After living in a campervan full-time you might start to notice some interesting smells form over time. But if you follow some of these tips for how to minimize funky smells in a camper van, you can transform your van to always smell like new.
These products and cleaning tips will transform your indoor living space to always smell fresh. These are tried and true ways to block any lingering smells that might exist from cutting an onion from dinner, dirty laundry from those long hikes, or that grey water tank lofting some interesting smells through the air.
I should note, I have an exceptionally strong nose. So little funky smells really irritate me, so I had to find little ways to minimize funky smells in a camper van so the van was always smelling fresh!
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Have a Closed Lid Garbage Can:
One important way to minimize funky smells in a camper van is to have a closed lid trash can. Otherwise, you will most likely have a funky smell lofting through the van from your garbage can. A campervan is a small living space, so the garbage will be one of the first things to create interesting smells in your campervan.
Having a closed-lid garbage can was a game-changer for us in the van. We have a small tin garbage can that has a flip lid and it keeps the smells out pretty well, except for when you open it to dispose of something… But it’s better than having the smell of garbage whiffed through the van endlessly!
Add Porta Pak To Toilet and Grey Water Tank:
Jake and I have a little cassette toilet and these Porta Pak’s are essential (in our opinion) to minimize funky smells in a camper van. We only use the toilet for #1 but when we didn’t use these Porta Pak’s the smell was less than desirable when you would go to open the lid and use it. These Porta Pak’s are biodegradable, formaldehyde-free and the #1 odor-prevention control packet on the market.
We also add Porta Pak to our grey tank, so no undesirable smells come up through the sink drain.
Tip: Each Porta Pak is designed for a large 40-gallon RV black tank, so we water down 1 Porta Pak Pouch with 1 liter of water. Then we just pour in a little bit of the mixture to make our Porta Pak pods last much longer!
Bleach Water or Vinegar Down Sink Drain:
And along with the Porta Pak’s keeping the grey tank water from smelling, there is food and sludge that might get stuck or build up in the grey tank drain and hose. It’s normal for sludge to build up over time which can loft a nasty smell within the van. So one easy way to de-sludge your campervan sink drain hose is to let bleach water or vinegar sit it in the tube for a few hours.
Note: The Porta Pak’s do say to not mix with other chemicals, so we suggest when you are ready to get rid of the bleach water or vinegar from the tube, to dispose of it in something other than the grey tank. Or at least make sure it is empty and just get rid of the bleach water or vinegar water in a toilet or sink nearby.
Add A Plant To Minimize Funky Smells In A Camper Van:
Plants are known to improve air quality, so they are especially nice in your campervan which often off-gases harmful VOC’s from the build materials. Some plants will smell better than others, but one plant we especially love is our basil plant. If you just ruffle around the stems, the basil scent whiffs into the air.
Some popular fragrance indoor plants are Jasmine, Eucalyptus, Lemon Balm, Spanish Lavender, Rosemary, etc. But do note, that some of these plants might require a decent amount of sunlight, a climate-controlled area and water which can be hard to provide while living in a camper van full-time.
Here are some Great Plant Options For Vanlife
Regularly Use Hygiene Wipes:
Chances are, your hygiene might take a hit when you move into a campervan full-time. Your access to showers might be far and few between. So one of the smells in the van could be coming from you. So we suggest keeping hygiene wipes around, so after a long hike or simply after it has been multiple days without a shower, you can wipe down. It’s a decent alternative to a shower. We suggest using biodegradable wipes to minimize waste.
Another easy way to minimize waste is to have a microfiber towel and use a little bit of biodegradable soap to clean off! Sometimes we will just do a water bottle shower. Which is simply just a water bottle filled with water and we rinse off outside.
Clean surfaces With Clorox Wipes:
Clorox wipes are great to have around to get that deeper clean on all of your campervan surfaces to kill bacteria. It’s one of the best items for how to minimize funky smells in a camper van. And especially during covid times, it can kill the virus, so if you get an item from an unknown place, you can wipe it down with a Clorox wipe.
One of the main uses for Clorox wipes in our campervan is to wipe off the countertops and to “mop” the floor. And of course the fridge and trash can might need a deep clean every once in a while!
Note: We try to keep our use of Clorox wipes to a minimum because they aren’t compostable. So if you are just trying to clean off a surface that doesn’t necessarily need a DEEP clean, then you can simply wet a rag with some Dr. Bronner’s to be more eco-friendly!
