my wife and son are allergic to our sunline

[rich2500]

something in our camper is causing allergy problems for my wife and son and we can not pinpoint it,this has been a problem since we have bought the camper but in the beginning we just thought it was from the gassing of a new camper but now 4years later they are still allergic to something inside,if anybody has any ideas on how we might be able to figure out what's causing it I would like to hear your ideas.

[Tweety]

What kind of alergy? burning eyes? asthma? sneezing? headaches?
I get the burning eyes/headache type alergy to many perfumy things. Could it be something like the toilet chemicals? Do you put moth balls in the trailer in the winter? Even drying clothing in scented Bounce fabric softener would set me off if the clothing was then put into the small enclosed area of a trailer.

[kanyonkitty]

I would also do a thorough search for mold. It only takes one small leak for mold to start, check in/under all cabinets, compartments, corners, etc. Sunline Fan can tell you about trackig down smells. Also, look for a possible deceased rodent, mouse, rat, bird, etc.

Sunlines were one of the very few RV's that were not know for "outgassing". I purchased an '06 T-2499 July 7, 2005 and left the very next day for a cross country trip and had no smell probems, and I have asthma.

[rich2500]

quetse my wife gets the itchy eyes and sneezing,my son gets tightning in his chest,the only toilet chemicals I use is calgon water softner,and the same laundry detergent we use at home,we don't use any moth balls,we have nothing different in the camper then we have at home.we are leaning towards the fabric used on the furniture because it seems like soon as one of them sits on the couch or at the dinnette that starts it all,we tried febreeze on the furniture but it did not seem to help.

Kitty our trailer smelled from gassing something fierce for a couple weeks but that cleared out and allergies still exist,As for mold, possible I guess but believe I'm always all over my camper with a fine tooth comb looking for leaks and I don't have any,and as for rodents I have never seen one single sign of any kind of rodents nor do I have any kind of odor of a dead rodent,actually our camper still smells brand new inside.

It's frustrating for both of them and every night before they come into the camper for the evening they have to take allergy medicine which gets them through the night but then it starts back up in the morning.

[264SRinPA]

keep the trailer, trade in the wife and son.

[rich2500]

It's crossed my mind a few times just kidding,we have thought about trading the camper,but nothing else suits us,plus what if we had the same issue with a new one.We are camping this weekend so we are gonna try covering our furniture and see if it helps any.

[PTHutch]

Originally Posted by rich2500

We are camping this weekend so we are gonna try covering our furniture and see if it helps any.

You might want to think about removing the dinette cushions all together and leaving them home. Wipe down the benches with a strong water-bleach solution. Replace the cushions with something from home, such as pillows, etc. This may help narrow it down to if it’s the cushions causing the allergy reactions.

Have your wife and son had an allergy test and do you know what they are allergic to. Results of an allergy test may also provide help in identifying what is causing the reactions.

Hutch

[Sunline Fan]

Rich,

Contact Page Foam Products to see if they can tell you what chemicals they use in the foam and mattresses. I don't know about your coach, but they also made the mattress in mine. I've been in contact with them in recent months and they are willing to go out of their way to help.

www.pagefoamcp.com/rv-campers.html

Jon

[rich2500]

well the allergies are definately related to the furniture,this past weekend we covered the furniture the best we could and still be able to use it and both my son and wife noticed a big difference,the dinnette cushion covers are removeable so i'm gonna try doing a hand wash on them,same with the bunkbed covers,I'm not sure what I'm gonna do about the couch though.

Jon thanks for the link I will have to give them a call .

[purplesuebug]

It may be the formaldehyde they use as a preservative in carpets, paneling and upholstery. Mobile homes and campers are notorious for formaldehyde usage. My mother-in-law is allergic to the stuff and can not even step into our camper. If formaldehyde is the culprit, you may find it VERY hard to find another camper that your wife's allergies will tolerate. One of Sunline's big selling points was the fact that their formaldehyde levels were considerably lower than other manufacturers. There are tests for formaldehyde allergies...........that's how we found out about Mom-in-law. Good luck and hopefully it was because the camper was closed up all winter and levels were really high and since you've been going in and out, it is getting better. Marshall