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Bad car smell, how to get rid of it?

Silver-Fox

Silver-Fox

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Jan 8, 2007
1,091
2
England
Hi

Any ideas on how to get rid of a bad car smell i tried air fresheners etc and it still smells like old people any ideas?

thanks
 
Mostly likely its in your rugs. Get the carpet stuff that you leave on the rugs for like 5 minutes and then vaccum. Or have you tried Febreeze?
 
7on said:
Check the truck, there might be old people back there...
Click to expand...

checked the trunk no old people, but some old clothes so i through those but still the smell is pretty annoying

i might try febreeze on the carpets
 
reminds me of the sienfield episode where jerry has the velete park his car and he comes back and smells like B-O.
 
Wait till the weather is nice, then get some automotive carpet cleaner (or regular carpet cleaner) and scrub the whole thing. Give it plenty of time to completely dry out with all the doors open. You might have to do it a few times. My first truck smelled like the previous owner's cigars - it took two years before the smell went away.

Whatever you do, DON'T get one of those little evergreen trees that hangs from the rear view mirror. Besides being a major style faux pas it makes it smell like you trying to hide something.

Check all the compartments for old people.
 
Burn it :eek:

really though, find the cause of it, wet/damp carpet smells real bad,
another cause is old shoe's, some people's feet sweat and smell, leaving a dire smell in old shoe's or sneakers,
any old food escaped into a small compartment ??

thinking about it, Just Burn the car ;)
 
I need to clean out my car smells too. The previous owner must have been a smoker. This fact was not disclosed to me when I bought the car and I never thought to ask. It smelled fine when I bought it (freshly detailed) but now when it's been sitting in the parking lot under the warm sun all day, and I hop in... ugh.
 
What kind of smell are you talking about.

I would start off with opening all the doors and letting it air out. Spray some febreeze or similar product into the carpet of the entire car- trunk, floor, under the seats if applicable.

I believe some detailers have a device that somehow gets rid of bad smells in cars. They're really expensive to buy so maybe you should check out some local detailing shops and pay them to get rid of the smell if its really that bad.
 
dont just check for old people...check the trunk for dead people!

i mean there could be like a finger or something that got away...:D


no give the carpets a scrub, the seats a good spray of odor removing spray and let it air out alllll day.
 
You will need to get both your rugs and upholstery shampooed (at a full-service brushless car wash or similar place). Most likely shampooing everything is the only way to eliminate the smell for good.
 
Mr.Noisy said:
Burn it :eek:

really though, find the cause of it, wet/damp carpet smells real bad,
another cause is old shoe's, some people's feet sweat and smell, leaving a dire smell in old shoe's or sneakers,
any old food escaped into a small compartment ??

thinking about it, Just Burn the car ;)
Click to expand...

wont be burning it as i just brought it, not really an option as of yet

ErikCLDR said:
What kind of smell are you talking about.

I would start off with opening all the doors and letting it air out. Spray some febreeze or similar product into the carpet of the entire car- trunk, floor, under the seats if applicable.

I believe some detailers have a device that somehow gets rid of bad smells in cars. They're really expensive to buy so maybe you should check out some local detailing shops and pay them to get rid of the smell if its really that bad.
Click to expand...

It isnt that bad, just smells and i really didn't have any ideas after air fresheners etc
 
There's a little aerosol spray called ozium that many gas stations sell. It seems to do a pretty good job of getting a lot of smells out of cars. It doesn't smell too great in itself, but at $5 it's worth a shot.
 
7on said:
Check the truck, there might be old people back there...
Click to expand...

Ha-ha! :D Lol! That reminds me Torontino's movie about 4 hotel rooms... ;)

Well, I would begin with chemical cleaning of your interior.. And, yes, check the floor it could get rotten over the years.. Maybe you also should clean it and work up with some special stuff..
Just find nice auto-cleaning service, they will lick everything in your car.. for money... :D
 
Sprinkle (dry) coffee grounds on the floor boards and let it sit for 10 minutes or so. Vacuum up. (Obviously, make sure nothing is wet or it will stain)
 
My second hand car came from a heavy smoker, it was less than one year old but it took me months to get rid of the smell. clean as much of the dashboard, use febreze a couple of times and get a freshener. Also have much patience...
 
if it's really bad, you could bring it to a car detailing place. there's a place around here that is reasonably priced ($150'ish), but they completely clean the vehicle. looks and smells brand new when it's done.

it may be a lot, but not a bad price for a one shot cleaning that may solve the problem.
 
In many newer cars there is a passenger air filter that removes dust in the passenger compartment. When it gets dirty, the whole car willsmell musty/dusty. get a new one & put a little fragrance on it & see if that does it.:D
 
Use Bicarbonate of Soda, either put some in a cloth and bundle up, or sprinkle some on the car floors, it's a deoderiser.... just don't get pulled over by the Old Bill, white powder in bundles or in the car.... not a good impression :)
 
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