Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online!
Automotive Forums .com - the leading automotive community online! 
-
Latest | 0 Rplys
Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Cars in General
Reply Show Printable Version Show Printable Version | Email this Page Email this Page | Subscription Subscribe to this Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 04-11-2005, 07:22 PM   #1
Zachp911
AF Enthusiast
 
Zachp911's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Long Island, New York
Posts: 810
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
How to get bad smell out of car?

I have a '95 Galant that I'm selling and have a few people interested, but before I sell it I need to clean it up. The interior smells horrible, like pesticide chemical (used as a work car), and I need to know how to get that smell out of the car for good. Tell me your reccomendations.
__________________
2008 BMW 335i
Zachp911 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Zachp911 For This Useful Post:
northwoods60 (02-13-2012)
Old 04-11-2005, 07:48 PM   #2
potsdamcartel
AF Enthusiast
 
potsdamcartel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: potsdam, New York
Posts: 89
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

courtesy some guy at http://store.yahoo.com/autopia/how-to.html :

"Removing Odors
I get a lot of questions about removing smells. The most common questions are "How do I remove the smell of cigarette smoke?" and "My child vomited. How do I get rid of the smell?" Most bad smells in cars are organic (e.g., food, urine, vomit, tobacco, grass, mold, mildew, etc.). I recently had a professional detailer tell me a client had spilled fish in his car, which I know from experience is not pleasant. As a teen I hid an open can of sardines under the seat of a neighbor's car. They had to sell the car to get rid of the smell!

Odor problems are pretty easy to take care of with some of the new cleaners on the market. If you need something in a hurry, try "Kids & Pets Brand Stain & Odor Remover" by Paramount Chemical Specialties. This cleaner, and others like it, use enzymes, a surfactant and denatured alcohol to remove stains and kill odors. The enzymes kill odors in their tracks by stopping the organic material from decomposing. So, when your kid or the dog throws up all over the backseat, spray Kids & Pets Brand Stain & Odor Remover, and the mess and stain will go away. Don't use it, and you'll be smelling that odor for a long time. The problem with this cleaner is that it is heavily perfumed. I don't recommend it for more than a localized problem, such as vomit or urine.

Tobacco smoke is one of the most difficult smells to remove from a car. The smoke permeates everything, including the foam rubber used in seat cushions. You can successfully remove most of the tobacco smell by thoroughly shampooing the carpets, upholstery and headliner. After cleaning thoroughly, use Wurth Odor Neutralizer to complete the job.

Air Conditioner Odors
Another common source of interior car odors is the air conditioning (A/C) system. That foul smell from your car's A/C is not only offensive, but it can also be bad for you. The air entering into your car passes over the A/C evaporator (the cooling element). When you operate your car's A/C, water condenses around the evaporator coils. The moisture on the evaporator makes it a magnet for air pollutants, including dust, dirt, grime, pollen, spores and germs. These pollutants form bacteria, dust mites and fungi, which all add up to create the bad smell that often occurs in A/C systems.

Most luxury cars now offer filter canisters to remove pollutants from the air entering the car. However, the smell may still remain. In any case, it's still a good idea to treat your car's A/C each year with a quality A/C and heating system cleaner. The product I prefer is Wurth A/C & Heating System Cleaner. Simply spray Wurth A/C & Heating System Cleaner into the exterior air intake vents and the inside heat and A/C vents. It eliminates odors caused by bacteria, fungi, mildew and stagnant water."


i would say the obvious answer and say try fabreeze, but that might not be strong enough.
in my opinion, you should just clean/scrub/shampoo all of the interior. just clean the dash, scrub the seiling and remove any removable fabric item(floor mats, seat covers, etc.) you can and wash it.
__________________
potsdamcartel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2005, 08:22 PM   #3
Zachp911
AF Enthusiast
Thread starter
 
Zachp911's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Long Island, New York
Posts: 810
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

Fabreeze wont do anything for the smell, its not strong enough. I guess I will try to shampoo and scrub all the interior and take it from there. Thanks for the help.
__________________
2008 BMW 335i
Zachp911 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2005, 02:53 PM   #4
shawnwilliams
AF Enthusiast
 
shawnwilliams's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: toronto
Posts: 450
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

check a hardeware store they have stuff that removes all odors in minutes and it cheap 2 like 10$. The bottle worked in my car, my hockey bag and entire basement, its cheap and it works really well. I think it called ATMOSKLEAR. might want to check it out
__________________
93 FORD PROBE GT
JDM manifold ported match
65mm TB
Unorthodox Underdrive Pulley
Hotshot headers
3' Exhaust all the way
No cat
Cold air intake
K&N air filter
Short throw shifter
Eibach lowering springs
FX Design Body Kit
B&M Short Shifter
Stage 3 Clutch
MX-3 Flywheel
Performace Wires and Plugs
Synthetics
Performance Rad and fan
Mild Weight Reduction

Coming this week:
Performance Heads and Cams
3 angle head job

Why does everyone have to piss on Ford.
shawnwilliams is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to shawnwilliams For This Useful Post:
Robkaiser (04-28-2012)
Old 05-11-2005, 12:53 AM   #5
dmelling
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Eaton, Ohio
Posts: 6
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

