How to get rid of the horrible smell?

[Silver Eagle]

After owning several vintage Airstreams over the years, I Just bought my first Argosy...a '75 25 footer. Good news first, the trailer is all intact and original, straight on the outside with a need only for some paint on the curved panels, and original on the inide needing only cosmetics and cleaning...ie upholstery, drapes, etc.

Now...for the bad...
The trailer sat unattended for several years. It became a damn rat trap. I found a nest in the rear streetside locker near the inverter as there is a larger than necessary penetration for the plumbing coming in which allowed the critters entry. I found droppings everywhere, in all areas behind which one could not see. I vacumed and removed all droppings from every cubby hole/spot one could imagine and scrubbed with Simple Green.

Fine but...I cannot get the darn smell to diminish. So...do any of you have experience with odor removal? I am going to paint the floor areas/plywood in all accessible cubby holes which should help...but I welcome any thoughts or suggestions beyond that. I also have removed the flooring and all traces of hideous carpet in those undercabinet/cubby areas and of cours will secure the critters entry with some screening and covering.


Thanks all!

[thenewkid64]

Our 78 had the telltale signs of mice when we bought it. I was able to clean out the left behinds and I also replaces much of the soft goods. While I had the floor coverings out I literally soaked the plywood with the HD Febreeze and allowed it to dry. I did this twice. Than laid the floor coverings. I was able to tell after the fist application that the smell had diminished. I would try this before attempting to encapsulate the odor with paint.

Now for the bad news. Some of the smell may be from droppings in the insulation in the belly pan. The only way to deal with that is to drop the pan and R&R the insulation.

[Rog0525]

There are a number of possible sources for bad odor, i.e. dead rodents, mildew, pet odors, sewage, gas leaks, etc.
If you do a forums search and use "odor" as the keyword, you will find a variety of threads on possible causes and remedies.
The better you can define the odor, the better you will know where to begin looking for the source.
It's a smelly job but someone has to do it. Best of luck to you.

Rog

[susan martin]

You can eliminate the smell from bare wood by sealing with shellac, it goes on easily and dries very quickly. Two coats at least.

[Rick T]

As a pet owner I have used a product found at my local pet store called "Nature's Miracle". It's a liquid which we use in a hand sprayer and often is able to neutralize whatever causes the odor. I would think it could be effective if you let it soak into the wood floor and if the liquid follows the same route as the rodent urine and droppings. You may want to at least check out the label before you buy and see if it looks like it could work for your needs. Just another suggestion.

[j54mark]

I bought a house once where the cats had sprayed in an extraordinary number of different locations - many of them wood. I finally killed the odor with live steam. I used a wallpaper steamer and simply took the hose and played it against the affected wood. It was totally effective.

Mark

[MW64OVERLANDER]

We also had good luck with an ozone generator. After cleaning and scrubbing every surface we could reach and replacing all upholstery, curtains, flooring, foam and bedding, we still had a faint odor that no amount of airing would get rid of. Two applications of the ozone generator on a high setting and the problem was solved and hasn't come back.

[Silver Eagle]

NM