Formaldehyde smell

[tyke8319]

OK. I new to the FR site. Howdy to all...!
Just read all I could find regarding the "formaldehyde smell" folks have experienced and all flippant and really non-informative responses aside, we have a significant problem!

I purchased a 2005 (built in 04) Cedar Creek, 34RLTS, 5th wheel used 6 years ago.
The owner then was desperate to sell it due to his wife having respiratory problems and be hospitalized with high medical bills, he said.
When we looked through the RV just prior to the purchase all the windows and vents were open and everything looked, and smell, great. The interior had just been sprayed with a deodorizer. The purchase was made ($19,500.00..pretty cheap I thought) and we drove it home. Next morning we opened her up and were practically over come by the smell, which was later identified by a bio chemist as formaldehyde! He warned us about the carcinogenic aspects of long term exposure to the smell. (I began to understand why the previous owner sold it so cheap.)
Since then we have made two trips to the Yukon and one to Key West and a variety of other excursions.
We have ALWAYS experienced the formaldehyde smell to one degree of another. It appears that a lot of folks are willing to accept the problem as "new trailer smell" and ignore the potential hazards of long term exposure.
I am quite aware that FR is aware of the formaldehyde odor problem, though they have claimed ignorance to me and can offer no help in eliminating the problem.
Our odor problem seems to come predominately from inside the overhead cabinets at the very rear of the unit. What has been suggested on other forums and web searches is to varnish the insides of the cabinets with Varathane and/or place charcoal odor absorbing bags within the cabinets. (I have some on odor as I write.)

So, here's my question: Has anyone found a method or product that will eliminate the odor for good without just covering it up?

I need some good sound advise...

[Witch Doctor]

Manufacturers use that in the glue that they use. Your right it's not good for you. As far as I know it can't be totally eliminated. being 6 years old I would have thought it would be gone. If you have isolated it to the cabinets, the only choice I see is to replace them. There is also people such as company's that come in and seal them same as if it was a fire. Sorry but that's all I can think to do being 6 years old it should have been gone by now. Good Luck, but you did atleast get a good price, so maybe a little extra and you can have a great trailer.

[Frank-VA]

I just checked RV.NET Site and this is what the forum said:
RV.Net Open Roads Forum: How to remove Trailer Odor ??? Formaldehyde ??

[tyke8319]

Thanks for the responses. BTW, the unit is 10 years old, built in 04.
Something I forgot to mention is that the problem is so bad the odor will and has permeated sealed cereal boxes, potato chip bags, plastic containers and imparted the smell to those food products should we forget to remove them after a trip and makes them totally uneatable.
I just received the odor absorbing product. It's called "Smelleze". It's touted as a "formaldehyde absorbent". I let you know how it works in a few days.

[rattleNsmoke]

That's a stench above and beyond 'Normal brand new' RV smell. That only lasts 6 months at best. Check for dead bodies....

[Oaklevel]

I do not think what you are smelling is formaldehyde. Some home improvement stores sold test kits several years ago not sure if they still do. You would leave it in the area to be tested for exposure for a specified time period them send it off to a lab & your results would come back in the mail.

Formaldehyde is not used in glues as much as it once was. It would mostly be in the paneling or particle board glue.

We have owned a 1973, 1988, 2006, and a 2013 & not noticed the odor after a few weeks & not at all in the 2013. The 2006 was a year old when we purchased it.

I really fell like you have a leak inside the walls somewhere, sure it is not a mold smell ? but that is just my 2 cents......

Good Luck & Welcome to the site !!!!!!!!

[vinmaker]

I agree. After 10 years you would think the glue and materials used during construction would have dissipated by now. I would think it is something else and mold is the one that comes to mind. There was a youtube video that explained what to look for when buying a used RV and one of the things he did was open the cabinet and smell. He claimed you could smell the mold. It could very well be in the walls.

You may want to remove a fixture or a panel and get a look inside the wall to check for mold.

Good luck.

Vin.

[AquaMan]

You may contact a restoration company and see about having them "clean" the RV with an ozone generator.

[Price]

I've been in the kitchen cabinet industry for over 20 years, whatever your smell is it isn't formaldehyde it would have off gassed in the first 6 months.

