Formaldehyde Odor Removal?

[WNY Bullet]

Has anyone used an Ozone Generator to help remove the formaldehyde odor from a new RV'? How did it work?

We bought our TT used (2 years old) and it still has the new camper smell. I guess that is better than other funky smells that it could of had, but my DW can't stand that new camper smell!

[flybouy]

Open the vents, windows and doors as much as possible. Fans will help. The odor is created from outgassing of chemicals. Heat makes it worse. Exchanging the inside air with outside air is the only advice I have. Others may have better ideas. Good luck with your new to you camper.

[Tbos]

Open the windows and let it breathe. Get fans going in there too. We used one of those years ago for a problem we had with a new mattress that took on the smell of the shipping container during its ocean voyage. It seemed to work but lots of fresh air helped the best. Wipe everything down with a cleaner that has a smell you like too. That may also help.


2016 Passport GT 2810BHS, 2016 F350 CC DRW

[JRTJH]

Flybouy hit the "nail on the head" with his statement, "heat makes it worse".... Wait for some "hot, sunny days", open the trailer windows and doors, let it sit in the sun as much as possible. The heat will help hasten the outgassing and get rid of the smell much faster than anything else.

As for ozone generators, the jury is out on them. Many people are unable to breathe the ozone without causing health issues. If you're not affected, the ozone molecules may help bind with the outgassing, but even if you aren't affected, breathing the "ozone bound formaldehyde" isn't the healthiest air you can consume.

[CrazyCain]

Took about 2 years for ours to go away. Funny, we ( well most of us) hate the day when that "New car Smell" leaves us, wish that were the same for TT, different chemical releases i guess....

[Gegrad]

Be careful with an ozone generator, it is a toxic gas that can damage your respiratory system. You don't want to be anywhere near the trailer while generating ozone.

[Tinner12002]

I guess my question is, how do you associate the new smell to formaldehyde? Have you had the odors or the air in your RV tested??

[WNY Bullet]

Originally Posted by Tinner12002

I guess my question is, how do you associate the new smell to formaldehyde? Have you had the odors or the air in your RV tested??

It has not been tested, it's just the usual new camper smell that is hard to get rid of. Most everything I have read, says that is what it is.

[SummitPond]

Originally Posted by Gegrad

Be careful with an ozone generator, it is a toxic gas that can damage your respiratory system. You don't want to be anywhere near the trailer while generating ozone.

I also remember reading/hearing somewhere in the distant past that ozone is highly reactive. As such, it might accelerate the degradation of the vinyl/plastic covering on the furniture in the TT. I attempted a short web search, but everything I found was directed to atmospheric ozone. Someone with a chemistry degree can perhaps either confirm my failing memory or set me straight.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by SummitPond

I also remember reading/hearing somewhere in the distant past that ozone is highly reactive.

I'm not a chemist, but your memory is correct. Ozone is a 3 oxygen molecule that binds with many "bad molecules" such as cigarette smoke, formaldehyde, etc. That makes a large molecule that settles on the ground, removing the "smells" from the air. If breathed into the lungs, ozone also binds with the alveoli in the lungs and prevents them from absorbing "simple oxygen" and can cause damage to the lung tissue.

The problem you identify, rapid deterioration of plastic and vinyl, occurs when the oxygen in the ozone "unbinds" from the odor producing molecules after it settles on the ground. That leaves "free oxygen" to "bind and burn" anything it touches.

[Stanimal]

Place a teenagers dirty gym socks behind furniture and inside cabinets. You will no longer be bothered by a formaldehyde smell.

[WNY Bullet]

Originally Posted by Stanimal

Place a teenagers dirty gym socks behind furniture and inside cabinets. You will no longer be bothered by a formaldehyde smell.

[sourdough]

Realize that there is an upside to a very strong formaldehyde presence in the air. When we were young I loved to look at new mobile homes during the heat of the summer. You could spend a few hours inside looking at them when the smell was so thick you would get light headed. After a long weekend of spending hours in them I always felt giddy.....and my skin felt so "leathery" - THOSE were the days...... (that was very tongue in cheek)

[travelin texans]

I thought the use of formaldehyde was discontinued several years ago? Known carcinogen. Some new rvs really stink though, not sure from what.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by travelin texans

I thought the use of formaldehyde was discontinued several years ago? Known carcinogen. Some new rvs really stink though, not sure from what.

From the EPA

Where formaldehyde is found

Formaldehyde is found in:
https://www.epa.gov/formaldehyde/fac...t-formaldehyde
Resins used in the manufacture of composite wood products (i.e., hardwood plywood, particleboard and medium-density fiberboard)
Building materials and insulation
Household products such as glues, permanent press fabrics, paints and coatings, lacquers and finishes, and paper products
Preservatives used in some medicines, cosmetics and other consumer products such as dishwashing liquids and fabric softeners
Fertilizers and pesticides
It is a byproduct of combustion and certain other natural processes, and so is also found in:

[Bucolic]

I have a 2018 Keystone Hideout. It has a very strong off gas chemical VOC smell. This is my second year in it and it has not abated in the least. I have worked with formaldehyde and formamide and so I know what those chemicals smell like and this is very close. Regardless of the exact chemical being off gassed, there is no way that it is healthy to breath as chemicals of this nature are linked to numerous adverse health outcomes. I'm almost positive that the smell is coming from the PVC floor. If I recall correctly, my trailer has a special one piece floor that was a selling point. The smell is so strong that I am thinking of selling the trailer. I do own a VOC detector and may run a some tests to see what the VOC levels are like in the trailer. If anyone has run into a similar issue (strong chemical smell) and found that it either went away, or did not go away, and how long it took, I would be interested in knowing.

[Northofu1]

I have found that every 26RBPR I have walked into smells the same. I don't know why. I can't drive by an RV dealer that has them without checking it out. Everyone I have been in has that smell emanating from the bed box. I have tried Coconut little tree air fresheners, windows open for a couple of weeks with bed propped open. I have just learned to live with it at this point. Of course unless someone has a tried solution.

Resins used in the manufacture of composite wood products (i.e., hardwood plywood, particleboard and medium-density fiberboard)
The wood box is unfinished plywood, maybe varnish would seal it in?
Good luck

[newemptynester]

I am not the norm - I do not like the "new car smell", maybe it is because I am an asthmatic and that smell just irritates my lungs. I cannot remember our TT having that bad of a smell. Like a lot of people said I would open everything up, run some fans and I would give it a good cleaning. I do love Murphy's Oil soap and use it in our TT. To me it smells good and everything is now nice and clean to start the season. Eventually it will smell like camping. Good Luck.

[jsmith948]

Fire up the stove a cook up a panful of BACON - yum! No more new camper smell

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by jsmith948

Fire up the stove a cook up a panful of BACON - yum! No more new camper smell

If you've ever walked the streets of Key West on a weekend morning, the smell of "boiling coffee" permeates the air. Many people suggest a bowl of ground coffee (unperked) placed in cupboards or in the refrigerator helps. Others suggest a charcoal briquette.... Maybe a paper plate with a couple of charcoal briquettes covered with a layer of ground coffee placed under the bed and another placed on the table ????

If that doesn't work, resort to Key West (pun intended) and "scorch a pot of coffee on the stove"... That should mask any other smells in the trailer, at least temporarily.