New owner of Casita 04 with moldy smell

[Chantal Binet]

Hello all,
My husband and I just bought a used Casita that was closed for 4 years in Florida.
I say used, but it maybe was really used by owner a few time only. It is brand new looking real great (see pics) but it smells like hell. We cleaned it inside out removing benches and everything we could, vacuum clean with odor control product and dehumidified it. Many time. we really took everything out but the refrigerator unit.
We found lot of rotten bugs under seats and carpet corner and we suspect that there is mold on carpet although we cannot see anything from the outside. We lifted the carpet and I don't see mold, but the smell is really strong.
We think that it was let in humidity in Florida, never air out for all that time.

We really love the layout of our egg, this is really the type of rv that we wanted, but the smell feels like you are in a tennis shoes. Yak! The smell is both in the floor and wall carpet.

At this point we are condidering two options:
Ozone shock treatment and re-carpetting.

Any of you tried ozone generator in it?

Any advice would be great,

Chantal

[Paul Kaplan]

Its probably mold in the carpet that you don't see. It might be in the cushions as well. Personally, for your own comfort and safety, I would replace both.

[Alf S.]

Hi: Try talking to a local carpet cleaner or dry cleaner for advise. Then if you have to replace...do it!!!
Alf S. North shore of Lake Erie

[Chantal Binet]

We actually think that the mold is between carpet liner and carpet were glue was used to fabricate them, is that possible?
Anyhow, the cushions and padding are mold and smell free after vacuum and air out in sun. I open them and there is not even a trace of someone using them before.
Any one have tried to remove the refrigerator unit?

Chantal

[Bill MacDermod]

We live in Florida and we know what you are going through. It took us a couple of years to get the hang of this stuff. We had a double dose of it as we bought used and a cat had peed in it as well. In the park we live in we have to keep it in a storage area that has water available in 2 spots and electricity in every other spot. which I had one with elec. We tried leaving the A/C on 24/7/365 and it really did the trick until someone decided his motor home was more important than my "toy", then so many motor homes were leaving 2 A/C's on in their units the fuses blew out all the time. We went to plan B, deoderizers, and they helped, When we got back from our trip to the Northwest we rented a carpet cleaner and did the carpets in our house, we ended up with 4 hours of time left so Karen said lets do the camper. We spent the better part of the afternoon doing the wall carpet which turned out to be time well spent. I have to add though that I could not get rid of the cat pee smell until somewhere between Plan A & plan B I replaced the floor carpet with laminate flooring and walla, no more cat P and we also enjoy the non muddy carpet on wet days. We now use the bag type dampRid which although we have to replace it once every 3-4 weeks it works well. I suggest that you rent the carpet cleaner and spend a few hours of hard labor, it will add a lot of enjoyment to your Casita when it finally starts to smell like your own. We will probably rent one again this fall.

[Bob H]

I just can't understand why they put carpeting in a camper. We camp "in the wild", in the woods, near a beach, rarely on cement or asphalt. Naturally dirt and sand is tracked in and collects in the indoor/outdoor carpet. And since the carpet is attached to the floor, you can only vacuum or shampoo, you can't take it out and shake the accumulated crud out.

You got a stinky carpet? Here's your chance. Rip it out and replace it with some great looking hardwood floor panels. It is so easy to install. Then add a few nonskid drop rugs to make things cozy. Now when the kids, Dad, or the dog tracks in the sand and dirt, they can simply sweep it all out. (That'd be neat if you could train the dog to do it)

In your search for mold, check your A/C & your fridge. Trapped condensation is a mold source. Also, a water leak in the roof can be very sneaky, It can seep into the wall insulation and never show a drop... just sit there in the insulation alowing mold to grow.

My 2¢,
ConwayBob

[Chantal Binet]

I agree about carpet. If we rip it, we definitively going to put an easy to clean flooring.
The problem is the wall carpet, since it is use also for insulation, it is another story. Sounds like a big project to me. Let say that it was sold to us with a "ready to camp" flag, so we are pretty upset with the seller. The add was in craig list and since the layout is perfect for us - 17', 5 beds and outside shower unit - my dh drove 12 hours to go get it in TN. Once he was there, he thought that it could be fixed, until we found out all of the rotten bugs nesting everywhere under seats and under carpet were there is space to crawl. We had a hell of a weekend cleaning it. There is no more bugs now, but I look at the carpet we suspicion now.
We don't have the air conditioning device and the fridge was never used. I was expecting a stinky fridge, but it is the only think smell free in here!

Does anybody know how to take the fridge unit out?
Is there anything that we need to be concern about? That is most likely the next thing we need to do.

[Donna D.]

I think cleaning the floor carpeting and walls sounds like a good idea. I'd give that a try before yanking out the refrigerator.

Then too, try the vinegar trick here: Apple Cider Vinegar

[Paul from NWOnt]

Don't despair. If you spend some time looking through this site you will find threads where people have done amazing things with what look to be little more than scrap. Time, coupled with a little elbow grease will clear up any problem you may encounter.

No task is insurmountable with our little eggs.

