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Getting rid of campfire smoke odor

KnowNuthin
Explorer
Explorer
On our last outing we were enjoying a campfire which was located approximately 20’ from our trailer. Unfortunately the wind continuously shifted and, at times, blew the smoke directly at our FW.

Most unfortunately of all was the fact I had the Fantastic Fan running in the living room and the vent open in the bedroom... pulled quite a bit of that smoke right into the trailer... enough so that the smoke detector began wailing in protest.

We drove home (approximately 1,000 miles) with all the roof vents open to ventilate the trailer... it helped a bit but there’s still a noticeable smoke smell.

We can’t let the trailer sit with all the windows/vents open as we live in a rather windy and dusty environment.

Is there a method or product for removing campfire smoke odors from out FW?

Edit: I did a search here—all the search returned was for mitigating cigarette/cigar smoke... I imagine our three hours of campfire smoke would be different than 6 years of cigarette lounges... no?
2005 2500HD D/A CC LB 4X4 being pushed by:
2016 Grand Design Reflection 303RLS
2007 Ural GearUp Arctic
30 REPLIES 30

Crowe
Explorer
Explorer
LOL! What a bunch of ruffled feathers over a post that was just to say do some investigating before you believe there's causation! Must have been a quiet night in the campground or on TV!

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be

Douglas Adams

[purple]RV-less for now but our spirits are still on the open road. [/purple]

BillyBob_Jim
Explorer
Explorer
drsteve wrote:
way2roll wrote:
Crowe wrote:
Friend of ours used Febreeze all the time on their couch and had 2 dogs both die of sinus tumors before she put the 2 together - I digress,

She put two and two together but got five:

[url]https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hanging-in-the-febreze/

Ozone generators have their share of issues as well:

https://www.nachi.org/ozone-generator-hazards.htm

You are just exchanging one problem for another. We had a horrible smell in our basement right before we moved-a few bowls of white vinegar placed around and good ventilation took care of it in a few days.


Your link doesn't go anywhere. But yes, they need to be used with caution. They generate O3 which is toxic to anything that breathes O2. I said that above. But O3 is very unstable and once the extra Oxygen molecule attaches it to itself to something(the offending odor) it stabilizes back to O2. You can use them to even kill mold.

Some light reading on Febreze ingredients.

ingredients in Febreeze


I'll take this with a large grain of salt... One of the listed ingredients, propylene glycol, is a widely used and accepted, safe food ingredient, yet this writer claims it is carcinogenic. In fact, he claims almost everything in it is carcinogenic. To read this article, you'd think Febreeze will kill you dead.

Far too many of these "green" sites are run by people who have no expertise, or apparently even the ability to use Google.


Can you get a grain of salt as big as a truck?

A website full of useless garbage. Originally started by one Tara Wagner, the operator of a essential oils business known as Xotara, which operates under the Doterra unbrella which is nothing more than a pyramid scheme. It eventually takes you HEREso head on over and get out your credit card LOL.

Read the disclaimer?

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drsteve
Explorer
Explorer
way2roll wrote:
Crowe wrote:
Friend of ours used Febreeze all the time on their couch and had 2 dogs both die of sinus tumors before she put the 2 together - I digress,

She put two and two together but got five:

[url]https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hanging-in-the-febreze/

Ozone generators have their share of issues as well:

https://www.nachi.org/ozone-generator-hazards.htm

You are just exchanging one problem for another. We had a horrible smell in our basement right before we moved-a few bowls of white vinegar placed around and good ventilation took care of it in a few days.


Your link doesn't go anywhere. But yes, they need to be used with caution. They generate O3 which is toxic to anything that breathes O2. I said that above. But O3 is very unstable and once the extra Oxygen molecule attaches it to itself to something(the offending odor) it stabilizes back to O2. You can use them to even kill mold.

Some light reading on Febreze ingredients.

ingredients in Febreeze


I'll take this with a large grain of salt... One of the listed ingredients, propylene glycol, is a widely used and accepted, safe food ingredient, as well as being the ingredient in RV antifreeze, yet this writer claims it is carcinogenic. In fact, he claims almost everything in it is carcinogenic. To read this article, you'd think Febreeze will kill you dead.

Far too many of these "green" sites are run by people who have no expertise, or apparently even the ability to use Google.
2006 Silverado 1500HD Crew Cab 2WD 6.0L 3.73 8600 GVWR
2018 Coachmen Catalina Legacy Edition 223RBS
1991 Palomino Filly PUP

Grit_dog
Nomad III
Nomad III
Eat a bunch of Frijoles and Bud Light. Once that kicks in, you won't notice the smoke smell....
Or sell it an and start racking up rewards points at the Marriott where there's no campfires allowed.
2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

buta4
Explorer
Explorer
Try ODORCIDE concentrate.
Ray

way2roll
Nomad III
Nomad III
Crowe wrote:
Friend of ours used Febreeze all the time on their couch and had 2 dogs both die of sinus tumors before she put the 2 together - I digress,

She put two and two together but got five:

[url]https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hanging-in-the-febreze/

Ozone generators have their share of issues as well:

https://www.nachi.org/ozone-generator-hazards.htm

You are just exchanging one problem for another. We had a horrible smell in our basement right before we moved-a few bowls of white vinegar placed around and good ventilation took care of it in a few days.


