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While sanitizing your RV fresh water system with bleach is fairly easy and arguably the most effective way, some RVers don’t like the idea of using bleach.
So, let’s look at the most common ways to sanitize an RV fresh water tank without bleach and whether they are actually effective or not (the results may surprise you)!
Sanitize Your RV Water Tank With Camco Spring Fresh
Camco Spring Fresh is arguably the easiest way to clean and deodorize your RV’s fresh water system without using bleach. And by easy, I mean no measuring or mixing is required.
No pulling out a measuring cup to ensure you have just the right amount of bleach to water ratio. No residual bleach odor or taste in your water. None of that.
This quick video explains how it works and how to use it to clean your fresh water system step-by-step.
- Drain the RV fresh water tank and water lines, including the water heater. Be sure to close the valves once drained.
- Fill your freshwater tank 2/3 full of water and add Spring Fresh Cleaner. Add 1 quart for every 25 gallons of tank capacity.
- Turn the water pump on and open the faucets until water flows continuously for 2 minutes, allowing the solution to fill the entire system. Turn the water pump off and allow the Spring Fresh to sit for 10 minutes.
- Flush the entire water system twice to completely remove the product.
That’s it! Now just fill your tank with clean water, and you’re ready to go.
Tip: Camco recommends sanitizing your fresh water system with Spring Fresh annually, typically during the dewinterization process.
Camco TastePURE Spring Fresh Water System Cleaner and Deodorizer
Price:Clicking this link to make a purchase may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.
Sanitizing Your RV Freshwater System With Household Products
Now, let’s talk about sanitizing your RV’s water system with common household products (not including bleach).
You’ll see many different articles on the internet about using various products to clean your tank and lines.
Unfortunately, most use a certain product and assume it cleans the system. But a closer look would likely reveal that it didn’t do as well as they thought.
In fact, Colorado State put together a nice little chart showing the effectiveness of household products in killing the big three common types of bacteria, including Listeria, E. Coli, and Salmonella. Here are the results:
We can take this information and apply it to sanitizing an RV’s freshwater system.
Sanitizing With Vinegar
Acetic acid (or vinegar) is effective for cleaning your freshwater tank. But that’s if the vinegar is at 130 degrees! And undiluted. White distilled vinegar, at room temperature, is only effective at killing Salmonella.
And there’s no guarantee that when you fill your RV water system with vinegar heated to 130 degrees, it will remain at that temp. It’s likely to lose a few degrees, if not much more, pretty quickly as it moves through the lines.
So, keep this in mind if you choose to go this route. I recommend using a water test kit to ensure your water is safe to drink after using this method.
Coliform Bacteria Test Kit for Drinking Water
Price:Clicking this link to make a purchase may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.
Sanitizing With Hydrogen Peroxide
Slightly more effective than white vinegar is hydrogen peroxide. At room temperature, it effectively kills E. Coli and Salmonella but not Listeria. Heated to 130 degrees, it’s effective at killing all three.
Keep in mind, however, that the test was performed using undiluted hydrogen peroxide. Mixing it with water could potentially cause it to be far less effective.
Sanitizing With Baking Soda
Just don’t. Unfortunately, sanitizing your water system with baking soda is still common advice from RV owners on blogs and forums, but it’s ineffective. And why put your health, and that of your family, in jeopardy using an inferior sanitizing technique?
If going green(er) is the main reason for ditching the bleach method, give Camco TastePure Spring Fresh a try.
Camco TastePURE Spring Fresh Water System Cleaner and Deodorizer
Price:Clicking this link to make a purchase may earn us a commission at no additional cost to you.
My two cents…
Regular household bleach is arguably the safest and best way to sanitize your fresh water system. If you are using any other sanitization method, I recommend getting a water test kit to ensure your water is free of harmful bacteria and safe to drink.
I live full time in my camper for 5 years and have never sanitized my tank, I also don’t drink from the tap unless I put it in a Brita pitcher but have only done this for the last 3 months. I also use a .5 micron filter on the hose before it gets into my camper. So why would I need to sanitize my system?
It’s a question of severity, frequency, and what taking precautions costs in time and money.
Do a quick search for “contaminated rv water system consequences”. The first few results included https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/74/wr/mm7419a4.htm:
“Notes from the Field: Primary Amebic Meningoencephalitis Associated with Nasal Irrigation Using Water from a Recreational Vehicle — Texas, 2024
Weekly / May 29, 2025 / 74(19);334–335”
“Summary
What is already known about this topic?
Primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM) is a rare, often fatal brain infection caused by the free-living ameba Naegleria fowleri. Using tap water for nasal irrigation is a risk factor for PAM.
What is added by this report?
A fatal case of PAM occurred in an otherwise healthy adult woman who used tap water obtained from her recreational vehicle (RV) in a nasal irrigation device. Although N. fowleri was not isolated from the RV water supply, the water was found to be inadequately disinfected.”
She died.
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Another link: https://camperfaqs.com/the-hidden-danger-in-your-rv-water-tank-and-how-to-fix-it
Lists the same PAM event, plus e.g. “While most people won’t get seriously ill from occasional exposure to questionable water, there have been confirmed cases of Giardia, Legionella, and other bacteria causing outbreaks in campgrounds and RV parks. In rare situations, infections like Legionnaires’ disease have been linked to water systems inside RVs or their supply hoses.”
Do you feel lucky?
Consider also the family and friends who might be with you on a trip. The new baby.
We’ve had the good fortune of living in an age when we haven’t experienced huge outbreaks of horrible diseases carried by food and water, such as dysentery and cholera. (We’ve seen SARS, COVID, etc. but those were spread by other vectors.) We see the precautions that were put in place to stop disease, but haven’t experienced the *why*.
Personally, I *like* not having first-hand experience of lots of people sick, injured or dying by something that we know how to prevent easily.
Well said, Mr. Scott! Thanks for the comment.