As you travel through the beautiful, rustic countryside, your camper is your home away from home—the last thing you want is your base of operations smelling musty and dirty. Luckily, taking proactive steps to prevent leaks, mold, and air stagnation can reduce the risk of your RV getting musty, so you can focus on enjoying the outdoors.
Identify Potential Causes
Unless you identify and address the source of a musty smell, you’ll never be able to fully eliminate it. Even if you manage get your RV smelling fresh and clean, the musty smell will just keep coming back. Once you notice an odor, identify the root cause as soon as possible so you can eliminate camper smells before they become overpowering.
Water Leaks and Humidity
Water leaks from damaged pipes and water tanks can seep into your RV’s walls, floor, and furniture. In humid climates, this excess moisture promotes the growth of microorganisms that cause musty smells.
Mold
The average person is exposed to at least a small amount of mold spores every day. Most of the time, they’re harmless. When spores settle on moist surfaces, however, they multiply rapidly. As they grow, most species of mold produce an acrid odor as they digest food and spread across a surface. Mold is a hazard that needs to be dealt with immediately to avoid health complications and structural damage.
Long Storage Periods
Storing your RV in an enclosed space for long periods of time can cause the air within to stagnate, especially if the storage area is poorly ventilated. Stagnant air has a flow rate of virtually zero, so pollutants like dirt, gases, and smoke build up, causing a musty smell.
Lack of Cleaning
Regularly cleaning your camper removes pollutants before they escape into the air, making a musty smell less likely even if you experience stagnant air or moisture leaks. Removing odor-causing pollutants also makes it less likely harmful bacteria will be introduced to your RV.
How to Prevent a Smelly Camper
Some common camper smell prevention tactics include increasing ventilation, regularly cleaning the RV, and following proper camper winterization protocol.
Increase Ventilation
Let fresh air flow throughout your camper as often as possible. This allows pollutants to escape the RV, preventing buildup.
Clean Deeply
Small steps, such as taking out the trash or getting your RV’s carpets professionally cleaned, can prevent pollutants like mold from taking root in your camper, reducing the risk of musty smells.
Maintain Plumbing
Inspect plumbing regularly and make repairs promptly to avoid water leaks. Once you’ve verified the pipes are in good condition, clean your camper’s water and waste storage tanks to prevent sedimentary buildup. Improper camper winterization can lead to severe water leaks, so double check the plumbing is still intact after you pull your RV out of storage.
Reduce Moisture
Using a dehumidifier is one of the most effective ways to eliminate excess moisture. Place it in a central location near the source of the moisture, like the bathroom or shower. Properly dry clothes, equipment, and camping accessories before storing them in the camper.
Properly Winterize Your Camper
Before storing your camper away for winter, properly winterize it. Camper winterization prevents excess water inside pipes or storage tanks from freezing and tearing holes in the camper’s water system, lowering the risk of a water leak.
Partner with Royal Renovations for Deep Cleaning and Mold Remediation
If you notice a musty smell in your camper, it could be the result of mold. When you partner with the Royal Renovations team, we handle the entire mold remediation process from start to finish. We also offer camper carpet cleaning services to prevent the buildup of pollutants and eliminate unwanted camper smells.
Contact us today to get on our schedule!