Stink in a hard place!

[Nichole Adams]

First I want to say thanks for all your previous help... we've been able to fix and resolve most of our problems with our used '06 trillium outback so far, except for the stink coming out of the rear storage compartment.

We found where it is coming from - underneath the closet, behind the wheel well..... which is open air to the storage compartment under the bed/table. This is a super hard place to reach. We took out the electrical box on the front of the trailer and shoved some stuff down there and I sprayed some tea tree oil spray around (as well as I could, anyway, given the tiny opening).... it still smells. It's DEFINITELY coming from there. I'm not sure what to do about it because we can't humanly reach back there to clean with bleach solution..... we tried reaching with a hot dog roasting stick, but it just didn't really work. what to do? It has to be mold or mildew or something similar. It really smells terrible and we don't want to store anything in there until we get that fixed but there doesn't appear to be a way to get down and dirty and clean that area up?

[Gina D.]

high powered spray bottle with a neutralizer or plain old straight bleach?

set it to stream, not spray and open the areas around it to let it air out and evaporate?

[CD Smith]

I understand your pain.

I once had a mouse crawl into the air-conditioner duct on a 1972 Oldsmobile.

Rather than dismantle the A/C we just suffered throught it for about a month.

Unfortunately the mouse's bodily fluids corroded a spot on the evaporater and all the freon leaked out. Had to dismantle it anyway to fix it. That's how I know it was a mouse, I removed its skin an skeleton with the leaking evaporator.

[Mike Hannigan]

Hi,
If the smell is organic, I'd suggest a small spray bottle filled with 3% hydrogen peroxide. It will react with any organic and dissipate with no lingering aromatic. (expect a slight effervescent reaction with organic matter) I would think it a bit more pleasant than the astringent smell of bleach. If the smell lingers after the 3%, I would suspect an organic deposit with a bit of mass, perhaps a rodent...

[Donna D.]

Is there anyway you can get a small mirror on a telescoping handle into the area and light up the area with a flashlight? I'd want to know WHY it smells first rather than just get rid of the odor. If it's around the wheel well is it possible there's a break in the fiberglass and when under tow it sprays water into the area... which would mean wood rot?
2" ROUND MIRROR w/TELESCOPING HANDLE

[Alf S.]

Hi: All... Undo the set screw of your rearview mirror in the car. Remove it and hold it at arms length in the area of stink. Find out whats in there...so you know what to do to get rid of it. Don't forget to reinstall the mirror in the car!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Raya]

I agree it would be nice to see what it is so that you can react accordingly.

Depending on how convoluted the path is, I've had good luck just "blindly" aiming my digital camera (might need to use macro setting - that's the tulip) into an unseen area to get more info.

Raya

[theresa p]

hi...have you considered cutting into the floor in the closet? it sits directly above your hidden problem area. not a nice job...but perhaps replacing the cutout with plywood when done would ease the pain..and also make any further problems easier to discover. nasty, though, having a hidden stink!! i feel your pain.

[Joe Z]

the poster above has a good idea of cutting a hole in and this boat deck plate would be an easy filler to close the hole and you would always have access to that area.
Joe
they could be bought almost anywhere but this link is just to give you an idea http://www.beckson.com/dckplt.html

[Bill MacDermod]

hi...have you considered cutting into the floor in the closet? it sits directly above your hidden problem area.

If this is true cut the floor as big as you can, put 2 hinges on the back side and glued block under the front side and viola you can access it anytime

[theresa p]

If this is true cut the floor as big as you can, put 2 hinges on the back side and glued block under the front side and viola you can access it anytime

bill---you have to know the trailer to understand the idea. radical, yes, but exactly the spot to give her access.

[Nichole Adams]

thanks for the great advice! we were able to "see" the problem - it's definitely mold/fungus of some sort. It's dark and icky.

Sprayed some bleach as best I could and left it to air - it has GREATLY IMPROVED, but there is still a teeny bit of a lingering stink, so I'm going to try again soon, it's just really hard to get bleach down there, not at all comfortable and quite back breaking, actually, LOL.

We are considering cutting an access hole, but since that's a pretty major thing it will have to wait since we don't have time at the moment to do it.... since if we do, we want to do it properly.

Thanks again for the mirror ideas

[floyd]

thanks for the great advice! we were able to "see" the problem - it's definitely mold/fungus of some sort. It's dark and icky.

Sprayed some bleach as best I could and left it to air - it has GREATLY IMPROVED, but there is still a teeny bit of a lingering stink, so I'm going to try again soon, it's just really hard to get bleach down there, not at all comfortable and quite back breaking, actually, LOL.

We are considering cutting an access hole, but since that's a pretty major thing it will have to wait since we don't have time at the moment to do it.... since if we do, we want to do it properly.

Thanks again for the mirror ideas

I can't picture the problem , but how about a simple 1/2" hole drilled to access the area, then irrigate with a spray or a funnel. you could then simply caulk up the hole or fill the area with spray foam like "The Right Stuff" to prevent further problems.

[Chrs P]

Is it possible to use a hole saw to cut an opening large enough for a shop-vac nozzle to get in there? Suck up whatever you can, and spray-bomb the rest?

Also - if this is mold/fungus type stuff, is it possible to make a vent of some kind to prevent a re-occurance? These problems point to stale air and moisture trapped in the space. Sometimes a computer fan can be used to dry out these spots, whether temporarily or as a permanent fixture..

[Raya]

We so need photos!

[Time K]

Does Trillium Outback need to understand this problem so it doesn't get repeated in production? Ignore this if you have already contacted them..