Community Forums

jimbo2013 · 12-05-2013, 07:07 PM

Been looking to buy an older coach and some of them are just musty smelling.

Can these be cleaned up or is the smell so deep its there forever?

Is it usually in rugs or other fabrics?

If you did do some cleaning what did you use.

lx22 · 12-05-2013, 07:34 PM

This is what i have used with good success.
Hope it helps i found it at a hardware store.
http://www.naturesairsponge.com/

mrboyer · 12-05-2013, 07:40 PM

First a good cleaning and airing out. If the odor is still present, there are commercial products that you place a few drops on a plate. Smells like wild cherry. Repeat each day for a few days. We had an apartment where tobacco was stored in a closet. Took 3 days to eliminate the odor. Never had it come back. You can probably find the deodorizer at a commercial cleaning supply, such as: Duo or Janitor Supply, etc.

vanbuskirk · 12-05-2013, 08:35 PM

I would inspect the unit thoroughly to make sure the musty smell is not a derivative of water damage. A unit with a stale smell is one thing but a musty smell driven by mold is a totally different ball game. Make sure you open each and every cabinet door and check below the windows in both the cab and living area for soft walls. I am speaking from experience!

Ray,IN · 12-05-2013, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vanbuskirk

I would inspect the unit thoroughly to make sure the musty smell is not a derivative of water damage. A unit with a stale smell is one thing but a musty smell driven by mold is a totally different ball game. Make sure you open each and every cabinet door and check below the windows in both the cab and living area for soft walls. I am speaking from experience!

Great advice! No product will overcome continuing mold/mildew.
I bought a gallon of OdorBan at Sam's Club a few years ago. It is really great stuff. Clean the carpeting/upholstery,etc., when dry spray with OdorBan as directed,the smell is gone. DW now keep a non-powered dehumidifier in the MH when unused to reduce chances of mildew.

sswilson · 12-05-2013, 10:19 PM

I might use a dehumidifier for a few days just in case moisture is present. A good one can take out a lot of moisture!

Pepper2 · 12-06-2013, 08:20 AM

Try a couple boxes of Arm & Hammer baking soda.

Adam Hunter · 12-06-2013, 09:07 AM

I just pulled the bedroom carpet out of our 2008 Holiday Rambler. My wife was convinced that it was the carpet giving us a musty smell......She was right!

In our PDQ floorplan the shower is close by to the bedroom and I guess the previous owners were not diligent about making sure they were dry before goin onto the carpet.

Upon removal the smell was in the fabric and was most pronounced in the foam underlay. I have seen this before in houses.

I have cleaned the subfloor, treatred it with a anti-bacterial cleaner and now the smell is gone!

We have decided to go with a solid surface floor for the bedroom. I have ordered engineered wood from Bruce hardwood.

AKJohn · 12-06-2013, 11:01 AM

I had a car in storage all summer and found a dead mouse on the floor when I took it out of storage. I suspect that smell was a lot worse than what your finding in your motor home search. It took a while, pretty much all winter, but I was able to eliminate the odor.

I washed all of the non-porous surfaces inside the car with a citrus based spray cleaner. I washed all the fabric surfaces with upholstery cleaner. Then I sprinkled baking soda over all the fabric surfaces, left it overnight and vacuumed if up the next day. I don't know many times I did the baking soda treatment, maybe six or eight times over a period of several months. I also bought a bag of the activated volcanic rock product at an auto parts store. I put it under the seat and reactivated it (put it in the sun for 8 hours) about once a month or so.

I finally got the smell out so unless there is some type of mold problem in the MH your looking at I suspect you will be able to clean it up as well. Good luck.

HicksRA · 12-06-2013, 12:49 PM

IMO, that musty smell is a good sign to exit the coach and keep looking.

2Bargos · 12-08-2013, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam Hunter

I just pulled the bedroom carpet out of our 2008 Holiday Rambler. My wife was convinced that it was the carpet giving us a musty smell......She was right!

In our PDQ floorplan the shower is close by to the bedroom and I guess the previous owners were not diligent about making sure they were dry before goin onto the carpet.

Upon removal the smell was in the fabric and was most pronounced in the foam underlay. I have seen this before in houses.

I have cleaned the subfloor, treatred it with a anti-bacterial cleaner and now the smell is gone!

We have decided to go with a solid surface floor for the bedroom. I have ordered engineered wood from Bruce hardwood.

This is basically same thing I'm in the process of doing to my coach.It had been sitting for a few years when we purchased it this spring.The dw has spent a small fortune trying to get the smell out.
Replaced bedroom carpet and it helped but smell was still there. Last weekend we removed the carpet in living area and the smell has all but left the coach.
I thought about engineered flooring for living area also, but decided to use carpet .My thinking is the carpet also serves as sound deading for the engine noise .