How Do I Get Rid of A Bad Odor in My Car?

There’s nothing worse than getting into your car after a long, hot day and being affronted with a terrible smell. Old fast-food containers, dirty gym clothes, cigarettes, pet hair, and engine fluid are common causes that can leave lasting odors. Opening your windows on your drive or covering the scent with an air freshener may help temporarily, but actually eliminating the odor will require a deep cleaning. Here are some potential ways to deodorize your vehicle and make it smell great again:

DIY Tactics for Deodorizing Your Vehicle

1. Leave a Deodorizer in the Vehicle Overnight

• Baking Soda: this pantry staple naturally absorbs odors. You can pour some into a dish and place it in the vehicle, or you can sprinkle a light layer over your seats and floor mats, leave it overnight, and vacuum it up the next day.
• Charcoal is another household item that works as a natural deodorizer. Take a chip or two from your grilling supplies and put it in the vehicle for 24 – 48 hours so that it can neutralize the bad smell.

2. Vacuum the Vehicle

Fabric absorbs odors, so thoroughly vacuuming the interior of your vehicle will help reduce the particles that are contributing to the scent such as food crumbs, pet dander, and cigarette ashes. You can even try steam-cleaning the seats and floor mats if you own a steam-cleaner.

3. Clean Surfaces with Vinegar and Water

Using a clean spray bottle, mix white vinegar and water (up to 50/50 mixture) and use it to spray the seats and hard surfaces one at a time. After spraying each surface, immediately wipe it down with a dry, lint-free cloth. Repeat this process for every seat, the dash, carpeting, floor mats, and roof liner. A slight vinegar scent may linger for a few days, but eventually it will go away and hopefully take the unpleasant odors with it.

4. Wash the Floor Mats

Your vehicle’s floor mats absorb a lot of dirt and odorous debris over time, but they’re also removable, making them easy to wash. Depending on the type of floor mats you have, there are a couple of ways to clean them effectively:

• Cloth floor mats: after you’ve vacuumed them, wash the floor mats with a carpet cleaner. Your local auto parts store will likely have cleaning products that are specifically made for detailing your vehicle, but a household carpet cleaner can suffice as well. Apply the cleaning solution as instructed, then rinse the mats with a spray bottle of clean water or your garden hose. Hanging them or laying them out in the sun will not only dry them quickly, but will also help eliminate foul odors.
• Rubber floor mats: because these have a hard, durable surface, rubber floor mats can be cleaned easily with some dish soap, a sponge or rag, and your garden hose. The dish soap will help remove residue from things like engine oil and gasoline.

Know When to Take Your Vehicle to a Professional Detailer

Deep cleaning your vehicle on your own can take time and energy that you may not have, and sometimes weather can be a deterrent to getting the task done. Even with all that effort, a DIY cleaning may not entirely remove stubborn smells. Your local auto body shop can provide expert interior detailing to restore it to pristine condition, removing foul odors as well as stains and dirt. A professional detailer will have the experience as well as the tools and products to clean your vehicle more thoroughly than you ever could, so you may want to consider taking it in for a detailing job on a semi-regular basis.

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