Summary for mobile home wood smells Discussion
mobile home wood smells can come from the wall structure, but the thread suggests the odor is not necessarily from the wood itself. C Clarke asks what kind of wood is used in mobile homes, whether old wood can give off a smell, and how to remove it. Ted Mooney says he has seen the problem a couple of times: in one case, the smell was in an outside wall and seemed to disappear when spring brought more air and perhaps insects; in another, the odor was in an interior wall and kept getting worse until the wall had to be opened up to find the source. He adds one practical warning: use mouse traps only, not poison, because poison can create a worse odor problem. The overall advice is that the smell may fade if it is seasonal or ventilation-related, but persistent odors may require opening the wall to locate the cause.
Q. My dad has a mobile home and it has an odd smell as though it comes from the wood. I have searched high and low for a focal point with no success. It seems to be coming from the wood structure inside. Its a horrible odor and is always there.What kind of wood is used in structures for mobile homes? Can old wood give off such an odor?
Help!
C Clarke
– New York
2001
A. Just a theory, and you’re not going to like it one bit: it’s a dead mouse in the walls.
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
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How does one go about removing the smell? Does the smell go away on its own, or do the walls have to be torn out one by one, until it’s found?
Jeff Doak
– Chesterfield, Michigan USA
I’ve had to deal with it a couple of times. In one case on an outside wall, spring came, and with it more air and perhaps insects, and the smell went away. In another case in an interior wall: the smell gets worse & worse until you decide you have to do whatever it takes, which included taking the wall apart until I found it :-(
One lesson we learned is mouse traps only, no poison!
Ted Mooney, P.E.
Striving to live Aloha
finishing.com – Pine Beach, New Jersey
Need quick confidential answers? $25
Need project assistance? $100/hr.