7 Best RV Steps For Easy Cleaning That Nomads Swear By

You’ve just spent a perfect day hiking a dusty trail, and now you’re back at the rig, boots caked in red clay. That dirt doesn’t just stay on the steps; it gets tracked onto the floor, ground into the dinette cushions, and somehow ends up in your bed. Your RV steps are the single most important barrier between the great outdoors and the clean sanctuary of your tiny home on wheels.

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Why Easy-Clean RV Steps Are a Game Changer

Keeping a small space clean is a constant battle, and your entryway is the front line. Unlike a sticks-and-bricks house with a mudroom and doormats, an RV has virtually zero buffer. Every grain of sand, pine needle, or clump of mud you bring in immediately impacts your living space.

This is where the design of your steps becomes critical. Steps with countless tiny crevices, absorbent grip tape, or complex folding mechanisms become dirt traps. They are frustratingly difficult to clean, especially when you’re trying to conserve water or don’t have access to a pressure washer. A simple daily sweep becomes a 10-minute chore involving brushes and contortions.

For nomads, this problem is magnified. One week you’re dealing with the fine, pervasive dust of the Arizona desert; the next, it’s the sticky mud of a Pacific Northwest forest. Steps that are easy to clean—meaning they can be quickly swept, wiped, or hosed down—save you cumulative hours of work and a massive amount of frustration. It’s a quality-of-life upgrade that pays for itself every time you step in or out of your rig.

Lippert SolidStep: Stability and Simple Wipe-Downs

The first thing you’ll notice about the Lippert SolidStep is its rock-solid feel. Because it extends all the way to the ground, it eliminates the bounce and wiggle common with traditional RV steps. This stability is a huge win, but its design also brings a major cleaning advantage.

The steps themselves are large, single pieces of powder-coated aluminum. There are no grates, no complex patterns, and very few seams. This creates a smooth, continuous surface that is incredibly easy to clean. A quick pass with a broom or even a simple wipe with a damp cloth is usually all it takes to remove dust, dirt, and leaves.

The main tradeoff is that the SolidStep folds up into the RV doorway for travel. This means if you don’t sweep them off before packing up, you’re bringing the mess inside with you. However, because they are so easy to sweep, this becomes a simple, five-second part of your departure routine. For daily use, the ease of a quick wipe-down is hard to beat.

MORryde StepAbove: Tool-Free Debris Removal

Much like the Lippert SolidStep, MORryde’s StepAbove offers that firm, ground-connected stability that inspires confidence. It eliminates the feeling that you’re walking on a temporary, wobbly ladder. But MORryde took the cleaning aspect a step further, directly addressing the issue of trapped debris.

The genius of the StepAbove is its removable tread panels. The textured, non-slip surfaces can be popped out without any tools. Did the kids track in a bunch of sticky pine needles or wet sand? Just lift the panel out, shake it off, and pop it back in. For a deep clean, you can take the panels out and hose them down completely, away from the RV.

This feature is a game-changer for dealing with caked-on mud or other stubborn messes that a simple sweep won’t handle. While the initial design is slightly more complex than a solid-surface step, the ability to physically remove the dirt-collecting surface for cleaning is a massive advantage for anyone who frequently camps in messy environments.

Torklift GlowStep: All-Terrain Dirt Resistance

Torklift approaches the step problem from a completely different angle. Instead of folding into the doorway, the GlowStep is a scissor-style step that mounts to the RV’s chassis and hovers above the ground. This design is fantastic for boondockers who often park on uneven terrain where a ground-connect step wouldn’t work.

From a cleaning perspective, the design is brilliant. The steps are made of extruded aluminum with an aggressive, open-grid texture. This design doesn’t just provide excellent grip; it allows dirt, mud, snow, and sand to fall straight through to the ground below. They are, in a sense, self-cleaning. You’re not collecting debris on a platform; you’re shedding it before it even has a chance to get tracked inside.

Because they fold up and store under the chassis, they don’t bring any mess into your living space. They are also less likely to get caked with road grime during travel compared to traditional fold-out steps. The "glow" strips are a nice safety feature for nighttime, but the real win for nomads is the all-terrain, dirt-shedding functionality that keeps the outdoors outside.

Stromberg Carlson Platform Step for Easy Sweeping

Sometimes the best solution isn’t a replacement, but an addition. The Stromberg Carlson Platform Step is a simple, freestanding metal step that you place on the ground at the base of your main RV steps. Think of it as a portable porch or a ruggedized welcome mat.

Its cleaning power comes from its function as a first line of defense. The large, grated surface is the perfect place to stomp your boots and knock off the worst of the mud, snow, or sand before you even touch your RV. This dramatically reduces the amount of cleaning your built-in steps will ever need.

These platforms are incredibly easy to clean themselves. Just pick it up, shake it out, or give it a quick spray with a hose. While it’s another piece of gear to store, its impact on interior cleanliness is undeniable. For full-timers, using a platform step is a non-negotiable part of the "clean RV" toolkit.

Camco Aluminum Step: Lightweight and Hose-Ready

Similar to the platform step concept, Camco’s simple aluminum steps are a favorite among nomads for their sheer simplicity and versatility. These are typically single, lightweight, freestanding steps with non-slip rubber feet and a basic slotted or textured top surface.

Their biggest advantage is how ridiculously easy they are to clean. Being made of aluminum, they won’t rust. You can leave them out in the rain, spray them with a hose, or scrub them with a brush without a second thought. They are light enough to pick up with one hand and bang against a tire to knock off dried mud.

Many nomads love these not just as a pre-step, but as a multi-use tool. It’s a low seat for working on your tires, a small table for your drink by the campfire, or a boost to reach the top of the windshield. Because it’s so durable and easy to clean, you never hesitate to use it for a dirty job.

Kwikee Electric Steps: Retractable Dirt Defense

If you have a motorhome, you’re likely familiar with Kwikee electric steps. These automatically extend when you open the door and retract when you close it. While often seen as a convenience feature, this automation is also a powerful tool for cleanliness.

Their primary cleaning advantage is that they don’t stay exposed to the elements. When you’re parked at a dusty campsite or driving through a rainstorm, the steps are tucked safely away. This prevents them from getting coated in a layer of grime that you’d otherwise have to deal with every time you go in or out.

The steps themselves usually feature a perforated design with abrasive grip tape, which effectively scrapes boots and lets smaller debris fall through. While the pivot points and motor require occasional maintenance, the treads themselves are easy to brush off. Their best feature is proactive: they stay clean by staying hidden.

BAL Retract-A-Step: Under-Chassis Protection

For travel trailers and fifth wheels, the BAL Retract-A-Step is a popular manual alternative to electric steps. These are scissor-style steps that manually pull out and push in, storing flat against the underside of the RV chassis.

Just like their electric counterparts, their biggest cleaning benefit comes from being stored away during travel. Driving on wet or dusty roads coats everything on the undercarriage with a film of grime. By tucking the steps away, you ensure you have a clean surface to step on when you arrive at your destination.

The design is typically a simple, durable steel grate. This open design allows dirt and water to pass right through, preventing it from being tracked inside. With no complex electronics to worry about, you can be aggressive with cleaning, using a hose or brush to clear out any mud that accumulates in the mechanism. It’s a robust, simple, and effective solution for keeping road dirt off your feet.

Ultimately, the best RV step is the one that fits your travel style, whether it’s the self-cleaning design of a Torklift for off-grid adventures or the simple wipe-down surface of a Lippert for RV park life. Investing in steps that are easy to clean is one of the highest-impact upgrades you can make. It’s a small change that saves daily frustration and helps keep your tiny home a clean, peaceful retreat from the wild world outside.