13' Scamp Stinks!

[Kate Carney]

This little fella stinks to high heaven, moldy and musty.
We have shampoo'd the carpet and upholstery, used fbereeze and Drizair and it still just, well,
stinks!

Any words of advice?

Many thanks

[Lainey]

Have you taken the covers off the cushions and washed the foam, maybe the shampooing didn't get through it completely?

Are there any concealed areas that had water leaks, maybe rotting plywood or something?

[Kate Carney]

Sounds like I need to take the covers off and check!

Just last weekend we dicovered a ton of nasty old fiberglass insulation stuffed around the friege, we removed, but no noticeable difference yet

Thanks!

[Rebecca H.]

We just bought a '77 Scamp 13' that wasn't moldy, but smelled generally kind of "lived in"... I agree with the suggestion to take off the cushion covers and check... one of our cushions in particular was really smelly and gross. Donna had a good suggestion for washing cushions (set out the cushions on a blue tarp, get out some soap and a hose, and do a grape stomp-rinse routine). While you've got the cushion covers out of the trailers and off of the foam, you can isolate them to evaluate whether they might be an independent source of smell.

Another possible place to check... under the dinette and front sofa. When we removed our dinette benches to replace the carpet, we found lots of general dirt and grime in the corners underneath. Nail brushes and Krud Kutter ended up being our cleaning tools of choice. We took out and cleaned the water tank while we were at it, and replaced the hose. There was a piece of fiberglass insulation stuffed behind the water tank; replaced that too. After all that, we painted the floor and lower part of the interior (below the plywood that supports the dinette benches) with some of that Zinsser anti-mold/mildew/rust primer. Of course, during all this process, we had the trailer opened up several hours at a time, and that probably didn't hurt either....

[Connie M.]

After doing a thorough scrubbing, and cleaning all the nooks and crannies that I could reach, our Trill still didn't smell fresh, even though it hadn't been used much in its 30 years. Airing the cushions out in the sunshine help some. So did opening windows and frequently airing it out on warm sunny days.

Biggest source of mustiness seemed to be from the storage compartments and back in around furnace and frig. Wrapped a bunch of charcoal in some muslim to make little packets and scattered them about in strategic locations.

[Kate Carney]

Thanks for all the advice folks, you know I have not really cleaned the walls. So this evening I cleaned the inside of the front door using simple green.

EEEEUUUYYYYUUUUWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!

Any suggestions for a good cleaner?

[Greg A]

Ours had a smoker for 20+ years. We took the inside down to the ensolite and scrubbed it with fantastic to get the nicotine off and then painted with Zinsser Perma White which is a mildew sealing paint. Like brand new now.... You'd never know it ever had any odors.

[Brian T]

A bowl or dish of fresh unused coffee works well. Or wrap some coffee up in cheese cloth and leave it in things like fridges. Old transport trucker friend used to haul a load of fish one way, spread a five pound bag of coffee on the floor and then load up with fresh vegetables for the return trip. Never had a complaint about fishy veggies.

[Kate Carney]

Ours had a smoker for 20+ years. We took the inside down to the ensolite and scrubbed it with fantastic to get the nicotine off and then painted with Zinsser Perma White which is a mildew sealing paint. Like brand new now.... You'd never know it ever had any odors.

I do believe we are going to follow your lead. How much paint did you need?

[Greg A]

Kate,

It took around 8 quarts and I found the paint at Lowes.
Zinsser Perma White

Here is a photo showing paint going on ensolite old/new.





We haven't had any issues with it now that the Scamp is in-use and if you need to touch up we always have it available if the kids scuff up something.

[Lizbeth]

Ours had a smoker for 20+ years. We took the inside down to the ensolite and scrubbed it with fantastic to get the nicotine off and then painted with Zinsser Perma White which is a mildew sealing paint. Like brand new now.... You'd never know it ever had any odors.

That's what I did too my trailer was gross and filthy. It was a lot of work but worth it. The paint is holding up really well.

[Kate Carney]

Kate,

It took around 8 quarts and I found the paint at Lowes.
Zinsser Perma White

Here is a photo showing paint going on ensolite old/new.


Attachment 9086


We haven't had any issues with it now that the Scamp is in-use and if you need to touch up we always have it available if the kids scuff up something.

Wow!

Well then, looks like a done deal. It's going to be a busy weekend but it will be one I will be happy at the end of!

Wish us luck!

[Kate Carney]

Kate,

It took around 8 quarts and I found the paint at Lowes.
Zinsser Perma White

Here is a photo showing paint going on ensolite old/new.


Attachment 9086


We haven't had any issues with it now that the Scamp is in-use and if you need to touch up we always have it available if the kids scuff up something.

Whoops

One more question.....

How long did it take to dry?

[Greg A]

Three to four hours between coats, and then after two coats a good few days to make sure it was cured up.
If you are gonna gut, clean, paint and replace, ur in for a good bit more than a weekend.
Really no other way to do it, though, cause if you leave an area out behind cabinets or something you'll still be potentially in for odor.

[Lainey]

Another fresh air tip for once you've got the inside all spruced up:

Put pieces of cedar in all the cupboards.

Not only does it deter moths and other insects, it will also absorb excess moisture (to a degree), and smell good too. Instead of getting those fancy cedar balls they sell to put in your closets, I just buy packages of cedar shims (usually in the window dept. at the hardware store)

[scott fraser]

Another fresh air tip for once you've got the inside all spruced up:

Put pieces of cedar in all the cupboards.

Not only does it deter moths and other insects, it will also absorb excess moisture (to a degree), and smell good too. Instead of getting those fancy cedar balls they sell to put in your closets, I just buy packages of cedar shims (usually in the window dept. at the hardware store)

Very clever idea using those shims Lainey. I added a couple of shelves and a box along one wall to hide a wiring harness and used left over bits of cedar fence boards to make them for the same reasons. It smells nice and will keep a room or cabinet fresh.