[nuisance]

boil vanilla extract in water on the stove. Let cool oders should be less, repeat as needed pour water down sinks and toilet to help freshen those also.
Put on cotton balls and place wherever the strong smell is. This takes care of cigarette smells, animal smells and urine smells. ( I have used this in diaper pails with cloth diapers and it worked)

[tyke8319]

I greatly appreciate the information! Which leads to a second question:

Would "mold/mildew" generate a long lasting, noxious odor that would permeate sealed cereal , potato chip, and zip-lock bags, etc., making them smell and taste awful??

[cdangel0]

Short answer - YES

Longer answer - YES!

Mold spores are tiny, can get in to anywhere air can.

[Witch Doctor]

Originally Posted by tyke8319

I greatly appreciate the information! Which leads to a second question:

Would "mold/mildew" generate a long lasting, noxious odor that would permeate sealed cereal , potato chip, and zip-lock bags, etc., making them smell and taste awful??

Not if they were never opened, impossible. Maybe if stored in zip/lock bags that had air in them only. Good luck, there is a big difference in the smell of mold and mildew to formaldehyde.

[Price]

There is a chance that the previous owner had some repairs done to get the unit ready to sale, maybe a new floor or even a patch, unless specified "no added urea formaldehyde" the particle board or plywood would have urea formaldehyde in the bonding agents. Question the prior owner if this is true it will off gas. You can also force the off gassing process by shutting the windows and doors turn on the heat, get the interior temp to 120 for a few hours.

[Oaklevel]

This is interesting from the CDC

What You Should Know about Formaldehyde
What is formaldehyde?
Formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling gas. It is used to make building materials
and household products. Formaldehyde is used to make walls, cabinets, and furniture.

Sources of formaldehyde
Formaldehyde is a common chemical that can be emitted from a number of products in
the home. Smoking, pressed wood, and particle board have all been shown to be sources
of formaldehyde. Higher formaldehyde levels are usually found in newer homes or
homes with new construction. The levels decrease over time.
Formaldehyde levels also
increase with increases in temperature and humidity.

To protect yourself from formaldehyde exposure:
• Do not smoke, and especially do not smoke indoors.
• Open windows as much as possible to let in fresh air.
• Try to keep the temperature inside homes at the lowest comfortable setting.
• Run the air conditioner or dehumidifier to control mold.
• Also, spend as much time outdoors in fresh air as possible. This is especially
important for families with children, elderly people or those with chronic diseases
such as asthma.
To control mold:
• Fix water leaks to help keep mold away.
• Clean away any mold you see or smell with detergent and water.

This is just part of the article interesting that it mentions mold as well........

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/drywall/docs...rmaldehyde.pdf

[Pill Billy]

Is it possible that the prior user was over zealous with application of holding tank treatment? I wonder how well that stuff adsorbs to the walls and dissipates off over time?

[tyke8319]

OK. Next question:
Does anyone know of a test to determine if "mold/mildew" is present even though not visible?

[vinmaker]

You may want to call a cleaning company whom specializes in mold remediation and ask if they have a test for it. As mold spores are air borne (hence you smell them when they enter your nose) I would image there is some type of test to give you a reading. Much like a pollen count.

I would also call your insurance agent and see if mold is covered under your RV or auto policy. They have excluded it or set limits on mold for houses, but I think they kept them for auto's. If this is mold, it will get expensive to properly fix.

Good luck.

Vin.

[tyke8319]

No modifications, repairs, etc. by previous owner.
No holding tank issues, etc.
No molds issues that I can find and I've looked everywhere.
It emanates from the rear of the unit in the upper overhead cabinets.
I have put 30+ thousand miles on this RV since we purchased it all the while experiencing this odor when we open it up after it being closed for a day or so.
The cabinet has been cleaned with a commercial ammonia solution to no avail.

I appreciate all the input. I checked a number of areas and have found nothing...other than the odor. Very strange.
Guess I may just have to live with it...!

[Big Paul]

I have lived in mobil homes in the past that had real bad problem as you described. What we did was open all windows and doors and air out for about 2 weeks with fans blowing out windows and the problem went away. I guess it did not hurt us because that was over 40 years ago and we still going strong.


Rockwood 2608WS
Paul