Funky smelling Van?

[One Awesome Inch]

Keeping things clean is super important. I wash all my bedding every week and buy a new pillow every month. I've read that alot of vandwellers have a funky smelling van. Is that true? I'm trying to avoid that.

 

[Canine]

When me and Vic were younger,I sometimes noticed a fishy smell in the van.Not so much anymore.

 

[Almost There]

Keeping things clean is super important. I wash all my bedding every week and buy a new pillow every month. I've read that alot of vandwellers have a funky smelling van. Is that true? I'm trying to avoid that.

I don't know where you've been reading but I'm sure that 'some' vandwellers end up with funky smelling vans but it's their own fault.

A van is like any room in a house, if you keep it closed up all the time and input funky smells, you'll have a funky smelling room/van.

If you smoke, you'll end up with a van full of smoke odours. If you don't wash your socks, you'll end up with a dirty sock smell! If you spend all night expelling gas, yes, you'll end up with a funky smelling van!!

Washing your sheets weekly is something that should be done anyways. Count the number of hours that that bedding is next to your skin and think about it...would you wear your underwear that many hours...I sure hope not. Comforters or blankets need to be aired out regularly as well.
Buying a new pillow each month is most likely overkill unless you slobber a lot in your sleep...

If all you do is hop in and drive the closed up van from one spot to another and then spend hours in it with the doors and windows all closed you're going to end up picking up some smell or other, either from food or something. If you go from work to a park area and have the doors open for a while, you're doing the same thing as opening the windows in a room at home...airing it out.

Drive with the window open!

 

[Spirituallifetime]

Condensation inside the van can cause this problem. Ventilation is important and when possible remove stuff so it can air out, like your mattress.

 

[TMG51]

When me and Vic were younger,I sometimes noticed a fishy smell in the van.Not so much anymore.

I see what you did there.

As for me and my van, I sometimes get ambitious and grill inside of it. I've learned that no matter how good your ventilation is... you may not be at risk of CO poisoning, but that burnt carbon smell will not leave the interior for some time...

There's no inherent reason for a van to become "funky smelling." 'Tis probably one of many connotations that comes along with the idea most people have of who lives inside a van.

Buying a new pillow every month seems a little excessive to me. But then, I've had the same pillow for a couple decades. Can't find any others flat enough. People keep telling me I should throw it away, but it's my one vice next to putting cotton swabs waayyy in my ear, and I'm keeping both.

 

[One Awesome Inch]

Dust mites and little dead-skin-eating bugs live in pillows. I am a naturally oily person and have to wash things frequently. I cannot skip a day of washing my hair... at the very least. I've read about the funky smelling van thing enough to know that it must be true. Maybe those dudes just dont wash enough. Youtuber "the real wayne's world" has said that his van smells, for example. One of the reasons, in fact, the main reason I dont have any carpet and a minimal of cloth, besides my bedding, is to keep good air quality... and smells down.

 

[akrvbob]

I totally believe that the modern obsession with "cleanliness" is not only unwise, it is very unhealthy.

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness" is a lie right out of the pit of hell. There is nothing as holy as dirt.
Bob

 

[Oberneldon]

I use pillow liners under the pillowcase & wash the liner & pillowcase each week with the sheets.

 

[Spirituallifetime]

Funky smelly dirty clothes can also make a van smell funky!

 

[Matlock]

I use pillow liners under the pillowcase & wash the liner & pillowcase each week with the sheets.

This one I totally agree with.

Others, not so much.....  :-/

 

[LeeRevell]

Pillows can be washed.  Cheaper than buying new.....  

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

mine didnt till i left it somewhere for a month or two and my nephew moved in. now it permanently smells like feet. its in the carpet for sure. avoid carpet, dirties are sealed, ventilate. i air out my mattress in the sun too...works for japanese and their futons so i figure it works for me. hit stuff with lysol too occasionally

 

[SoulRaven]

Get some of that sprinkle on carpet fresh stuff.  Works wonders.

