That new RV smell.

[Martian]

Been at this RV hobby since '94. Still wondering how to get rid of that new smell. Had two trailers for ten years each, another for five and the current one for six. The previous all smelled new when we sold them and the current has not lost the smell either.
Has anybody found a way to get rid of it? We have tried coffee, cinnamon and a variety of air fresheners and also tried constant ventilation to no avail.
Bringing items into the stick house can quickly bring the smell in too. Thanks in advance!

 

[Joezeppy]

Hmmm, interesting. We've had 4 new RVs since 2003 and never noticed any specific type of smell other than "clean".

 

[Domo]

Ozone generating air cleaner.

 

[Utclmjmpr]

Rent or buy an Ozone Generator.. it will remove all odd smells overnite

I n my construction business, we rehabbed restaurants that had been burned by "tenting" them with an Ozone generator.. >>>Dan

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

Ozium spray

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Been at this RV hobby since '94. Still wondering how to get rid of that new smell. Had two trailers for ten years each, another for five and the current one for six. The previous all smelled new when we sold them and the current has not lost the smell either.
Has anybody found a way to get rid of it? We have tried coffee, cinnamon and a variety of air fresheners and also tried constant ventilation to no avail.
Bringing items into the stick house can quickly bring the smell in too. Thanks in advance!

At a guess those RVs had upholstery, flooring or even cabinetry that was ""outgassing" chemicals used to maintain suppleness or shine and resist UV fade. That's fairly common in the lower grade materials found in entry-level rigs. You can get rid of it temporarily, but it always comes back as the outgassing continues year after year. Forgive me for appearing snooty, but you won't experience that in mid or upper tier products.

 

[Mr Lars]

Smoke some dog t.e.r.d cigars inside with the windows closed.

 

[RV_Lee122]

If it has the "plasticy" covered dinette / couch cushions remove them for 24hrs and see if it makes a difference. Keep removing what you can remove to try and pin point where its coming from. I agree with Gary though, its probably everything. The shower, the counter tops, flooring etc

 

[Martian]

At a guess those RVs had upholstery, flooring or even cabinetry that was ""outgassing" chemicals used to maintain suppleness or shine and resist UV fade. That's fairly common in the lower grade materials found in entry-level rigs. You can get rid of it temporarily, but it always comes back as the outgassing continues year after year. Forgive me for appearing snooty, but you won't experience that in mid or upper tier products.

Two of the previous and the current one qualify as "mid to upper tier" and one was a basic pos and had less smell, probably because the smell of mold was so high.

 

[PancakeBill]

After the hurricane in 2005 in Florida we got in a ton of quickly made trailers at our dealership. Would burn your eyes! We would open the windows and let them air. Took out about 90% of the odor.

I see you have a 2020 Cougar, I had a 2017 Cougar with no odor. Try the Ozone generator.

 

[Oldgator73]

I’ll send you a pair of our grandson’s unwashed socks. Leave them in your RV overnight. I guarantee you will no longer have that “new” smell.

 

[gwinger]

Be careful using an ozone generator. It can and will deteriorate rubber, foam and some man made materials if used for extended periods.
Also, do not stay in the area when the machine is running.

 

[Wmlunt-WO]

Ozium spray

Chemically removes odor, available at walgreens

 

[gwinger]

Chemically removes odor, available at walgreens

They used to use Ozium at the hospital I worked at. It was a concentrated liquid though. A few drops scattered around the room normally did the trick.
BTW, it seems Ozium now offers a scented spray. Don't understand why they offer a scented one when you are trying to eliminate odors, not cover them up.
They also have a gel container.

 

[DutchmenSport]

When the wind is blowing just the right way, build a campfire outside the camper (upwind of the camper). Make sure all the windows and doors are open in the camper. Throw some dry leaves on the fire to make a good smoke cloud. Keep the cloud going for several minutes letting the smoke enter the camper. Once the smoke has penetraded the camper and the smoke alarm is screaming it's head off, close up the camper (smoke and all) for a few hours.

Now, the campfire is gone, open the windows to air out the camper. It will smell of campfire smoke, and the "new" smell will be gone. In time, the campfire smoke will disappear and the new smell will be gone too. It may take several months to completely air out the campfire smoke smell, but this does work.

 

[John From Detroit]

I am not sure just which chemicals cause that smell.... But you might want to find out.

I have a UV sanitizer I bought to help reduce the fruit fly population.
What is the old joke: Time flys like an arrow, Fruit Flies like a banana.
I eat 6 bananas a week, hence fruit flies.

worked about 90% (Zevo trap got the rest) but it gave a "Clean air" smell (Ozone)

 

[RVinCR]

I am not sure just which chemicals cause that smell.... But you might want to find out.

I have a UV sanitizer I bought to help reduce the fruit fly population.
What is the old joke: Time flys like an arrow, Fruit Flies like a banana.
I eat 6 bananas a week, hence fruit flies.

worked about 90% (Zevo trap got the rest) but it gave a "Clean air" smell (Ozone)

Probably formaldehyde.

Have you tried vinegar? Sprayed, and in bowls? It is supposed to absorb smells, but if it is off gassing forever, might not help.

There was also a farmer's almanac recipe before they shut off the site to put like apples and oranges and cinnamon and spices in a crock pot to stew, for a holiday smell. But again, it's just to cover up more.

I've never heard of the ozone thing. Maybe it is the answer. I always thought airing it out was the main thing.

 

[John From Detroit]

Probably formaldehyde.

Have you tried vinegar? Sprayed, and in bowls? It is supposed to absorb smells, but if it is off gassing forever, might not help.

There was also a farmer's almanac recipe before they shut off the site to put like apples and oranges and cinnamon and spices in a crock pot to stew, for a holiday smell. But again, it's just to cover up more.

I've never heard of the ozone thing. Maybe it is the answer. I always thought airing it out was the main thing.

I agree with your choice of chemical (As I said not sure. But close)
But I'm not the one with the problem.

 

[RVinCR]

I know, sorry. Just wanted to reply about the chemical to you, and figured the rest would be on the thread, so they'd see it. Instead of making 2 separate posts... hope that's ok!

 

[Martian]

We may try an ozone generator and see where that takes us. We have tried vinegar, coffee, ground cloves and fresh air. I appreciate all the suggestions and will post the results of the ozone generator.