Getting rid of bad odours

Although we’re taught not to play with our food, vinegar is slightly different. Not only can it be used to make a delicious salad dressing, it’s also perfect for cleaning and killing bad odours – including in your motorhome.

Here’s a sticky situation: Your motorhome has been left to hibernate throughout winter, you’ve worked hard to air it but it’s still smelly. This odour needs to be gone before you take your first trip. It’s time for a spring clean, which is where vinegar comes in.

Did you know vinegar is a disinfectant and can also treat limescale? So it’s suitable for cleaning the washroom, kitchen unit and fridge. Wiping the walls of the fridge with vinegar also prevents them from icing up so quickly. Rubber seals and silicone joints, on the other hand, should not be cleaned with vinegar, otherwise they might become porous.

Both organic vinegar available for purchase in supermarkets and chemically produced vinegar essence can be used as cleaners. But both should only be used when diluted. If you want to be safe not sorry, use a pre-mixed vinegar cleaner with the dosage instructions clearly indicated on the bottle. Admittedly, vinegar has a very strong smell. But it’s really effective at getting rid of unpleasant odours and the slightly pungent smell dissipates relatively quickly once you air out the space.

Although not cleaning agents, baking powder or freshly ground coffee are also great at getting rid of bad smells. Place them in open bowls in the vehicle and they will also absorb some excess humidity. You can also simply scatter coffee powder on the carpets, but this needs to be vacuumed up later. However, a faint smell of coffee will linger.