That Smell! I Know What It Is Now!

[whitefawn]

One of the distinguishing features of our new 1971 AS is the prominent odor it has. And I was not the only one to notice that it had the same odor on the inside AND outside. I did my best to diminish the smell on the inside- washed the upholstery covers and aired it out as much as possible, and it helped. Over the weekend I finally solved the puzzle- what IS that unpleasant odor? My husband scraped off a lot of caulk when he de-installed our old ac unit, and I stepped in some scrapings that hit the ground. I was not happy. When I went to pry the stuff off the bottom of my shoes- that too-familiar smell hit my nostrils- the same smell as the interior and exterior of our trailer! VULKEM RULES- evidently the force is with us... Now that I know what the odor is, I guess we can "wear it" as a badge of Airstream honor!

[easyride]

Few years ago I bought an Overlander,cool day when we looked at it ,didn`t notice anything.Bought it ,towed it home .When we opened it up the overpowering odor of wet dog about knocked us down. Yanked out gauchos,curtains and carpet,next day still smelled bad ,used the enzine [ms] stuff,helped some,mixed bleach & water sprayed everything that didn`t run,closed it up tight for 2 days,once bleach smell left it was livable. found out po`s had a couple of 100 # bulldogs and full timed in it. Dave

[dmreilly10000]

I put up with a bad smell in my first SOB trailer for years. It turned out to be deteriorating foam cushions.

[bolerama]

Back in 1995 our first Jeep had a hole in a wheel well and we didn't know about it. My husband took in on a trip to northern BC, where it rains constantly. A few weeks later, we started to smell that musty rotting smell. We tracked down it down, had it fixed, and cleaned the carpet really well. It still stank. We tried products from auto detailers, but they didn't work. Then we came across a cheap "Air Sponge." It is in a plastic tub (like margarine) and it's a blue gel with charcoal chunks in it. The package said it was used in the first World Trade Center bombing to get rid of the "burnt" odor. It worked! Now we always keep one on hand for when our vehicles need a freshening. I also used this product in our 2 fiberglass trailers to keep them fresh over the winter.

[sempi2]

We have an odd odor in our 05 safari. But I don't think that it would smell like any of the above posts. It is not black/grey tank smell, not mold, not decaying animals, - just something that we can't quite describe.

[stowaways]

Check your battery!

[ridelikewind]

Does the air-sponge emit a fragrance too, or just absorb odor? I'm looking for one that only absorbs odor due to being sensitive to fragrance.

[LisaP]

I would like to know about the AIR SPONGE too. Is it odorless?

[LisaP]

Where did you buy the AIR SPONGE? Thanks.

[Boondocker]

Where they hid Jimmy Hoffa*.




*bet I'm the youngest one here who gets that reference.

[66Overlander]

Is this what you are talking about?: http://www.naturesairsponge.com/

Haven't tried it, but it looks like it could be worth a try.

[bolerama]

Originally Posted by ridelikewind

Does the air-sponge emit a fragrance too, or just absorb odor? I'm looking for one that only absorbs odor due to being sensitive to fragrance.

This is the Air Sponge we used: Environmental Air Sponge Odor Eliminates Odors, Smells, Fumes

It does emit a slight fragrance, so this may not work for you. The fragrance doesn't last once you remove the Air Sponge, so if you put it in for a while, then removed it, it should dissipate. It has a "clean" smell, not perfumy, but if you are scent-sitive, it might be too much for you.

We bought it at Wal-Mart, but I've seen it pretty much at any grocery or hardware store.

Lisa

[BigAl]

I was told recently that an open bag of lump charcoal(what you barbeque with) will absorb odours very well. I haven't tried it myself but even if it doesn't work you could still grill with it.
Al