Carpeting and throw rugs are what makes my home comfortable, I wouldn't trade them for anything.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

i need to toss it anyway, i went with tiles and they are all shifting and coming up. might go with cheap area rug

 

[One Awesome Inch]

I'd rather do a quick sweep vs vacuuming. Plus carpet harbours dust and dirt and inhibits good air quality.

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

i replaced carpet tiles with 19$ rug from wally, it fit pretty good with out even cutting from wheel well forward. much nicer smellin lol

 

[ZoNiE]

When me and Vic were younger,I sometimes noticed a fishy smell in the van.Not so much anymore.

T.M.I. :dodgy:

I totally believe that the modern obsession with "cleanliness" is not only unwise, it is very unhealthy.

"Cleanliness is next to Godliness" is a lie right out of the pit of hell. There is nothing as holy as dirt.
Bob

...Well, to a point.

Pillows can be washed.  Cheaper than buying new.....  

Makes sense. Replacing one every month seems wasteful, and if foam, a lot of petroleum waste in the landfills...

I'd rather do a quick sweep vs vacuuming.  Plus carpet harbours dust and dirt and inhibits good air quality.

I have had two pickups now with no carpet (Sport Trac's) they have no funky smell. Even in the one that is 14 years old now. Leather seats help too. Gotta agree with this. Also, when we finally put wood flooring down in the bedrooms at the house, it always smells clean. Carpet is just a breeding ground for germs and mites.

I have Vinyl in my Trailer, and put Plood in our Motorhome previously.

 

[flying kurbmaster]

I struggle with the funky smelling van syndrome and I consider myself a clean person, I think it is mostly food smells that stick around, I wash my dishes right after eating, keep windows/vents open have minimal material no carpets, a couple of small throw rugs, throw out carbage regularly, try to keep dirty clothes under the van in outside lockers, I use an extractor fan when cooking. When I first get back to my van after sitting semi closed up all day, it does smell a little funky at times, until I open it right up. I put it down to a lot going on in a small space. When I am away from the van for a longer period of time it seems to be fine so I don't think it is something that is particular to the van itself more something to do with me living in it. If anyone has any ideas of how to get rid of smells in a small space, I would love to hear them. I often wonder if I ran a fan all day long, has anyone had an similar issue and found this helped.

 

[TMG51]

I think vans end up smelling like the people who live in them. I know some people around here are adamant about the pitfalls of hygiene, and, while I also don't agree with current obsessions over hand sanitizer and other mass neuroses, I have to say that 'funky' is a generous description of anyone who doesn't shower.

I shower. I vent when I cook. I dry clothes/towels in the sun before adding them to the laundry bag. I removed carpet, and sweep daily. I don't let food items sit. My van doesn't smell.

I do also like to burn incense. I sometimes do so deliberately near fabric items so that they hold the scent for a couple days. You might try that if you're having van funk issues.

 

[SternWake]

My ventilation system replaces all the air in my Van every few minutes.

Sources of odor in my van are my third captain's chair, my sink and whatever dishes I have not yet washed, my dirty clothes bag.

I am now dogsitting and I can smell dog now too sometimes.

I know I become nose blind to my own van and sometimes ask other people who will give me an honest opinion whether my Van smells bad or not.

I do have a carbon filter I can put over one of my interior circulation fans, and one I can put on my intake fans, and this changes the smell of a Skunk when one saunters by somewhere.

I could use a good spring cleaning now, but i'll wait until I am no longer dog sitting next week.

I find that a fabric softener sheet clamped to one of my interior fans can mask any unpleasant odors.

I once investigates an Ionizer to remove odors and other contaminants. Something like one of these:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...ield-keywords=ionizer&rh=n:15684181,k:ionizer

I don't know how effective it would be with the amount of air exchange I've got going on this time of year.