Remodeling an older camper comes with it’s share of challenges. Often the biggest challenge is that musty camper smell from being closed up and dirty for too long. With these tricks you will be able to freshen up your camper and get that musty camper smell to leave for good!
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When we got our first pop up, the first thing we noticed was the smell! I don’t know if I can even explain it. It was part musty, part dirty, and part I-don’t-know-what!
That smell still haunts me.
I know now from experience, it’s nothing like the smell of a camper that has been taken over by mice. There may be no coming back from that!
With these tricks you should be able to freshen up your camper and get that musty camper smell to leave for good!
Removing Musty Camper Smell
Air it out
The easiest thing you can do about a musty camper smell is air it out!
Often when buying a used camper, especially one that needs some work, it hasn’t been opened up in a while. The fresh air coursing through for a period of time does wonders.
Open all windows or screens, prop open the door, crank open the vents. You’ll notice a big difference right away.
Elbow grease and cleaning
Another thing that is a must to remove old camper smell is a good cleaning. A bucket of all-purpose cleaner, a sponge, and some elbow grease. That is the first step to getting it feeling fresh and clean again.
Bake in the sun
The sun does wonders for getting rid of a musty camper smell. Often the pieces that are most concerning with smells are the fabrics. Bring the mattresses and cushions out to bake in the sun.
We noticed the smell was strong in the particle board of our removable dinette table. If, after a good scrub, the smell doesn’t come out completely, lay it outside to bake in the sun. This will dry the porous wood completely and help tremendously. If the smell persists, you can also buy or make a new table top.
Wash / replace curtains and cushions
Most camper fabrics are removable for washing. If, by chance, you have some valances or upholstered pieces that can not be washed, I suggest a steam cleaner. You can also spray them with an odor eliminator. Our favorite for the bunny and when the kids were potty training is Nature’s Miracle. I have also heard great things about Eco 88.
For everything else that can be removed, give it a good wash. We took the mattress covers, dinette covers, curtains, etc. to the laundry mat. To give it that extra strong wash, use a sports detergent that is specifically for removing tough odors. We used Win on our camper because it was what we had. I imagine other sports detergents will also work well.
Powder odor eliminator
This is my favorite find from our musty camper smell experience! Arm and Hammer Odor Eliminator is so easy and smells so good!
We sprinkled this on all the cushions after they were hosed and baked in the sun. This is also good for those upholstered fabrics you can’t remove. You just sprinkle it on and let it sit for a while. Then you can vacuum it off.
I loved the smell of the tropical scent and it worked wonders! It took us a couple boxes to get all the cushions really covered.
Air fresheners
The first instinct when there are smells is to use an air freshener. This may not be the ticket to completely removing your musty camper smell, but it will help of course.
When you are unable to keep everything open to air out or bake in the sun, air fresheners help.
We placed a few canister air fresheners in the pop up while it was stored away. Strategically placed in the dinette storage areas and the fridge – the two worst spots – they helped quite a bit.
New painting and flooring
Depending on your plans for a happy camper remodel, this is an option that will help a ton! If you are planning on painting the camper or cabinets and redoing the flooring, just know it will go a long way to making it smell fresher!
When we bought our pop up camper, they had carpet placed over the original vinyl. It was so filthy! I swept up a mound of dirt. Not to mention what what in the carpet we removed. Then, when the old flooring came out, it made such a difference!
Painting the camper and camper cabinets also helps remove the smell. If you’re worried about the smell being really bad, or you have any signs of mold Kilz is a great product. You can prime the surfaces with Kilz to get rid of any odors or mold. We will be painting the floor in our hybrid with Kilz before putting down the new flooring. Hybrids are pretty notorious for leaks and water damage, and our floor has evidence of that. Painting it will Kilz will ensure that none of that comes through.
Essential oils
Our pop up camper ended up smelling like a daisy after all these changes. However, we never could quite get the smell out of the refrigerator. I don’t know how to explain it because it wasn’t a food smell. However, it was bad enough to permeate the salad I had in there and make it inedible. The thing that finally worked – at least to make it usable – is essential oils.
Putting an paper towel or cotton ball with a few drops of your favorite scent will help. I used lemon for our camper fridge. However, peppermint is also a good choice because it also helps to keep pests away.
With a combination of all or a few of these strategies, your camper will be smelling as fresh as the outdoors in now time!
Good luck with that old musty camper smell!
If you have any of your own tips, please share them below!
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[…] Also Read: Musty Camper Smell: How to get it out […]
[…] The good news with these cushions is that they aren’t as smelly as our first pop up camper. We had to work some magic on those and to get the general musty smell out of that camper. […]