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Old 11-24-2013, 10:18 AM   #1
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Unhappy Removing "new" trailer smell?

We have a new 2014 Crossroads Sunset Trail TT bought in June of this year. Used about 4-5 times for short trips (3-4 days at a time). The inside of the trailer has an incredible smell of what I would assume is formaldehyde (the book said that was used in the construction of wall, cabinets, etc). It is overwhelming when you first walk into the trailer, but when you have been there a while you get used to it, I guess.

I have tried to air out the inside on numerous occasions by leaving all windows and vents and the door open, but all my bedding and plastics have taken on the smell. We live in the mountains, so leaving it open continuously isn't possible. I would think a new trailer would have a "new" smell.

Anyone have any suggestions of how to remove this horrible fragrance or has anyone had my problem?? TIA
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Old 11-24-2013, 11:47 AM   #2
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I used baking soda on the carpet and vinegar and water on the walls(50/50 solution). Last thing to try, and I thought I was being played is cat litter in plastic pails. Took care of the smell for me
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Old 11-24-2013, 12:08 PM   #3
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In California they can no longer sell furniture that contains formaldehyde. Knew a guy that owned a furniture store and he had to sell off all the product he had last year that contained formaldehyde.

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Old 11-24-2013, 12:24 PM   #4
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Renting an Ozone Generator will get rid of the smell. I was able to rent one locally from an air conditioning duct company that advertised on Craigslist. We had a ceiling leak while were gone for the summer. The mold smell was terrible even after all the cleaning and repairs. The generator solved the problem.
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Old 11-24-2013, 12:35 PM   #5
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Formaldehyde off-gassing is common and is emitted from numerous construction materials. One major source is the glue used in plywood, OSB and MDF materials. So your sub-floor, the interior walls, the ceiling and cabinetry will all be emitting the gas. Every new home today has this issue. There's no way of getting away from it nowadays unless you had a very custom RV or house built for you or bought used. If your unit has OSB for a sub-floor rather than plywood, you may notice more off-gassing. Our TT uses plywood and the odor has never been a problem for us and we started using it immediately when we got it. To me OSB really stinks. I used it once and never again.

It seems to me that formaldehyde is also used in some flooring (carpeting?) and some other materials but could not find a list.

Formaldehyde exposure can potentially cause a variety of symptoms and adverse health effects, such as eye, nose, throat, and skin irritation, coughing, wheezing, and allergic reactions. Most people just find the odor to be offensive. It does dissipate and subside over time. I couldn't find any info. in a quick search, but I *think* you will find by the next camping season, the level of the gas will have come down quite a bit and you may not be bothered by it at all. You may want to keep a little bit of ventilation going by cracking open the windows and ceiling vents a tiny bit.

Any plywood or other material using urea-formaldehyde glue off-gasses from the core where the glue is. If these materials are coated with an appropriate finish, the level of off-gassing can be substantially reduced. It's going to be tough to do in an already built RV though. Interior luan plywood walls and ceiling have a coating so these aren't as big a problem (I think). And if you have sheet lino throughout on the floor, same thing. But there's a lot of exposed plywood on the interior of cabinets, storage (like under bed), back side of dinette seating, etc. If you have on-going sensitivity in the long run, I supposed you could try coating the exposed plywood with perhaps polyurethane.

If you google "formaldehyde off-gassing", you'll find a ton of info. such as:

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehhe/trailerstudy/pdfs/08_118152_compendium-for-states.pdf

http://http://www.cpsc.gov//PageFiles/121919/AN%20UPDATE%20ON%20FORMALDEHYDE%20final%200113.pdf

http://http://www.epa.gov/iaq/formaldehyde.html

http://http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/homes/story.html?id=df9f94c3-164d-4938-a8af-42fbd13fec2d

None of these mentions using an ozone generator so I would research that first.







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Old 11-24-2013, 02:25 PM   #6
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Have no idea if this will help, but may be worth a try, good for other odours at least.


Odor Eliminator - Car & Home Odor Control - Any Odor Removal Guaranteed
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Old 11-24-2013, 02:30 PM   #7
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Thanks to all who have given me input. We will try some more things to get rid of this nasty smell!!
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Old 11-24-2013, 04:39 PM   #8
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It's hard to believe, but wool blankets spread out inside are claimed to absorb formaldehyde fumes.
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Old 11-24-2013, 05:10 PM   #9
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All news to me. When we bought our TT last year, my wife insisted we buy new so that "we can have our own smell, not somebody else's." Luckily I found the exact unit we'd been looking for that had been in the dealer's showroom, on display and door and windows open for a couple months. I never caught a whiff of anything offensive.
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Old 11-24-2013, 05:36 PM   #10
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Cook some collards and or some chitlins,that should kill just about any smell. But then you will have figure out how to get rid of that smell.
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Old 11-25-2013, 11:17 PM   #11
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Buy a big dog and put him in there wet. That'll cure it :-) :-)
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Old 11-26-2013, 05:33 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by macantic View Post
Cook some collards and or some chitlins,that should kill just about any smell. But then you will have figure out how to get rid of that smell.
Nope, menudo (Mexican soup made from tripe) will kill any odor.

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Old 10-22-2016, 11:49 PM   #13
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Smell

We recently purchased a 2016 new Sunset Trail 5th wheel. We also experienced that horrible new trailer smell that attaches to everything. Much more than normal new smell. How did you get rid of the smell ??? Your feedback is appreciated.
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Old 10-22-2016, 11:51 PM   #14
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Its funny, We have had ours for about 3 years and still smell that when we open it up for the spring. Not so much now as when we first bought it but still enough to make you open the windows for the day.
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