Keeping the interior clean while camping

[Begize]

Combinations of most of the above, most importantly shoes off in the van plus;

Cheap rug (inside) from Ikea
Olpro breathable awning carpet / mat (outside)
Cheap washable doormat (from Ikea)
Dustpan and brush (from Ikea) which lives in the bench draw
Eufy H11 USB vacuum (from Amazon) which lives in the bench draw

For shoe storage outside, I've got two Ikea Baggmuck shoe trays (£3 each) which slide under the van and coincidentally fit exactly side by side in the boot as a cheap alternative to slide out trays.

 

[Brianandjoy]

Old Lino off cuts cover the back of the floor then old towel on top easy to shake out and sweep the Lino,never take shoes off in the van

 

[kamelpojkengoescali]

Wow, I’m amazed at the lengths gone too when out ‘adventuring’ in order to keep the vans clean. We have the fitted rubber mats from club shop, easy to sweep out with a wee brush set and even if we were able to keep our ‘four paw’ fellow adventurer spotlessly clean, we really just wait for a proper clean out when we get back home….mind you it does take a few hours … lol

View attachment 113261

Are the mats easy to place, do they stay in place?
Also noticed your seat covers. What brand please? And do you find them confy to sit on? Look a little "plastic", but I guess very dirt-resistance.

 

[Whitwellblue]

We often marshall on fell races etc, and need to offer a place to muddy runners. We don’t want them to worry about the van, so have a water proof (probably only water resistant, but it’s fine) picnic rug tied onto the back seat and a couple of colourful ikea bath mats on the floor. They cost about four quid each, brighten up the beige interior and wash & dry in the machine like a dream. Full on black mud covers on front seats, as we can be wet and muddy too.

We keep this setup all the time, with an extra bath mat to go outside as a doormat in camp sites. We have a great little stiff, stubby, circular brush to brush grass etc off the little mats in the doors of the van. (Best trick is to leave muddy bits to dry so it’s brushable!) This brush, which is probs a vegetable brush or something, fits in the little hole under the bench seat next to the door where the little power point is.
We have bought a small cordless rechargeable vac, about the size of a thermos flask. It’s pretty good, lives in the underbench drawer, but we didn’t really need to use it in 2 weeks round Ireland recently.

 

[YELRAV]

-boot bag
-straw mat (outdoor)
-compact dustpan & brush
-washable bath mats
-old towels


Take shoes off before going in van - we put them in a shoe bag.

We have 2 fluffy bath mats (side by side) that are machine washable. Have a nice feel when in the van with your socks off.

I also wrap a towel around them - so if doing a quick stop during the day you can jump in with shoes on - it’s amazing how much dirt is trapped and if I’m doing a wash at the site I throw them in too.

A compact dustpan and brush sits in the pocket at the drivers seat (door side).

I also have roll up straw mats which we place at the door when on site. It’s good for under the wind out awning or between the van and our drive away awning.

 

[BeeBee]

Are the mats easy to place, do they stay in place?
Also noticed your seat covers. What brand please? And do you find them confy to sit on? Look a little "plastic", but I guess very dirt-resistance.

Our rubber mats were really very simple to put in place and there’s also a section for the boot. Expensive but isn’t everything ( bought from club shop )
The seat covers were also purchased from club shop and yes are kind of nylony and also cover lovely ‘half leather’ design seats, but heh ho we fix our van up for ‘functionality’’, no doubt detracts from the aesthetic, (bought from club shop and can’t even remember brand as four years ago, sorry)

 

[Ianvonlux2023]

Combo of all the above. We have a dustpan and brush - Oxo one. Shoes off (if dirty) and we used to have the full mats from campervan carpets but they became a pain in the backside to move all the time so now have one of the Amazon dirt catching machine washable mats that we use in and if dry weather, use as an outside mat, which works perfectly.

View attachment 113043

I’m loving the Amazon functionality here of being able to look at the mat from many sides

 

[Cwcltd]

DEWALT portable vacuum.

DEWALT

For the OCD amongst us. (Uses the same battery as the DEWALT tyre inflator)

 

[Lee.Van.Cleef]

For us it’s campervan carpets mats, the little oxo dustpan and brush and this Vango bag for shoes (folds flat) which usually goes outside.

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Big fan of these. I got one with the intention of using for shoe storage, but actually it fits nicely on top of the sink / hob area for general 'sundries' while still allowing access to fridge. Obviously can be compressed or extended depending on whether or not you need access to sink or hob. Especially flexible on later vans with split tops.

