Expert: Jan Hayner - 5/29/2010

Question
Hi,
   I have a small camper we use in the summer that has been plagued with mice getting in.  Last year I put in lots of Decon and put a whole box of mothballs around everywhere.  When I opened the camper a month ago I could hardly get in because of the strong mothball smell.  I left all the windows open, took the cushions out in the sun and washed the walls and everything in Murphys Oil soap.  It helped a lot but it still smells like mothballs.  

 Can you help me with a way to get rid of that awful smell?

Answer
Hi Don;
That odor seems to linger on forever, its awful, but I bet you didn't have any mice and now you know why.
Simply add 1 cup vinegar to 3.4 gallon of water and then add 1/4 cup of baking soda (WARNING: this will foam and rise and maybe overflow the pail)there will be a chemical reaction that causes it to rise, but it will simmer down in seconds. Do worry, this is earth friendly, non caustic and won't hurt your skin. However, it does a great job at getting rid of odors and bacteria. (Great Grandma had a good idea!)
Wash everything down with this, you can even throw it in the washing machine if you want too. Let everything dry and then simply spray the air with a little vinegar and the odors and your worries are over.
It works like a charm, is inexpensive, environmentally friendly and (hint) mice hate the smell of vinegar almost as much as they hate the smell of mothballs.
Happy cleaning,
Jan Hayner