Add Baking Soda to The Fridge:
Just like in your home fridge, keeping baking soda in your fridge will help absorb those undesirable smells that food might create. But make sure you have a secure spot in your fridge, so it doesn’t tip over and create a mess.
They sell small baking soda boxes at the grocery store, so it doesn’t take up a ton of space in your fridge. They do say to buy new baking soda every month to keep the fridge smelling fresh.
Note: Baking soda can also be a good cleaner. So it’s good to keep around to clean the sink or stovetop, etc.
Use Damp Rid Containers:
A moisture absorbing product we always have in our van is a Damp Rid container. This helps absorb any excess moisture that might be at a standstill in your van. For example, we keep ours under our sink because we often go on bumpy roads and water might occasionally splash out. So we want our van to be moisture free so no mold or mildew can form and cause interesting smells.
This is a great precautionary measure to take in your van. They also sell Damprid Hanging Bags that you can hang anywhere in your campervan. The bag will absorb any unwanted moisture so there are no chances of mold or mildew causing weird smells. Plus some of the hanging bags come scented which can leave a pleasant smell.
Use Candles To Minimize Funky Smells In A Camper Van:
Candles are always nice to add that extra touch of homeliness and nice scent. But you do need to be extra careful when using a candle inside a campervan. For example, if you cook with propane/gas, you will want be sure the candle isn’t lit. Also keep it away from anything that presents a fire hazard.
We prefer soy-based candles because they don’t increase the CO2 level in the room and don’t require chemicals to scent them.
But if you decide to go with a “regular” candle, you will want to have proper ventilation because it is producing CO2 and putting off harmful chemicals when burning. We really only suggest this method to use sparingly.
Have a Hidden Dirty Laundry Bag:
Another problem in vanlife is the abundance of dirty laundry you might stack up. And if you are like us, we only do laundry about every 3 weeks or so. Which means all the dirty laundry needs to go somewhere. So we have a dirty laundry shoot that holds all our smelly clothes. Our laundry bag now sits in the “garage” of our van, away from the main living area.
This is huge to help mask the smell of our dirty clothes over many weeks. But one of the best ways to help minimize funky smells in a camper van is by wearing merino wool clothing.
Merino Wool is not only breathable, moisture-wicking and odor resistant, it also helps reduce the amount of microplastics found along the shorelines. Jake and I did a 7-day sweater challenge with Icebreaker and our sweaters didn’t smell after wearing them for a week, also not showering!
Some of our favorite Merino Wool Brands are Icebreaker, Unbound Merino, Smartwool, and IsoBaa.
Use Essential Oils to minimize funky smells in a camper van:
Essential oils are a great natural way to make your campervan smell delightful. There are tons of different essential oils to choose from, so you are bound to find a scent you enjoy. You can add some essential oil to a spray bottle and dilute it with water to occasionally spray around the van to freshen up the place. Or many people prefer to clean with essential oils because they are eco-friendly.
Plus there can be health benefits associated with essential oils, so you might want to find one that can help with any health problems you might deal with. Such as Chamomile can reduce stress, Eucalyptus can clear sinuses or Lavender can improve sleep.
Or many people enjoy a diffuser, but diffusers often use electricity and adds moisture to the air, so in a campervan, it might be counterproductive. But there are a few great options that are cordless and produce a gas-like mist with essential oils. Here are some popular choices!
Regularly Deep Clean to minimize funky smells in a camper van:
This one might be easier said than done, but try and deep clean your campervan regularly. You might find some interesting things along the way that you either lost, or wonder how they ever got there. You don’t want to find a cheese crumb that molded up or water that spilled causing mildew. Ultimately, a deep clean will help minimize funky smells in a camper van and keep the place always smelling fresh.
And part of the deep clean, don’t forget to give your grey tank a good scrubbing. It can be good to leave bleach water sit in the container for 24 hours to eat any of the gunk that might be attached to the sides.
Takeaway | How To Minimize Funky Smells In A Camper Van:
Keeping your camper van smelling fresh is important. You don’t want to scare away any new friends because your van has a funky smell. People already look at full-time vanlifers as having low-hygiene, so let’s prove them wrong and have some fresh-smelling vans! Moisture build-up in a van is common, so if you always keep the van clean, you can make sure there is no mold or mildew growing in undesirable places.
What do you do to minimize funky smells in a camper van? Did I miss something that you always do to keep your camper van smelling fresh?
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