Musty smell in dinette cabinets

[frankdamp]

At the end of last season, we discovered we'd had a significant rainwater leak off the top of the dining room slide that had gone into the long, skinny cabinets over the dinette and sofa.

We emptied out the cabinets (mainly books, minor tableware and napkins) then got the toppers replaced and and a damaged slider seal fixed. No more leaks are evident, but there's an unpleasant musty smell in the cabinets.

I've taken the inside cabinet "floor" out and I'm trying to get rid of the smell with mold/mildew killer, which I'm spraying onto the exposed surfaces with a squirt bottle. Unfortunately I'm not having much success.

We've postponed the start of the season because of health problems with elderly dog, so I have time for maintenance activities. Any suggestions?

I'm seriously considering taking the cabinet down and bringing it into the garage, so it's easier to work on. If anyone knows of a really good spray-on mold killer that doesn't smell worse than the mold did, I'd appreciate knowing about it.

[RV Wizard]

Be sure to check the roof and walls for evidence of mold growing in them. May need to run a Ionizer Ozoneator that can penetrate the walls and deplete the oxygen and maybe kill the mold that way. Good luck and keep us posted.

[H. Miller]

Were it me, I would be tempted to use a little Pine Sol in the mix you're using (but I like the fresh Pine Sol smell).

[frankdamp]

Mike:

I'm pretty sure the water came in through the slide-out seal, straight into the cabinets. They are up against the slide-out ceiling. I don't see any evidence that the water penetrated into the walls.

Frank

[Billieg]

What you smell is mold. It can really cause health issues. I'd hire a mold company to check it out. It will be a lot cheaper than your medical bills. I live in Fl. where this is common. After a hurricane if you had any damage they condemn the house until a mold inspector clears it. You will never get all the mold on your own and any left will grow with any moisture even in the air. Be safe my friend.

[frankdamp]

Billieg:

Based on what you said, I've decided to take the cabinet assembly out of the motorhome to take a closer look. It might need to be dismantled an rebuilt with new wood.

With our climate here in the Northwet, mold can be an issue but the average temperature doesn't promote mold growth like you guys suffer. Today marked 269 days since we last saw an 80 degree high temp! When it does get warm, the humidity is usually down in the 20% range.

I'm not even sure there are "mold companies" out here!

[RV Wizard]

It the slide out gasket were the culprit, water should not have gotten into the cabinet on the wall. Check the roof of the slide out for water intrusion. Companies like Servpro can deal with the mold issue in homes and businesses, not sure if they will help in a motorhome situation.

[frankdamp]

Thanks for the tip about ServPro, Mike. A neighbor works for them.

The original problem was two-fold. The slide topper had rotted out so water built up on the slide roof with the slide deployed and the horizontal top seal had been damaged over about a 2" length, directly in line with the aft cabinet. When I retracted the slide, the water came inside on that part of the roof and went down into the cabinet.

I will definitely take the cabinet down and take a close look at the wall behind it.