Weird Odor

[LeBout]

We have the strangest odor in our TT...it smells like an ash tray! (That's my best description.)

We bought our TT in March, obviously used from CampingWorld and we were able to go into it and look it over before they even had a chance to clean or detail it. (They got it in that same day!) Never even a HINT of bad odors or even anything attempting to cover a bad odor. (Wife and I are non-smokers and can smell it a mile away.)

We stayed in the TT this year for 30 nights throughout the Spring and Summer and had NO issues at all. Late this summer I took the TT to our local RV Repair shop (kind of a ma and pa business) for some minor work. Ever since then it has smelled of cigarette butts. (I know that the wife of the RV shop DOES smoke...but I've seen her doing it and she ALWAYS goes outside. And the repair area is ALWAYS wide open during the summer with tons of ventilation. All that leads to me question HOW it might have picked up an odor there...but that's when it began.

I really love the folks who own the RV Shop, and I'm not planning on speaking to them about it. But I wanted to ask here what the best way might be to get an odor out of the TT. Is it just a matter of airing it out sufficiently or is there something we can get to help out?

[Dandy]

We just purchased a used car with 20k miles on it. 4 months later started to get a cig smoke smell.

As someone already mentioned, dealers and detailers have just about everything to cover up smells.

Try changing or the cleaning the air filters in the furnace (if there is one) and the AC.

[threecamprs]

Skunk will do it....and quite possibly mold. Also, I bought a used car that came off lease. I am an ex smoker and can smell that yuck miles away. The car smelled like it had been cleaned; maybe from detailing, but no bad odors. Three months or so later, we both clearly smell cigarette smoke in the car. The dealers have stuff that will cover anything up.

[wrvond]

Dead mouse.

[LeBout]

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone!

[CavemanCharlie]

When I think of a ash tray smell I think of a burnt smell. Have you been running the furnace recently? If so it may be burning off dust. Have you looked under the burners on the stove to see if something fell under there? If so not only will it smell but, it will get heated up each time you use the stove and make more smell.

[Akeru]

I am an x-smoker. There is a few smells that I now relate to an ashtray. One is cat spray/urine. Is it possible a cat got in and sprayed or maybe sprayed at/near the door?

Another would be slight mold/wetness.

Obviously you want to find the source, not cover it up. If you can not find it, a thorough wipe down of walls, cabinets, floors, etc.. with OdoBan (home depot) may get what your not seeing. I spray this on my dog kennel, let it soak in my black/grey tank, and it is good stuff!

[oldtrojan66]

Tricks from the refrigerator clean-up business. You can crush charcoal brickettes in a pan and put them in front of a fan on low, and/or soak cotton balls in Vanilla extract and leave them lying about on plates. I really don't know how these compares to the modern Fabreeze, and other odor eaters stuff we have nowadays, but it can't hurt.

[marcsbigfoot20b]

I had a strange smell suddenly after a trip inside the TT . Did NOT smell like propane. Finally found the propane leak OUTSIDE at the generator that somehow turned into a different smell.

[powderman426]

Passin Thru wrote:
WE have had 2 occasions in 22 yrs of marriage when mice died in the vents. We used Febreeze and it did the trick. Maybe your mice smoke.

out

If theres anything worse that mice, its mice addicted to nicotine.:B

[Passin_Thru]

WE have had 2 occasions in 22 yrs of marriage when mice died in the vents. We used Febreeze and it did the trick. Maybe your mice smoke.

[jjjandrbaker]

Do you have kids? They can be sneaky smokers!

[StephJohn2010]

If it smells like "smoked salmon", it could be the coffee maker. Mine was a couple years old and something burnt-out in it. Kinda smelt like cigs or an ashtray.

[loulou57]

I would think it is something in the trailer other than smokes. Even if someone had smoked in your trailer it would not linger that long.

I am guessing either of the suggestions....smoke being drawn in through a vent "1 or secondly that there is a moisture issue somewhere.

Just curious...It isn't the smell of a dead mouse is it? That is something that is awful like smokes.

[raindove]

Please delete - double post. Sorry.

Use a Bad Air Sponge. I have problems with fragrances. These things work to remove odors and they don't give off any masking fragrances.