RV showers have long held a reputation for delivering anything but spa-like experiences. Small and cramped, with weak water flow and builder-grade fixtures and surfaces, they’re designed for utility—not your groggy-morning comfort. Still, just because these spaces face inconvenient limitations doesn’t mean you’re stuck facing miserable showers on every camping trip. There are plenty of easy, low-cost upgrades that can elevate your RV shower experience without remodeling the entire enclosure or redoing the plumbing.
1. Clean & Reset the Space
Think of this reset as a “free” upgrade, one with immediate and measurable impact. It’s also the first step you’ll need to take anyway before adding any new fixtures or accessories—so why not treat it as a standalone improvement?
RV showers get dirty in uniquely annoying ways, mostly due to space constraints and excessive moisture. Hard-to-reach places like corners, door tracks, fixture bases, and lower walls become hotspots for mold and mildew growth. And while sleek plastic doesn’t hold moisture the way grout does, it still creates a playground for soap scum and hard water spots. Showers with faux tile grooves or raised patterns are even worse, getting a double whammy of slimy plastic and textured surfaces that trap grime.
That’s why a half-hearted wipe down won’t cut it here. To achieve a real reset, you need to actually break down the buildup, focusing on the often-neglected areas that make your shower feel perpetually “dingy” even when it’s technically clean.
We recommend starting with an RV-specific non-abrasive cleaner and soft-bristled tools—you can always step up to tougher options, but it’s hard to undo scratches or discoloration once they occur. Wipe down bottles and shower caddies and clean underneath them since mildew loves to take hold where accessories sit or attach to walls. Finally, make sure everything is fully dry so moisture doesn’t immediately undo your effort. A quick pass with a squeegee makes this easy.
2. Get Organized
Once your shower is clean, organize it around how you actually use it. That means considering who will be using the space and what products or accessories they rely on day to day. For example, a shower that only needs to accommodate one low-maintenance traveler’s hygiene needs is probably adequate as-is; but a space that houses an entire family’s worth of products—from large pump-style shampoo bottles to loofahs and kid’s bath time toys—will need extra storage arrangements.
When narrowing down your choices, think about access, security, and how permanent you want the solution to be:
- Hanging caddies are among the most affordable and easy-to-install shower organizers, but they can sway and jostle products while the RV is moving, and they may be hard for children to reach.
- Adhesive-mounted organizers allow for more customized placement. Since weight limits matter, opt for higher-strength suction or vacuum mounts if you have a lot of products.
- Drill-in mounts or corner shelves are the most secure option, but they require permanent modification to your shower space.
3. Replace the Shower Head
For a low-cost but high-impact upgrade to your RV shower, replacing the shower head is an easy win. RV bathrooms are generally equipped with cheap, low-grade fixtures from the factory. Swapping these out for higher-quality options can deliver noticeable changes in feel, function, and water efficiency—but it’s important that you choose wisely.
RV water systems are limited by pump and tank capacities, making them sensitive to flow variability. You’ll want a setup that delivers consistent water pressure and volume in ranges that are safe for RV use. Otherwise, you may end up with a new shower head that looks great, but delivers inconsistent flow and quickly depletes your fresh water supply.
To ensure you select a shower head that is RV-compatible, look for one that is designed to work with lower-flow water systems. The safe range for RVs is typically 1.25–2.5 GPM (“gallons per minute”). Many RV-specific shower heads can still deliver strong streams of water at these lower rates simply by optimizing spray delivery.
Since RV showers are cramped—and rinsing off soap in tight corners is annoying—practical design features like detachable handheld components can greatly improve comfort and convenience. If additional water conservation is top of mind, consider a shower head with built-in shutoff valves. With this feature, you can pause water flow while lathering to stretch tank capacity, without having to re-dial your temperature mix.
4. Add an Inline Filter
Another simple upgrade that can be done with little effort or cost is adding an inline filter attachment. Connecting to the main water hose, these accessories improve water quality for the whole RV by filtering out sediment, chlorine, and contaminants like lead and VOCs. This improves the smell and taste of your water, and provides better overall system protection. If your main goal is improving the shower experience specifically, dedicated shower filters are also available and can offer a more direct, noticeable improvement to skin and hair.
Like most RV water filters, inline hose filters are designed to be replaced periodically rather than cleaned or serviced. Over time, their ability to remove sediment and chlorine diminishes, so swapping them out on a seasonal schedule helps maintain performance.
5. Gain Some Elbow Room
In many RVs, especially higher-end models, glass shower doors or rigid enclosures eat into usable shower space. Even in setups with standard curtain rods, the rod itself often sits flush with the stall, leaving you boxed in with very little room to move your arms without bumping into walls.
One simple way to reclaim some breathing room (and enjoy some weight savings) is to swap out the existing door or rod for a curved shower rod paired with a curtain. By bowing the curtain outward, these setups can add noticeable elbow and shoulder room inside the shower—making the space feel less like a phone booth and more like something you can actually move around in. Some extendable rods are even designed to collapse back into the shower stall when not in use, so you’re not permanently giving up bathroom floor space just to make showers more comfortable.
Switching to a curtain also opens up the opportunity to add a bit of personality to what’s usually a very utilitarian space. A patterned or textured curtain can give the bathroom a quick visual refresh, and it’s easy to swap out down the road if you want to change things up seasonally.
6. Freshen Up the Bathroom Walls
If your RV shower experience still feels underwhelming after a thorough scrubbing and a few functional upgrades, it may be time to look beyond the enclosure itself. Builder-grade wall finishes tend to show wear quickly, and in a small space, those visual cues can make the entire bathroom feel dingy or dated.
Peel-and-stick wall coverings and backsplash panels offer a low-commitment way to refresh the space without taking on a full remodel, giving the room a noticeably cleaner, more put-together feel in just a few hours. Options designed for RV environments tend to hold up better in high-humidity conditions than generic décor wallpaper, so purpose-rated products are a safer bet.
While this kind of update won’t change how your shower functions, it can change how the space feels to be in—an underrated part of making an RV bathroom feel more comfortable day to day.
7. Reduce Humidity & Improve Airflow
Steamy showers are nice; suffocating bathrooms are not. In addition to being uncomfortable, excess moisture can take a toll on your RV bathroom over time by creating an environment where mold, mildew, and bacteria thrive.
The most effective way to manage humidity is to move moist air out of the space as quickly as possible. In many RVs, passive roof vents alone aren’t enough to clear steam after a hot shower, which is why upgrading to a vent with an integrated fan can make such a noticeable difference. Better airflow helps the bathroom dry out faster, reduces lingering odors, and limits the damp conditions that lead to mildew buildup in the first place.
For smaller, low-effort improvements, moisture absorbers can help manage residual dampness and bathroom odors between uses. These won’t replace proper ventilation, but they’re an easy add-on—especially in RVs that tend to trap moisture in cabinets or corners. In consistently humid climates or during extended stays, some RVers also opt for compact electric dehumidifiers, though these require power and a bit of floor or counter space.
Shop Practical RV Shower Upgrades for Everyday Comfort
Not every comfort upgrade needs to be a major project. Many of the changes above can be tackled in an afternoon and still have a big impact on how your RV shower feels day to day. And if down the road you find yourself craving longer, more consistent hot showers, that’s when it may be worth looking into bigger system upgrades like water heaters or tankless options.
Parts Via carries both the small accessories and the larger components to help you improve comfort at whatever pace makes sense for your rig—with fast, FREE ship-to-store available for easy pickup when you’re ready to get started.