I bought a used car and it smells really bad. How do I get rid of that smell?

Question

I tried febreeze...lots of it. So far, no luck.

Answer 1

Having worked in rental a few years back..i have encountered this a few times...
Take it to a detail shop and have it done over..possibbly with taking the seats out..just in case there is something hidden in there that is going rotten.

next go to a bodyshop..ask them if they have a machine that you run overnight in the car that is like an air exchanger..the machine is out there..and it works

If that doesnt work..then you are removing all the carpets..and thats when it gets expensive

Answer 2

You will need to remove the carpet and actually run it through the washing machine with hot water and powerful soap like an industrial detergent. Also, while the carpet is out, scrub down all surfaces with bleach(not the visible parts like the dashboard). For the dash and seats, etc., use a liberal amount of armorall. If the seats are fabric, you may need to have them reupholstered from the ground up with new foam and everything. Smell is very hard to get out of a car. The mythbusters did a show on that and they were unable to get a nasty smell out of a car. You could also try airing it out for a long time. If you live in a nice white neighborhood, keep the windows rolled down for a few days. Good luck.

Answer 3

Go to Wal-Mart / Target.

Take your carpets out of the car and throw them away-
Get new ones....This is casue of the smell most of the time

Get this little orange box that has baking soda, its for fridges to get rid of the smell, put that under your seat, the box is about size of a portable casset player and orange color.

Get the 'Gel Bug' it looks like a bettle and it red jelly color and feeling, get about 2-3 of those and stick them on your dash board.

Shampoo the rug works great, and febreeze the seats with the auto freebreeze

Good Luck-

Answer 4

Why'd you buy the stinkmobile in the first place? :-P

But seriously, if Febreeze isn't helping it sounds like the car needs to be CLEANED throughly. I'm talking about having all the carpeting and upholestry (if applicable) washed. Something probably spilled, is growing mold, something died in there, or who knows what. Find out where it's coming from (mostly likely everywhere) and clean it for real.

Your best bet is to take it to a good detailer and see what they recommend.

For less imbedded smells (lingering smoke that isn't stuck in the fabric yet, food - not spilled but fries, etc), try Ozium.

Answer 5

Depending on where is smell is emanating, Start with the before mentioned advice of shampooing the carpets/apolstry. Make sure you get everywhere and do a thorough job. If that doesn't work, you can take your car to a professional detailer and that should do the trick (cost is between $60-$100). It's important not to do a halfway job with car smells because they have a tendency of coming back, especially if its mold.

Answer 6

you may have to shampoo the seats and the carpet to completely get rid of the smell,,it all depends on what the smell is,,and how long it has been there,,the smoke smell is the hardest to remove from a car,,most smells will go away after a good week of airing out,,and some wont,,just keep at it,,you will eventually get rid of it,,sooner or later,,i hope this helps you,,and good luck with it.

Answer 7

rub garlic into the seats. that way when you get in, you know what the smells from, not some old man. haha.

i think someone died in your car... get a new one.

try taking the seats out, washing the seats with some soap and water, then water vacuum dry them, but make sure its a hot sunny day so you can leave them out to dry well. then you can dry to do that to the carpet inside, or just spray lots of febreeze onto it and leave the doors open, also when its hot outside.

how old is the car anyway? just inspect it and see where smells coming from and just throw out your floor mats, theyre failry cheap anyway.

Answer 8

You can buy a car ionizer.
If the smell is too heavy the remove the carpet and and seats, wash them with hot water machine and detergent.
After that, wash clean the interior, try Lysol or something tougher ovr all, including the roof.
Once everiyhing has dried, let them take sun and ventilate.
After you puted it back together it might need some more sun, heavy sunbath.
Always use the ionizer.

Answer 9

sniff before you buy? seeing as it too late for that, leave a good-smelling car freshener in it all day on a hot day. Then drive around with all the windows down to get the fumes out so you don't get high while driving.
Last summer I had to haul my friend's dead cat that was 3 days dead in the heat and the freshener thing worked to get the funk out. I had to do it like 5 times, but it worked and it was still cheaper than getting the car professionally cleaned.

Answer 10

If your interior looks clean and you febreezed it to death (not forgetting the trunk area) I would check the ventilation system.

Mold and small furry creatures can get stuck in your a/c system and they smell *awful* until you get someone to get them out.