[Bob H]

I wish I could turn you onto my friend up in York NC. He's a building inspector. He's got a new inspection gadget called a FLIR Scope, it's a video camera that sees everything in high detail infared. With a FLIR (and a education in understanding what it shows) you can look at any structure and see mold, moisture, heat leakage, bad electrical wiring, all sorts of things that would normally require physically probing and digging into walls, roofs, and floors.

Unfortunately he charges a arm AND a leg.(He's still paying for that neat-o FLIR scope)

And like Jeff Foxworthy says...Whatever you are looking for, you'll find it in the last place you look....unless you find it and just keep looking.

[Pat R]

I think cleaning the floor carpeting and walls sounds like a good idea. I'd give that a try before yanking out the refrigerator.

Then too, try the vinegar trick here: Apple Cider Vinegar

Donna is right on here. Clean the walls with a carpet cleaner (Go to a rental store, they are good units) then I would tear the carpet out and replace with a nice pergo type stuff. Heck you would only have maybe two days of work into it...

[Donna DL]

A few years ago, I bought a big canister steam cleaner. I decided to do a whole room with it and we couldn't get over the difference. The room just smelled so clean even though it was regularly vacuumed and shampooed. How could that be with just steam, no cleaner? We finally figured it out, it was lack of smell. Since that time, I do our car and truck seats and floors a few times a year. It cleans up spilled coffee, fast food that dribbled, greasy footprints and makes any odors disappear. It has brush and pad attachments like a vacuum and it works by "steaming and wiping".

Mine is a Saeco, I don't think they make them anymore but some company must have a good steamer that steams for an hour or so on one fill. I have asthma and I am allergic to mold and spores and this method should kill it. They make small handheld steamers but they don't steam as much or for as long .

Donna in AR

[Scott S.]

I have a friend that sent a used car to a place that specializes in cigarette smell removal. all the dealers use these guys or the larger one will have a unit of their own. it's an overnight procedure and it really worked. I'm a born-again non--smoker so I can tell if someone smokes from a 100 feet away. the carpet and cushions are likely the issue. they may be able to suggest a professional fix.

[Daniel V.]

Could it be that you've got a leak somewhere that prevents your walls / carpet / whatever is causing the smell from drying up completely no matter how often you clean it? I had that problem in a closet, and once I plugged the leak and let everything dry out, I just put some pieces of cedar and the smell went away.

[Chantal Binet]

Just an update about my smelly casita. We dried it with a dehumidifier for many days, rent carpet cleaner and cleaned, cleaned and cleaned again. It is all appart now, and ther is no mold in it, and the smell seems to fade away. We used febreze and it seems to get better, although I cannot stand perfume.
Let see that I don't usually use perfume; not for shampoo, clothes, cleaning product, everything that you can think I found fragrance free products. So I am very sensitive to smell...I can still detect something, but it is a lot less than before.

[Bob H]

Just an update about my smelly casita. We dried it with a dehumidifier for many days, rent carpet cleaner and cleaned, cleaned and cleaned again. It is all appart now, and ther is no mold in it, and the smell seems to fade away. We used febreze and it seems to get better, although I cannot stand perfume.
Let see that I don't usually use perfume; not for shampoo, clothes, cleaning product, everything that you can think I found fragrance free products. So I am very sensitive to smell...I can still detect something, but it is a lot less than before.

Keep the windows open a bit to allow cross ventilation and to keep it aired out. If it builds back up...well you know what that means.

Good Luck
ConwayBob

[TravelRN]

I called Stanley Steamer the day that I bought my 1994 Casita and they cleaned everything and also used "enzymes" to get rid of the musky smell. It was worth the $160. No worries now!
Smilebox Playback

[Ray N]

We finally replaced the last of the carpet in our house with ceramic tile or wood. My wife has allergies and the carpet was a major contributor. It was amazing just how much filth is contained in carpet and padding. Our EggCamper has a removable carpet that we can take out and hose down, but I have plans to eventually replace it with vinyl planks.

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Ray N

We finally replaced the last of the carpet in our house with ceramic tile or wood. My wife has allergies and the carpet was a major contributor. It was amazing just how much filth is contained in carpet and padding. Our EggCamper has a removable carpet that we can take out and hose down, but I have plans to eventually replace it with vinyl planks.

Yes, carpet can hold a lot of odor. It's easy to get a carpet in a trailer pretty wet. If the musty smell continues, try pulling the carpet out and putting down some other flooring. (I would do that anyway... our house smells so much better since I ripped out the living room carpet and laid down laminate. I will never tolerate carpet in a trailer again.)

[Lois L]

I just bought an 01 13 ft Casita. Looked at it twice before deciding to take the leap. The day I picked it up, I asked the Service Manager if he noticed an odor. He replied he had lost his sense of smell as a child. I kind of wish I had now. :/ The more humid it gets, the more I smell cat urine and feet. I've shampooed five times and still, the awful reek. Have tried woolite, resolve, Bissell and two steam cleanings. Vinegar and peroxide was the last effort. Called Service Master and Stanley Steamer and both say, rip up the carpet in the floor. Dealer says bring it in and they will use an ionizer.(I've read it's a temporary fix) At this point, I'm ready to buy a tent. :/ There is no fridge or heater. No bathroom either.. it has to be smelly feet and cat pee. Should the dealer at least pay half the cost of replacement?