Why Do Clothes Get Damp In An RV?
RV or travel trailer closets are notorious for making your clothes damp and funny smelling.
It’s very easy for moisture and condensation to build up in RVs and that moisture gets trapped in the closets.
Related RV Product: The Camco Screen Door Cross Bar Handle (click to view on Amazon) makes it easy to close an RV screen door and protect it at the same time.
Even if you have a dehumidifier running in your RV the closet may be a place with high humidity and trapped moisture.
The good news is there are a few ways you can prevent the build up of moisture in your RV or trailer’s closets.
Related: RV Condensation And 14 Ways To Prevent Mold In Your Trailer
Ways To Prevent Humid Closets
Open The Door
The most simple way to stop the build up of moisture in your closet is to open the closet doors for a few hours every day.
You can place your RV dehumidifier in the bedroom while the closet doors are open for some extra help.
The only downside to this method is it is something you have to do every day and it can make your clothes dusty from the air coming into your camper.
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Moisture Absorbers
A lot of full-time RVers who have their clothes in their RV or travel trailer closets all the time use moisture absorbers to keep their clothes dry and funky smell free.
You can use the refillable tub kind (click to view on Amazon) that sit on the bottom of the closet.
(I use this method because it’s effective, affordable, and easy to deal with in small clothes packed RV closets).
Or there are the kind you hang with your clothes (click to view on Amazon) that draw the moisture out and collect the water in bags.
This method works great if you have a large closet and your clothes have lots of room to breathe.
If you live in your RV there is limited closet space and you sometimes have to really cram your clothes to get everything to fit. In that case, the hanging bags don’t work so well.
Another portable dehumidifier I’ve started to see everywhere is the Eva-Dry Wireless Mini Dehumidifier (click to view on Amazon).
The cool thing about this style of dehumidifier is it can be “recharged” and used hundreds of times.
The way it works is the small container is filled with silica gel beads that actively remove moisture from the air. When they are filled with water they will turn blue and to “recharge” all you have to do is plug the dehumidifier into a wall outlet.
When plugged in there is a small heating element that heats up the gel beads and removes the moisture from them. After just a few hours the silica beads will be moisture free and ready to be placed back into the closet.
Depending on the humidity levels the Eva-Dry can last as long as 4 weeks.
Dehumidifier
If you have a huge closet like on some RVs you can even buy a small dehumidifier that will fit in it.
This is a great option if you are connected to power and have a lot of closet space.
You can check out some great RV dehumidifiers in this article here.
As far as keeping moisture out of your RV closet these really are some of the only options.
The good news is the moisture absorbers work really well and are easy to refill.
Just make sure you check them every now and again and make sure your clothes are totally dry before you put them away in the closet.
Related: Do I Need To Run A Dehumidifier When The RV AC Is Running?
Have any questions about keeping your clothes dry in an RV closet? Leave a comment below.
