Tip: Command Hooks in the RV

I’m not a big fan of a lot of the standard RV decor that comes with our RVs.

When I got my RV, I wanted to add some artwork to the walls. And some small caddies to hold things. And hooks in the bathroom for towels.

Command Hooks and Command Strips are great for hanging things to the walls in your RV. But with all the stresses we put on the strips in the RV, unlike in a traditional house, we have to take special care with putting them on our RV walls to make sure that they stick.

Command Hooks and Strips are easy to mount (with proper prep), won’t damage your walls when removed, and don’t require any drilling. No holes means better resale value. Plus, if you decide to move things around, you don’t have to worry about patching any holes.

RV Tip - Use Command Hooks and Strips to secure items to RV walls without making holes in the walls. Tips to make the Command Hooks and Strips stay, even in hot summer months

Command Hooks use strong double-sided adhesives to attach to the wall. They will keep you from drilling into the thin walls of the RV, possibly hitting electrical, plumbing, or something else vital.

Or going through the wall entirely thus creating a water leak situation.

Meanwhile, Command Hooks are hailed as the end all, be all to hanging small items on the walls of your RV. I really cannot argue with that.

Command Hooks May Fall Off Walls in High Heat

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve come into the RV to find the hooks and whatever was attached to them on the floor. Maybe this is a problem only for part-timers that don’t keep their rigs temperature controlled, such as they can be, all the time or RVers in the South.

My RV will sit in my driveway, in the hot Georgia sun, for weeks without use. You walk in to do maintenance on a Saturday afternoon and it feels like a sauna in there. So any hooks up in the front living area would fall off over time.

But you know which ones haven’t budged, not once since the day I put them up?

The Bathroom Command Hooks!

Bathroom Command Hooks on the door in my RV

Command has special adhesives that are designed for higher temperatures and humidity found in bathrooms.

These bathroom hooks are still going strong in my RV, two and a half six years later.

The bathroom Command Hooks are typically not as pretty as the designer ones for the rest of the house. The bathroom Command Hooks tend to be white or dull gray plastic instead of fancy designer colors. You can get bathroom replacement strips and use them on the other hooks, if you want a better looking hooks.

Outdoor Command Hooks

Like the bathroom Command Hooks, they also make a special edition designed for use outdoors. And what is an RV in storage except possibly a better protected outdoor space?

The Outdoor Command Hooks are designed to be water and UV resistant. So these are excellent near windows in the RV.

Like with the bathroom hooks above, you can get outdoor replacement strips to use with regular, more designer Command Hooks. Because style matters.

More Tips For Securing Command Hooks to RV Walls

Prep Your Walls First

Command Hooks will stay on your RV walls better if you properly prepare the surface before hanging them up.

One of the best things you can do to ensure that Command Hooks won’t fall from your RV walls is to properly prep the wall. Any dust, dirt, or other residue can make it more difficult for the adhesive in the Strips to make a good bond with the wall.

You’ll need some rubbing alcohol and a paper towel. I usually borrow the rubbing alcohol from my first aid kit. The rubbing alcohol in my first aid kit is great for use here because it comes in a spray bottle. Just a spray or two on the surface where the Command Hook will go, wipe it down with the paper towel and let it dry.

In addition to prepping the wall, I also wipe down the hook that will be attached to the wall. Or the frame of the picture if I’m just using the Command Strips to place the picture directly on the wall without the hook.

Wait Before Hanging Items

I know you are excited to see how it will look with the towels hanging in your bathroom. (They will be awesome, for what it is worth)

But hang on a second. Or about a day.

You should be sure to let the Command Strips or Hooks sit for about a day before you hand any weight on them. Let them “cure” so to speak before adding the stress of hanging objects from them.

So go prep the wall and hang the next Command Hook. Then come back tomorrow to see how it looks.

The Command Hooks are a lot more likely to hold up over time this way.

Use More Strips Than Normal

When you are hanging art or shelves on your walls, I really suggest that you go what will likely seem like overboard when you are putting the Command Strips on the back of your art.

When I went to hang a small piece of artwork, about six inches tall, I put probably 8 Strips on the back, all along the edges and in different directions.

This really helps when we are bouncing down the road in the RV, to make sure that the forces exerted don’t rip the art off the wall.

Yeah, it seems like overkill, but way better than the art coming off the wall while you are driving and possibly breaking!

Clear Gorilla Tape

Corral kitchen soaps and sanitizers in a clear Command Caddy

The Command caddies are some of my favorite Command products because they are so useful at holding things. I’ve used them in the kitchen and bathroom to corral soaps. I also used them in the DIY Jewelry Display in the bedroom.

But with the added weight and abuse that the Command caddies take, they some times need some help staying up. That’s where the Gorilla brand tape comes in.

If you look real closely behind the soap and the sanitizer in the picture above, you might just barely be able to see the outline of the Gorilla clear repair tape that I used to hold up the Command Caddy. But more likely than not, you can’t zoom in enough to definitively tell that it is there. The tape is that clear and that good.

I use the Gorilla clear repair tape in multiple places around the RV. In addition to holding some of the Command hooks, Gorilla clear repair tape is useful for quick repairs on hoses, tarps, awnings, and a variety of other applications. I recommend clear because it’ll work on everything without looking like you took duct tape to the whole RV.

A newer product to the Gorilla lineup is their double-sided mounting tape. It is useful when you don’t have an easy way to tape across the item. I have found that while useful, the double-sided tape is not as strong or durable as the clear repair tape.

