Help with making the camper smell good

[marypopfan]

We just bought an older camper and it has a musty(?) smell. Any hints on making my camper smell good and getting rid of the bad smell? Thanks for any help.

 

[twinklebug]

We just bought an older camper and it has a musty(?) smell. Any hints on making my camper smell good and getting rid of the bad smell? Thanks for any help.

Chances are the musty smell is coming from moldy carpeting or cushioning. Air the camper out well for a day and then let your nose take you to the smell. Moldy carpeting needs to be torn up and replaced (never fun or cheap) but worse would be if you have a leak in the ceiling or water pipes.

Good luck!

 

[goofytime2000]

First thing would be to open everything up, run a couple of fans, and let things air out for a day or two. Then clean EVERYTHING! Every nook and cranny, carpet, upholstery, everything! If that doesn't work and you feel you need to, tear up carpeting. After you get everything cleaned, you could use one of those Oust Fans. I'm allegric to mold and very sensitive to musty smells, and they work great!

 

[marypopfan]

Thanks for the ideas. Everything had been replaced already, new cabinets, new flooring, no carpets, new cushioning for the table. I finally found where it's coming from, the door. That is the only thing that wasn't replaced and we were planning on doing it, so hopefully that will solve the problem.

 

[LMC]

Try charcoal. My in-laws bought a house and the previous owner kept dogs in the basement. FIL put charcoal in the basement and said it would absorb/eliminate the odor.

 

[marypopfan]

I am going to scrub the door and screen door today, hopefully that will help some. I thought that I heard something about charcoal one time, thats worth a try, thanks. I was reading in a housewives hint book, from when I got married, and it says if you put a bowl of vinegar out it takes away musty smell so after the charcoal I'll try that one, I guess. Do you know how many days they left the charcoal before it was gone? Thanks everyone.

 

[LMC]

I am going to scrub the door and screen door today, hopefully that will help some. I thought that I heard something about charcoal one time, thats worth a try, thanks. I was reading in a housewives hint book, from when I got married, and it says if you put a bowl of vinegar out it takes away musty smell so after the charcoal I'll try that one, I guess. Do you know how many days they left the charcoal before it was gone? Thanks everyone.

They bought the house years ago and I think I spied the charcoal down there the other day. There's no smell they have just never cleaned it up as it is only an occasional home to them (maybe 2x per year) I would leave it as long as you could; it won't hurt. Just get plain charcoal or you'll end up with a lighter fluid smell. The smell may be in the sub floor if there were bad leaks. If you have storage compartments under the camper, stick some charcoal down there too.

 

[jeast]

my car was out of commission for a week or two. Unfortunately, I had left a mcdonalds bag in there that made the car smell REALLY bad when we opened it back up.

DH put a plate of fresh coffee grounds and a cut up apple in the car for a couple of days. It smelled like coffee for a couple of days but the yucky smell was gone and the coffee smell faded quickly.

It worked!

 

[tiggger1]

I was going to say coffee grounds too. MY aunt bought a car at an auction and the trunk smelled like cat pee and we put coffee grounds in a 2 days later it was gone!

 

[loriandmatt]

once you get that damp smell out - be sure to keep some damp-rid in there all the time when you are not using it. it sucks all the moisture out of the air and will keep any problem spots from getting "re-molded".

- lori

 

[LMC]

once you get that damp smell out - be sure to keep some damp-rid in there all the time when you are not using it. it sucks all the moisture out of the air and will keep any problem spots from getting "re-molded".

- lori

A little OT, is damp-rid really necessary? I've heard of it before but never used it. When we get back from a trip, I clean out the camper and let the ac run on and off for a few days to "dry" it out. It doesn't seem to have any mold or mildew or moisture problems.

 

[marypopfan]

Thanks for the hints. Ya'll are awesome. I don't drink coffee, so I am off to Walmart for some. I'll let you know how it worked.