Community Forums

MrsChilerick · 10-09-2020, 11:50 AM

We spent about a month in Oregon in September during the fires. Kept the windows closed and AC on to keep the smoke out. But the coach smells like it’s been through a forest fire. Does anyone have any idea how to eliminate this odor?

brandss · 10-10-2020, 09:56 AM

Not much help but I had a friend who owned an auto detail shop. He had an ozone device that he would plug into cars that were smoked in. It really worked but I don't know the technology and how it would work in a larger vehicle like a rv. Might be worth looking into

Roger G · 10-10-2020, 10:00 AM

Ozone generator is the best option, or fry some bacon in the coach.

CountryB · 10-10-2020, 10:02 AM

Get yourself a Bulldog and feed him some broccoli

Ray,IN · 10-10-2020, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CountryB

Get yourself a Bulldog and feed him some broccoli

and unplug the LP/explosive gas detector.

Seriously, buy a bottle of Odo-Ban and use it in the proper solution in a spray bottle on all fabrics. The original Odo-Ban was used some years ago by crime-scene clean-up crews to destroy odors of human remains.

Jim_HiTek · 10-10-2020, 11:51 AM

You can go to a rental place (equipment type) and rent an Ozone Generator. Use that as recommended in it's booklet (a few hours run time depending on sq ft).

That should remove it. Note that too much ozone for too long will damage rubbers.

SKP Kirk · 10-10-2020, 12:09 PM

Your RV has been through a forest fire! I think the ozone generator is probably the only sure way and that is going to take a lot of it and time. You will probably need to leave the RV to the generator for several days since you soaked the entire RV in smoke.

windsorbill · 10-10-2020, 02:54 PM

My son bought a used full size F350. Previous owner was a smoker. We bought a couple cans of Ozium from an auto parts store and smell was gone in a week or so.

PanJH · 10-11-2020, 06:44 AM

We had an rental unit that the tenant had cats in and wasn't a very clean person, to put it mildly. I tried all the usual chemicals and cleaners, even ripped up all the flooring. Still stunk. I looked around for ozone generators. A janitorial supply house had the best deal on rentals. 2 days of running teh generators and you'd never known there was a problem.

Mark_K5LXP · 10-11-2020, 08:40 AM

My RV was parked in the vicinity of a storage shed that caught fire and it smelled like a campfire in there immediately after. Since it's plugged in and I know the fantastic fan auto rain detect shutoff works I just left some windows cracked and the vent fan running. After a couple weeks the smell had decreased a lot and a few months later was undetectable. I'm sure ozone would speed that process up but just passing along what was pretty objectionable to start with has resolved itself over time. Contrast that to the mouse repellent sacks the PO had stashed everywhere, I can still smell a hint of those even years later.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

MrsChilerick · 10-11-2020, 10:23 AM

Thanks for all of your suggestions. We’re probably going to try all of them., with the exception of feeding the dog broccoli. It’s bad in there, so one step at a time and I’m encouraged by your success stories, now I have some hope. Thanks again

MrsChilerick · 12-03-2020, 07:50 AM

So, it’s been 2 months since we returned home. I have washed the surfaces inside 2-3 times and have left the vents open 24-7, windows open most of the day. Washed all of the soft items, some twice. Last week, after not opening the coach for a couple weeks, I went back in and the smell was gone. So Saturday I started putting the soft stuff back in. It was a little warm so I turned on the AC. The smell came back.

Is there something in the unit on the roof that could be contaminated? What about the vent that runs the length of the coach inside? Anyway to clean those out?

Again, appreciate any help

CountryB · 12-03-2020, 08:03 AM

You may need to clean or replace the Air Conditioner filter(s). The ones that you access from inside the Coach.

Jim_HiTek · 12-03-2020, 08:05 AM

R&R the A/Cs foam filters on the inside of house. Remove the covers, you'll find two foam filters there. Wash or replace. The outside and the inside are isolated from each other so nothing needs be done up on the roof.

If you have a basement heatpump for AC, there's always a filter inside the house. Replace that. Mine is installed inside of the bed frame and sucks air from the bedroom.