you’ll be cleaning inside your RV. Vacuum cleaning and microfiber dusters are also helpful for getting dust cleaning chores under control. The most important part of dusting your RV is doing it frequently enough that there isn’t any buildup. 

Make sure you keep track of all your RV maintenance and repairs with an online tool such as RV LIFE Maintenance. Not only can you keep all of your documents in one place, but you’ll also receive timely reminders when maintenance is due to help you avoid costly repairs and potentially serious accidents.

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