Your link doesn't go anywhere. But yes, they need to be used with caution. They generate O3 which is toxic to anything that breathes O2. I said that above. But O3 is very unstable and once the extra Oxygen molecule attaches it to itself to something(the offending odor) it stabilizes back to O2. You can use them to even kill mold.

Some light reading on Febreze ingredients.

ingredients in Febreeze
2023 FR Sunseeker 2400B MBS

SpeakEasy
Explorer
Explorer
You've no doubt heard of "noise-cancelling headphones." Well, what you may not have heard of, and what you need to get is "odor-cancelling nose plugs."

-Speak
It's just Mrs. SpeakEasy and me now (empty-nesters). But we can choose from among 7 grandchildren to drag along with us!



2014 F-150 Super Crew Short Bed 3.5L Ecoboost
2014 Flagstaff Micro Lite 23LB

opnspaces
Navigator
Navigator
I've smoked out my trailer many times. The smell will go away on it's own. Yes if you can leave windows open it will dissipate faster. But I'll bet if you do absolutely nothing, by this Friday you won't be able to smell it at all.
.
2001 Suburban 4x4. 6.0L, 4.10 3/4 ton **** 2005 Jayco Jay Flight 27BH **** 1986 Coleman Columbia Popup

Crowe
Explorer
Explorer
Friend of ours used Febreeze all the time on their couch and had 2 dogs both die of sinus tumors before she put the 2 together - I digress,

She put two and two together but got five:

[url]https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/hanging-in-the-febreze/

Ozone generators have their share of issues as well:

https://www.nachi.org/ozone-generator-hazards.htm

You are just exchanging one problem for another. We had a horrible smell in our basement right before we moved-a few bowls of white vinegar placed around and good ventilation took care of it in a few days.

I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be

Douglas Adams

[purple]RV-less for now but our spirits are still on the open road. [/purple]

Jebby14
Explorer
Explorer
air it out as best you can and move on. brew some good coffee in there to cover up with a good smell. Wouldn't bother me, campfire smoke goes with camping IMO and these old farts complaining about a campfire in a campground best stay away from me.
Q: Whats brown and sticky???

A: A Stick....

way2roll
Nomad III
Nomad III
I think febreeze is exchanging one problem for another. That stuff contains so many carcinogens it shouldn't be legal. It's especially dangerous to pets as they have such sensitive sinuses. Friend of ours used Febreeze all the time on their couch and had 2 dogs both die of sinus tumors before she put the 2 together - I digress, but why people insist on using that stuff is beyond me. Read the labels. Anyway, Ozone generator will work provided you use it correctly. Ozone can be dangerous so remove the 3 P's (people pets and plants). It generates an extra oxygen atom so it's very unstable and dissipates quickly (the odor along with it) but you can't technically breathe it. The half life of ozone is about 30 minutes so it's safe after that. Start with small doses (time) and damage to materials should be minimal - if any at all.

And you can pick one up on Amazon for $50 which about what they cost to rent. Having your own would pay for itself in one use.
2023 FR Sunseeker 2400B MBS

KnowNuthin
Explorer
Explorer
Thanks for all the thinkin’-about material...

Seeing as how I’ve got Febreeze and vinegar in the house I’ll start “small” and see how far I get... Julie didn’t notice the smoke last time she was in the trailer (‘course my sniffer seems to detect more)...
2005 2500HD D/A CC LB 4X4 being pushed by:
2016 Grand Design Reflection 303RLS
2007 Ural GearUp Arctic

Deb_and_Ed_M
Explorer
Explorer
drsteve wrote:
Dick_B wrote:
Be sure to read up on ozone generators before spending good money. Apparently ozone is not necessarily an RVers friend if you want to purge an enclosure where people will occupy it. Just sayin'.


X2 Ozone is a very strong oxidizer. Overexposure to ozone can corrode metal and make some plastics brittle.


Agreed! Ozone is powerful stuff (not in a good way). If you wouldn't pour straight bleach on something, don't subject it to ozone. Used-car lots use ozone to get rid of cigarette-smoke smell; but they aren't planning to keep the vehicle very long so the long-term damage to fabric/vinyl/rubber/steel isn't their concern.

Re fire smoke smell: Febreeze works well, along with a lot of fresh air (set up a large fan and let it run with the windows open for a few days)
Ed, Deb, and 2 dogs
Looking for a small Class C!

jaycocamprs
Explorer
Explorer
Terryallan wrote:
On the other hand. I love the way a camper smells when it smells like a campfire. I thought that was how they are supposed to smell. I am always disappointed when the smell fades away.

It is the biggest reason I camp. They won't let me have a fire at the motel


Amen brother! Or putting on a coat that you last wore by the campfire. For just that moment your back by the fire
2018 Silverado 3500 DRW
2011 Montana Mountaineer 285RLD