How I use Command Strips in my RV

I keep a stash of Command Strips in my RV because I am always finding new uses for them.

So far, I’ve used Command Strips (or Hooks) to

  • Add up a towel holder next to my shower to make it more convenient to grab the towel without dripping water all over the floor after the shower.
  • Hooks and caddies inside the shower.
  • Add small artwork to the wall.
  • Add larger frame with my RV travel map.
  • Small clear caddies to hold jewelry and soap.
  • Hold the DIY Jewelry Holder on the wall.
  • Key holder in a cabinet.
  • Install motion detector as part of my Ring RV Security System.
  • Reapply the spice storage strips in the kitchen cabinet.
  • Hold items on the inside of the RV basement doors.
  • Secure bathroom cabinet organizers so they don’t slide during travel days.

Frequently Asked Questions about Command Hooks in the RV

Can I use Command Hooks in my RV?

Yes! Command Hooks and Strips are useful tools to add artwork or storage solutions to your RV walls without damaging the walls or adding holes.

Will Command Hooks damage my RV walls?

If you install Command Hooks and Strips appropriately, they will not damage your walls when you go to remove them. Make sure that you gently but persistently pull the strips form their tabs to release them from the wall and your artwork.

Help! My Command Hooks keep falling from my RV walls.

They used to do the same thing to me until I found the secret – properly prepping your walls and using way more Strips than you think are necessary.

How do I remove Command Hooks from my RV walls?

It’s easy to remove Command Hooks and Strips from your RV walls. If the Hook slid onto a base, you’ll want to slide the Hook up and off to reveal the base first.

If you just used Strips to attach artwork and you didn’t leave a tiny bit to grab, then you’ll want to gently lift from the bottom, moving to a 45 degree angle and eventually 90 until all the Strips release.

You’ll want to hold the item (or the top of the Strip) gently in place with one hand. With the other hand, gently, but persistently, pull the tab from the Command Strip along the wall (not towards or away from you). Depending on the Strip, you may be pulling it over a foot in length! Keep going until it releases.

What surfaces in my RV will Command Strips work on?

Command Hooks and Strips work on pretty much all solid surfaces – glass, mirrors, tiles, wood, painted surfaces, fiberglass, aluminum, steel, and yes, even wallpapered walls.

You will want to be careful on those wallpapered walls though, particularly if you use Command Strips to hang anything heavy. Improper removal can damage the wallpaper.

What Tips Do You Have to Secure Command Hooks to RV Walls?

Let everyone know what tips you have to make sure Command Hooks stay secure on RV walls by commenting below.

Maybe one day I’ll show you that it is ok to use screws to drill into the RV walls, at least in limited circumstances.

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6 Comments

  1. Will the strips peel off with out damaging the wall in an RV. It says not to use on wallpaper and I wasn’t sure if RV wallpaper is the same as wallpaper used in homes.

    1. Hi Tina! Glad you stopped by.

      In my experience, they don’t want you using Command Strips/Hooks on wallpaper because the weight from the hook plus whatever you are hanging (picture, jewelry, hand bag, etc) will often cause the wallpaper to give way and tear off. Wallpaper is typically not held on well enough with the glue to hold up the extra weight. That’s often true in RVs as well.

      I think it will really just depend on what you are going to be hanging. If it is something like necklaces, then you’ll probably be ok. If you are trying to hang a shelf, that probably won’t hold. You may be able to get away with a larger picture, especially if you use way more hooks/strips than you normally would and spread the weight out across a wider area. I usually recommend this anyways because of the forces applied when we drive an RV and hit bumps and potholes. The rocking and rolling in an RV is tough on anything like Command Hooks that are hanging.

      Let me know if that helps.

      Kimberly

  2. I also read to use command hooks in the RV but I’ve found that they stay on the wall for a while then come off. I tried gorilla strips as well. Same thing.
    I realized that it is the texture on the walls that makes it so they won’t stick. If you stick on a wood cabinet they will stay.

    1. Jackie,

      The extreme temperature swings in an RV, especially for part-time RVers, can be brutal on the Command Strips/hooks. I’ve found that if you properly prep the wall first (ie with rubbing alcohol, dry it) and then really push the Command Strip in hard and hold it for about a minute, it does best. Also, for the hooks and shelves and other Command products, wait at least a day or so before you put any weight on them. This lets the sticky part “cure” and really get that strong hold before downward pressure is put on there from the weight of the other item.

      I’ve got some towel hooks and some art that have been hanging in the RV for years. Even in the South as a part-timer. So it can be done!

      Good luck and thanks for reading!

      Kimberly

  3. I am a part-time RVer in the south. I’m considering hanging some caddies on the wall to store board games. Nothing should be over 5 pounds. Any ideas if the Command Strips you’ve mentioned here would hold?

    1. Paula,

      Sounds like me. Part-timer in the south. I’ve had good luck with Command Strips in my RV – even when it’s summer and no A/C (ie really hot and humid inside).

      To have the best luck, make sure you clean the surface with rubbing alcohol and it’s really dry. Then use the Outdoor or Bathroom strips – they do better with the humidity. And then finally, use more than you normally would. So if it normally would use two strips, use 4-6 strips (more if you can). And in different directions. With the bouncing that happens on our less than awesome roads, you want the caddy securely on the wall no matter which way the force is applied (up, down, left, right).

      Also, let the Command Strips set up well before you apply any weight. So don’t immediately fill up the caddy. Let it hang on the wall empty for awhile before you put stuff in there. It really helps make sure that they stay up long term.

      Best of luck!

      Kimberly