How do I get rid of the smell?

Question

It rained this weekend. I was sure my car's window was up, but I turned out I left it open. The car was soaking wet inside. It dried, but it has this smell. I sprayed an entire can of Oust, and left it all night with the windows closed. It still smells bad. What can I do?

Answer 1

Cover the fabric with Febreeze.

Answer 2

The solution to your problem depends on the cause of the smell. Once you know the cause and can safely say that the causation has ended, then you can re-mediate the resultant symptom of the smell. Since the window(s) were down, maybe more than rain got in. I had a mouse die inside the fan once. It actually chewed a whole through the filter in the air intake tube to get inside. You too, may want to check and see if a mouse coincidentally died in there somewhere. On another occasion, a musty tent was put into the station wagon and stunk the car up until the humidity was reduced and we could fumigate it.

It could also be a pool of water not easily seen, again, one has to go to the source and eliminate it. You may have to pull out all the carpeting and seats, and possibly the door panels to be sure there is no standing water in the door(s). Check the trunk and wheel wells/quarter panels too. My mom had a Nissan that had a leaking rear view window! Any cellulose fiber products or cloth mats will, more than likely, need to be thrown out and replaced. Do that! If you don't, you'll keep feeding the smell. It may require the condensing coils be accessed and cleaned, too, (not good).

Next, after all the sources are gone, dry out the inside of the car. If you live in a high humidity area, you'll need good luck or a trip to the desert. Shoot for as close to 10% humidity as possible. I knew a person a long time ago that went through a restoration process and had the interior completely(!) emptied out and then repainted all the metal surfaces to deal with an issue.

Finally, I can tell you what worked for me. I found the small can of Lysol (my choice-apple scented) fumigated the vehicle. (Its not the 18 oz can I currently have.)

****You should follow the instructions on the can and take precautions as it is hazardous to humans and animals in addition to germs.****

The size of the problem and vehicle will determine how much to use. I ran the fan and circulation systems, too, for 4 hours. I did close up the vehicle for the weekend and then aired it out for a week following, during a high pressure, windy-hot weather conditions, before I got back into it to drive it.

Did I mention...
****You should follow the instructions on the can and take precautions as it is hazardous to humans and animals in addition to germs.**** Your health is a serious factor to be considered and protected!

You'll probably have to use the entire can to essentially fumigate the car. Be careful as it will damage some materials--see the can for information or call them first 1-800-228-4722 or visit their website www.lysol.com (p.s., I have no affiliation to this product/company, other than, as a user.)

Good luck, lemon juice can be of help too, but it has its own issues of being an acid; Vinegar and baking soda are quite reactive and have some benefit, in being able to get into tight places. Mold is very difficult to eradicate. Have you considered replacing the vehicle. Sometimes weighing the cost benefit analysis alternatives before you start can show you what the best "solution" is to use.

Answer 3

no matter what Oust states, all it does is mask the real problem. if your seats are soaked, one night with the windows open will not do the trick. make sure you take all of the carpets out and and make sure there is no water puddling along the floor boards. I had something similiar to me and it was the water sitting on the floor boards that kept rewetting everything. get some baking soda and apply liberally to all damp areas and let it stay over night. cleaning up the baking soda can be a chore, but it will clump up and a shop vac will help get rid of the mess.

Answer 4

My aunt used to work for a car dealership and said that the trick they used was to open a can of ground coffee and set it in a container that won't spill somewhere in the car. Leave it open for a while (maybe a week) and it helps absorb the odors. Sure the car smells like coffee at first, but that's preferable to the musty smell, plus the coffee smell will fade. Be prepared for mold growth and scrub your interior with Lysol spray too. Hope this helps.

Answer 5

I agree Febreze is the way to go. Did you know there is now a febreze for the auto? Take febreze regular or auto and spray on on all upholstery and floor boards in vehicle make sure the surface is damp to touch, then let dry. If possible leave vehicle windows open so smells will be able to evaporate with clean air.

Answer 6

Clean the seats with a steam cleaner, I usually take all the seats out of my car when I do this and let them air dry really good before putting them back in. It works because you need to get down into the cushions to remove the smell.

Answer 7

I would scrub the whole thing (I am talking even under the seats) with "scrubbing bubbles" because that cleanser is designed to fight mold. Then let it dry. Then stick an air freshener in there so your ride doesn't smell like your bath tub. If it really got molded oout, you may have to go to a detail shop. Good luck.

Answer 8

i might try the steam clean if it was real bad or at least a wet vac, then their is a cleaner i use you can get it at either the dollar store or walmarts, cvs. clalled fabuluso, its purple color but it works great and smells good. i'd apply to wet sponge and really soak it into area and then let dry it should help with the odor. my grandson had stomach flu and it took care of that odor poor baby.

Answer 9

If you want to get it all out and fast take to a full service car wash that will shampoo it and then spray it with the smell of your choice

Answer 10

happened to me - leave windows open and let it air dry when you are sure it wont rain, put box of baking powder inside the car to absorb odors and if its really wet - take it in to be detailed, thats where they vacuum the moisture up, but airing it out should do the trick

Answer 11

You need to get a carpet cleaner and start scrubing by hand, use a damp to wet sponge and then use a wet dry vac. If this doesn't work you'll probably have to repeat the process.