Getting the smoke smell out :(

[AprilRosyButt]

My dad just picked up my trailer tonight!!! It is what I guess you guys call a Weekender. Likes small rectangle with the corners cut off. I wasn't able yo go with him. I had to work. My dad says the outside smells like cigarette smoke The people smoked in their garage where it was at. I haven't opened it up yet as I Justin got off work. I can find a million ways to get the smell out of the inside, but how do I get it off the outside? It's painted like a house. Could I just spray it with vinegar and leave it in the sun?

[Shadow Catcher]

Were it me, I would first try and just scrub the outside with soap and water as what you are trying to get rid of is the tars and chemicals. Looking into it, vinegar appears to be a masker covering up the original smell rather than killing it, but then in my not so humble opinion smelling like a salad beats smoke any day.

http://www.puroclean.com/learning-cente ... or-removal

[Kharn]

I'd try a good scrubbing with diluted Simple Green or other low-power degreaser.

[Zollinger]

Scrub it down and park outside in the sun to let it air out. That's my best guess.

[bobhenry]

I did a few years with ServiceMaster. A national franchise for cleaning and disaster restoration. After fire damage the residence was fogged in several rooms with a smoke removal agent. The house was pressurized with a couple monster evactuation fans but they were sealed in the exterior doors pointing inward to drive the fog in every crack and crevice.

Find a real good janitorial supply house and ask for a smoke neutralizing agent. It is in several trade names. Some can be added to a cleaning agent and shampooed into the surface. Tool rental shops can probably rent you an electric fogger for the inside if needed. Take the fan idea and mount it in the doorway to again drive the agent into the cracks.

[CarlLaFong]

Take it to the coin wash and give it a good wash. If it stinks on the inside, just wipe everything down with a good cleanser. Simple Green, as mentioned, is good. You can remove the covers from the cushions and the curtains and hand wash them. As for the rest, a few days with the door and windows open will do wonders. Toss a few dryer sheets inside also

[S. Heisley]

"Back in the day"....One of my cosmetic fixer-upper houses had been owned by two chain smokers. The walls were yellow - almost orange - with Nicotine and I had to get that off before I could paint. I used 409 and it came off with two washings and one rinse and no smell remained, even with all the doors and windows closed tight. ...Don't know about Simple Green...never used it to know. (I discarded the window coverings and replaced the carpet.)

[pmowers]

I once bought a Dodge minivan from a smoker (I think that he had the van so he could keep enough cartons with him). Tried all of the recommended methods, then was at a Ziebart place talking to the manager who recommended using an ozone generator to get rid of the smell. It did reduce the stench quite a bit, but I kept a cinnamon broom in the back as long as I owned the van.

Bobhenry is right, there are professionals who remove smoke smells from buildings. Possibly tent the trailer with plastic sheeting and fumigate the sucker. I might plan on replacing any soft goods like the mattress and curtains.

[AprilRosyButt]

So, I have now has the chance the check it out. I really love my little trailer! The outside smells the worst because it was in the garage where they smoked. The inside isn't as bad. It's sort of a mix of new varnished wood and old cigarette smoke. Thankfully it's been sunny here the last two days! So I have left the window on the door open. I have removed the bedding (I hated it anyway) and will remember to do the curtains when I get home. The mattress I'm not sure about. It is comfortable. I use Nature's Miracle on a lot of stuff. On a whim, I decided to Google it with cigarette smoke. Apparently it gets that out too!! So I'm going to try and figure out where to set my mattress to lay soaked all night and then bake in the sun. It's memory foam. So hopefully it works. I've read good things about charcoal and coffee absorbing smells. So off I go to find the most delicious smelling coffee!

[Verna]

Sam's Club has a product called OdoBan--it comes in a gallon jug with a spray bottle included. I used it on my Standie that had been closed up and smelled really weird. I diluted it with water, per the instructions, and then I started washing down the ceiling, the walls, everything, down to the floor. I took the cushions outside on a sunny day and I sprayed all 4 sides with the diluted solution. It smelled so good afterwards. The cushions were fine and dry in a couple of sunny days. And, now, I definitely keep a window cracked year round so the smell doesn't return.

I used rubber gloves only because my skin tends to be sensitive to some stuff. I don't think it's harsh enough to damage any skin that isn't inclined to break out like mine.

[jeff0520]

Another thing to try is vanilla. It's a very good stink neutralizer. Walmart or a craft store will sell vanilla essential oil. Just mix it into whatewver cleaning solution you use. Might also help to moisten an old rag with the vanilla essential oil, and toss it into some inconspicuous place inside the camper

[AprilRosyButt]

I found the Odoban at Home Depot! I actually found it on accident when getting ready to check out. It was just sitting there in a 3 pack of cans, so I grabbed some. It smells super good! I have cookie sheets of vanilla nut/ Berry cobbler coffee sitting inside the galley right now. It smells delicious!

[rollintent]

I know first hand that an open bowl of vinegar works for the interior of a vehicle. It works miracles. Wonder if you could enclose it with a tarp or tarps and prop them up off the surface of the trailer to leave a narrow space between the tarp and body of the trailer and just use the vinegar trick. I don't know why your idea of wiping it down with vinegar wouldn't work except the vinegar odor may stay on the trailer that way and it is a mild acid that I suppose could cause some unwanted effects to finish.

[Todah Tear]

I have found that Dawn dishwashing detergent is almost a cure-all for getting tough stains of closes and such. I would take it to a self-serve carwash and rub dawn all over it then spray/scrub it down. Warning: Dawn is concentrated, so there will be lots of suds.

Todah