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Subject Topic: musty smell Post Reply Post New Topic
30/4/2012 at 11:05pm
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We bought our second hand caravan in Jan last and it is spotless clean, seats look like they were never sat on. No sign of damp at all in caravan, But the caravan was locked up for a spell and there is a strange musty smell that goes on our clothes and bedding.Cushions do not smell it appears to come from storage areas only. Any ideas how to get rid of this.


30/4/2012 at 11:09pm
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Check for any damp first, they maybe get the heating going for a while to dry it out.

When I'm useing my van I like to get the heating on with the windows open to drive any moisture out of the van.

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Mark


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30/4/2012 at 11:15pm
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Thanks will try the windows open.. We have had the heat on full blast but kept the windows closed. No visible signs of damp what should we be looking for.


30/4/2012 at 11:21pm
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Don't forget u can't dry water, only make it evaporate into the air, thus opening window to allow the evaporated moisture out into the atmosphere. Is it only in one place this smell.

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Mark


30/4/2012 at 11:25pm
 Location: Lichfield
 Outfit: Coachman Amara 450
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Do you leave your caravan fridge door slightly ajar when not in use? If you don't then this can sometimes cause a musty smell which can linger for long periods.


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30/4/2012 at 11:26pm
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No it seems to be in most of the storage areas. It is not obvious when you walk into the caravan, but the smell goes onto our clothes and bedding when we put them away in the under and over storage areas. We have examined everywhere we can see for damp and there appears to be none and we put in some small dehumidifiers and they were empty. Really puzzled


30/4/2012 at 11:32pm
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Maybe a good clean in the little nooks and craneys.

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Mark


01/5/2012 at 12:08am
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Quote: Originally posted by winnieG on 30/4/2012
No it seems to be in most of the storage areas. It is not obvious when you walk into the caravan, but the smell goes onto our clothes and bedding when we put them away in the under and over storage areas. We have examined everywhere we can see for damp and there appears to be none and we put in some small dehumidifiers and they were empty. Really puzzled


Have you checked it with a damp meter?
if it smells of damp it usually is unfortunately!!!


01/5/2012 at 10:10am
 Location: Lancashire
 Outfit: Caravan now Sold
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found out by mistake one year after going into the caravan and getting a musty smell.i knew i had spent three hours cleaning as i do each time we get back.the smell was coming from the drain in the sink.a bit of bleach and hot water cured it.after this i leave all three plugs in.sinks kitchen and bathroom,shower base.having said that it would be worth having a damp test done by a caravan engineer about £40 plus call out.

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the only silly question is the one you do not ask.


01/5/2012 at 10:22am
 Location: Lichfield
 Outfit: Coachman Amara 450
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Now that sound quite a logical answer what michael says about the sink and wash basin drains. They can leave an unpleasant smell but I also use the correct size rubber sink plugs when we have finished using the caravan and left in storage. This helps to keep any smells at bay plus any bugs, spiders and vermin too. As michael says it's best to use some bleach and hot water to clean the drain pipes out first but I also use a small diameter bottle brush to clean out the ends of the exterior drain pipes occassionally as it's amazing how much black gunge can build up inside without visibly seeing it. 


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01/5/2012 at 10:44am
 Location: whitstable kent
 Outfit: sterling eccles sport 584 freelander 2
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We had a funny musty smell, we new the van wasn't damp, it had come back ok from a service a month before, it turned out to be our sink that was giving of a funny smell, like a musty damp smell, like Michael we put a tad of bleach and hot water and never had it again.

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"I'm a fool for my dogs"
Adopt a rescue, rescue dogs make great pets, don't support puppy farms.
The road can be tough and rough,but what you put in you get back 10 x more.


01/5/2012 at 12:39pm
 Location: suffolk
 Outfit: lunar lexon
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Quote: Originally posted by michael on 01/5/2012
found out by mistake one year after going into the caravan and getting a musty smell.i knew i had spent three hours cleaning as i do each time we get back.the smell was coming from the drain in the sink.a bit of bleach and hot water cured it.after this i leave all three plugs in.sinks kitchen and bathroom,shower base.having said that it would be worth having a damp test done by a caravan engineer about £40 plus call out.
spot on Michael ,we went into ours after a fortnight and I panicked over the smell ,the warden asked if we had put the plugs in sink etc ,horrible smell ,smells great now we put all plugs in


01/5/2012 at 6:46pm
 Location: North Yorkshire the bit at the bottom
 Outfit: Buccaneer Cruiser ordered + Jeep GC
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We had an awful damp musty smell in a 2yr old van that we couldn't pin down. Eventually we found that an external locker door had not been sealed properly between the plastic locker frame and the aluminium insert and water was getting into the insulation and the section of wallboard. As it dried out the smell would seem to come and go. Once we found out what it was we replaced the section of insulation and wallboard, sealed the panel correctly and have never has a repetition. Strange thing was though, there was nothing to see. I only found it when the prongs on the damp meter went straight through.


01/5/2012 at 8:48pm
 Location: heysham
 Outfit: 2006Vectra cdti +2004 abbey vogue 217
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Quote: Originally posted by Alistair on 01/5/2012
I only found it when the prongs on the damp meter went straight through.


Always wondered how those damp meters worked

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Dave, Erin and Emily May


02/5/2012 at 6:14pm
 Location: Nr Bristol
 Outfit: ABI Brooklyn 600EB 2001. Pajero 2.5
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You could browse Ebay for Odour Bomb,
Odour Bomb

They are supposed to be good at getting rid of that sort of smell.

bob


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Mitsubishi Pajero 2.5 LWB.
ABI Brooklyn 600eb 2001



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