 

[GrumpyGranddad]

Anyone have any tips for keeping the interior of the van clean while camping? I know you can't avoid dirt completely, but we're trying to figure out if we should get carpet mats, install some faux-wood flooring that's easier to sweep and mop, or figure out a way to keep shoes outside. I'm a bit of a clean freak and I can relax a little when we're traveling, but I'd still like to figure out any easy routine for the campsites.

Regarding keeping shoes outside? Take them off and leave outside. Sorry

If you don’t have an awning/awning room, leave them under the van.

 

[impossibledreamer]

Lots of great advice here. Thank you to everyone who commented. I have a mile long list of accessories for the van and now even more to add!

 

[ZimaSpartan33]

Just stay outside…

Otherwise use heavy duty rubber… and broom. Easiest way.

 

[Ch1pbutty]

Sort it out when you get home, otherwise good luck!

Our best purchase was rubber mats for the entire van. Carpet didn’t work for us as always holds sand.

 

[dspuk]

Just stay outside…

Otherwise use heavy duty rubber… and broom. Easiest way.

View attachment 113299

Is that heavy duty coin matting on top of factory heavy duty coin matting?

 

[DavidofHook]

We have 2 small Wilco rugs in the back, Brandrup covers on all seats, a 3’x3’ false grass rug outside plus a rubber mat. And Mrs DoH who is very keen on keeping the inside CLEAN, if you know what I mean. No shoes indoors.
The Brandrup covers were eye wateringly expensive but, after wine, mud & all sorts, regular washes and both they and the seats under are like new. We’ve had them continuously in the van for 11 years. Fully recommend.And you can’t tell they are on the seats.

 

[Gazbibelots1860]

Reviving this old thread...im interested to know, has anyone ever come accross a dustpan and Brish that has an extendable handle so you can turn a handheld brush into a full sized broom for sweeping away the sand in the awning when away? Rather than having to take a full sized brush

 

[BeeBee]

Reviving this old thread...im interested to know, has anyone ever come accross a dustpan and Brish that has an extendable handle so you can turn a handheld brush into a full sized broom for sweeping away the sand in the awning when away? Rather than having to take a full sized brush

I would be interested in this too, currently using a mini brush and dustpan but ‘back breaking work’ when getting sand out of van and drive away awning.
Telescopic but with not too big a head and dustpan.

 

[Webbah_in_Switzerland]

I would be interested in this too, currently using a mini brush and dustpan but ‘back breaking work’ when getting sand out of van and drive away awning.
Telescopic but with not too big a head and dustpan.

I took a different approach. Absolutely love the Kica Jet Fan 2S. Super compact and high quality blower and vacuum (with vacuum kit). Easily blows all the leaves or water off the top of the awning before closing, blows all crumbs and dirt out of the blowup awning, and the vacuum attachment is great with good power and super compact to get into the tiniest of crevices. Also has an attachment to blow up mattresses and SUP’s, etc. my favorite gadget of the year as it’s so small and powerful with multiple purposes. Also useful to help start campfires.

Can easily find on Amazon in your country. The 2S is the one to get as the 2 is the older version.

KiCA Jet Fan 2S - Experience excitement,with powerful airflow - KiCA

Powered by the latest generation of high-speed three-phase brushless DC motors,spinning fast for stronger airflow.Reaching up to 117,000 RPM,capable of powerful wind speeds,exceeding 27.5 meters per second,equivalent to a category 10 hurricane.

www.kica-tech.com

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[Hawthorn37]

We use our (free) VW Campervan rug in the smaller of our 2 awnings, and a Vango carpet in the larger. House cleaning involves dragging out the rug and shaking! Plus no shoes, if possible.

 

[Up10]

I am installing B&Q carpet tiles, cut to fit, which are comfortable under foot and easy to clean. Dust pan and brush and hand held vacuum wand to keep floor, rails, knooks and crannies clean but great for awnings and removing dead flies in the pop top too!

Seat slides over the carpet tiles which are fitted to expose rails. Stanley knife, steel rule and bread board only tools required but a bit of duct tape helps to keep the tiles together.

No shoes rule in van!

Shark Cordless Handheld Vacuum WV200UK | Shark WandVac

Shark Cordless Handheld Vacuum WV200UK. Lightweight WandVac 1.0, perfect for quick clean-ups. 2-year guarantee. Free delivery.

sharkclean.co.uk