I had a problem with a smell in the carpet, bought 12 boxes of baking soda and dumped all over carpet (makes a mess if the carpet is damp) stirred all around and let it sit for 2 days, and repeated. All the smells are gone now....good luck!
dmelling is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2009, 09:32 AM   #6
Injunblue
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Newburgh, Indiana
Posts: 1
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

I have a car that has been accidently exposed to bug bomb. My girl friend left it in her garage while the house was bug bombed and the windows were cracked. We can not get the smell out of the interior. Any ideas on how to remove the odors?
Injunblue is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-19-2009, 10:46 PM   #7
rdeckert
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Burlington, Wisconsin
Posts: 70
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

Pour vinegar into a good sized cup, place it wherever is a level surface in your car, let it sit at least overnight. The longer the better though. It should suck the smell right up. It worked to get the cigarette smoke out of my car.
rdeckert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-20-2009, 09:50 PM   #8
freude09
Banned
 
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: chicago, Illinois
Posts: 10
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

vinegar really does work in order to get rid of the stinky smell of the car... that should do it...
freude09 is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to freude09 For This Useful Post:
northwoods60 (02-13-2012)
Old 05-26-2009, 11:21 AM   #9
bradley.schneider
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Posts: 1
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

Some odors seem impossible to get rid of, but there are a few tricks that are extremely effective. After the mess has been cleaned and dried, set an open bag of charcoal in the car. It is considered to be one of the best natural products to get rid of odors. Another household item that works great against stained odor is white vinegar. Set a bowl of white vinegar in your car and let it sit undisturbed. Let me know if this helps...
bradley.schneider is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 05-26-2009, 11:39 AM   #10
drivebye
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: dallas, Texas
Posts: 7
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

I have had good success using fabric softener sheets placed under the seats.

Another option we used once in our office when the AC unit backed up was some kind of tub type product. I can't remember the name but we got them at Home Depot. We explained what happened and the person there told us about them. Basically you open them up and sit them on the carpet. It took about three days but you can't smell the mildew anymore.

Good Luck.
drivebye is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-20-2009, 11:42 PM   #11
R13sWife
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Essexville, Michigan
Posts: 1
Thanks: 0
Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

I know many people use vinegar to remove smells, but what do you use when its a vinegar smell that you want to remove.

A huge container of coleslaw spilled in my car and I didn't realize until 2 days later. By that time, most of the vinegar/juices were dried into my back seat. How can I get rid of this smell? Its getting worse now that its summer. I already steam cleaned it, but it didn't really work. Any tips would be appreciated.
R13sWife is offline   Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to R13sWife For This Useful Post:
northwoods60 (02-13-2012)
Old 12-22-2009, 01:09 PM   #12
DMC12
DeLorean Guy
 
DMC12's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Hazard, Kentucky
Posts: 1,899
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

Quote:
Originally Posted by samuelclinton View Post
Bomb the car with a whole can of lysol and leave the windows rolled up several hours, maybe 24 hours.
This works well. I do it to every car I buy (that has odor).
__________________
SOLID! crew (circa 2002).
DeLorean moderator.
DMC12 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-07-2010, 06:00 PM   #13
JunkCarNation
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 1
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

First you wanna clean out the trash. maybe you'll find an old tuna sandwich under a seat. then you'll shampoo the entire interior. then keep the windows open a crack overnight (check the weather first). then drive around with all the windows open completely and turn the ac on full blast . worked for me.
JunkCarNation is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2011, 05:33 PM   #14
oldblu65
AF Fanatic
 
oldblu65's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: " The Scenic City "
Posts: 6,127
Thanks: 6
Thanked 58 Times in 57 Posts
Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

Quote:
Originally Posted by rdeckert View Post
Pour vinegar into a good sized cup, place it wherever is a level surface in your car, let it sit at least overnight. The longer the better though. It should suck the smell right up. It worked to get the cigarette smoke out of my car.
Have to agree on the vinegar but suggest putting it in a large bowl instead of a cup . The reason being the bowl will expose a much larger surface area of the vinegar to the inside air thus treating the air ( and smell ) quicker . Just make sure you don't jump in the vehicle and drive off with the bowl still inside ! Will make a big mess ! Also , think the baking soda will do a good job as well but the vinegar is cheaper and when the bowl is removed , you are done ! With the baking soda , you'll have to vacuum out the vehicle , if you sprinkled it around on the floor as opposed to sitting the box ( es ) in the vehicle , when finished .
__________________
" Sometimes I grow so tired "
oldblu65 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-20-2011, 09:25 PM   #15
douglasgerlach112
AF Newbie
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Gardena, California
Posts: 2
Thanks: 0
Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Post Re: How to get bad smell out of car?

Just clean the entire car ... Used some vinegar it really works for me... And some air freshener..
douglasgerlach112 is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply

POST REPLY TO THIS THREAD

Go Back   Automotive Forums .com Car Chat > Cars in General

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:49 PM.

Community Participation Guidelines | How to use your User Control Panel

Powered by: vBulletin | Copyright Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
 
 
no new posts