Maintenance & Restoration

Simone · 10-18-2015, 01:06 AM

We foolishly bought a '75 Boler that had been smoked in for years. It's in near perfect condition except that no matter how much we scrub it, it still has a stench. And no, the ozone machine did not help.

We are coming to realize that we may have to strip the ensolite and replace it with something.

Can new ensolite be bought somewhere?

How does one go about measuring and cutting it so that it fits around everything?

Do we have to remove all the windows and furniture to do it?

I've searched other threads and online but haven't found this info.

Any advice is very much appreciated!

John in Michigan · 10-18-2015, 12:24 PM

Hi, This is Lisa posting on my husbands account,

Have you considered painting the ensolite instead of replacing? It's probably cheaper and maybe easier. We painted ours and have been very happy with it.

About the smoke smell. My father was an extremely heavy smoker and we are still removing tobacco residue 10 years after he passed, as my sister and I think of new areas to clean. The smoke residue gets on and into everything, fabrics, cushions, cupboard, electrical outlets, all the little cracks and crevices. Krud Kutter is my favorite cleaner for this. A steamer also works well for cracks and crevices though you may have to be very careful that you don't damage anything, it gets very hot.

Good Luck!

Simone · 10-18-2015, 12:32 PM

Thank you Lisa! Do you mean a steamer as in a carpet cleaner with the upolstery attachment? Or a fabric steamer?
I have thought of painting first. Tearing out and replacing will be my last option. It's incredible how that smell gets into everything. I've heard the ensolate is closed cell so it shouldn't absorb smells but the seams and cracks are another story!

John in Michigan · 10-18-2015, 01:38 PM

The kind I used was a household steam cleaner, like a McCulloch or a ladybug. It uses hot pressurized steam for cleaning. I believe a lot of carpet cleaners use hot water.

Also I wasn't clear on my last post, the smoke residue was in my Mom's house, not the trailer. (It would be sad if it took my sister and me 10 years to clean a 13 ft trailer )

Lisa

Simone · 10-18-2015, 03:55 PM

Thanks again, Lisa. Sounds like a phenomenal undertaking with the house. Sounds like it can be done, though! And it makes my Boler sound easy!

Raff · 10-18-2015, 04:02 PM

My vote would be to paint. Much easier and if it doesn't work and you're unhappy you could strip it then. I painted the ensolite in our Boler and have been happy with it.

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