Getting Started
One of our justifications for purchasing the camper when we did was a trip we had planned in June to see family. We wanted to rent an rv for the vacation so we could stop along the way and break-up our 6.5 hour trip since our 3 babies have a strong 2 hour max in a vehicle. As we were pricing out options, we found out very quickly that between the nightly fee, insurance, taxes and fees we would be looking at $1,000 or more for just a weekend rental. It seemed like wasted money when we knew eventually we'd be purchasing our own camper. When we chose our Arkansas Prowler we knew we wouldn't be able to put any real work into it until after this vacation was over. This was the biggest reason we needed something that could be lived in immediately.
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Brent and I are such busy bodies that the moment we parked the rv at home we started making as many improvements as we could. Our first sweep of the camper was basically just to clean. This thing had 100+ mud dobber nests and we found them in every hole and crevasse both inside the camper, inside the walls, outside the camper and in every single vent! We took out all the of junk that was abandoned from the previous owners and found a few treasures to save! We also took out every cushion for cleaning and threw away the valances that smelled like mildew and were falling to pieces. We swept and vacuumed out the rig as best we could. When we took a step back (and added an air freshner) we were able to take a deep breath and really visualize what our new floor plan would be and map out what could be done in the next few weeks before our trip.
Cushion Cleaning
One of the first projects we tackled was the cushions. They were in surprisingly good shape! There were no tears or stains in the covers and all the zippers still worked perfectly. The only real issue with them was the SMELL!! And these things stunk.
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I started by removing the cushions from their red covers. The material was strong but so itchy. I threw them in the washing machine on delicate with color safe bleach and fabric softener.
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For the cushions themselves I used the tried and true baking soda and vinegar combo. I used some of my cloth diapering experience and applied it to an equally stinky material. I waited for a sunny day and laid all the cushions out coating them in a layer of baking soda. The sun will help sanitize while the baking soda works to eliminate that odor. I left them out for about 2 hours per side.
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The next step was to shake, beat, or smack out all of the baking soda. After I finished sneezing from the baking soda cloud I did the same process but with a vinegar mixture. I used 1 part water and 1 part vinegar in a spray bottle. I generously sprayed the cushions and let them sit in the sun for another 2 hours per side.
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After my cushions had finished sun baking they no longer stunk like old mildewing camper but now stunk like vinegar...SUCCESS! After about a day they were completely smell free. After the vinegar scent faded there was no other scent left.
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Getting these cushions back into their cases was a team effort. Both boys and I worked together and it took probably 30 minutes to put all 5 back together.
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The covers were much softer. The cushions were smell free. And now we had 5 mattresses that we could work with for sleeping on our first trip and use as beds for the remodel!
