Need suggestions to rid a smelly interior.

[mentalbreakdown00]

I feel bad for you. I run a professional shop of my own, and most people sell the caddy and won't fix it. In fifteen years i've done about 4, I do not even attempt it in car though, I drop 'em out the bottom. How'd you like most if not all the head bolt holes stripping out when you pulled the bolts out?

 

[bbbb51]

Go to home depot and get some odoban. Its the only thing I have found that works. Took my cat to the vet and it peed on my 2 month old cloth seats tryed all kinds of ppls ideas, then used the odoban and the smell was gone.its a good cleaner too.

 

[JohnnyO]

Good Caddy info here:

http://www.cadillacforums.com/forums/

For the smell, the first thing I'd do is call Stanley Steemer. They will do car interiors also (except the headliner) and their stuff is stronger and has more suction than a rental machine. Have them do the carpets, trunk, and seats if they're cloth. They have a minimum charge so you might as well have them do a couple rooms in your house.

Now then, at my company (I'm a cleaning contractor of sorts) we started using some new stuff this year called Fresh Wave which absorbs odors like you wouldn't believe. I get it wholesale by the case but Bed Bath and Beyond sells it too. There is a spray but it also comes in a jar of jell that you just take the lid off and leave it sit. Shoot three sprays in the front seat area and three in the back (every day for a while if need be) and put a jar of jell in the car and one in the trunk. It does not have a real strong odor to it, rather it absorbs odor.

I've got an open jar sitting in my Sport Trac right now because a while ago a jug of cleaning concentrate spilled on the floor when the lid wasn't tight (it was brand new right out of the case), I hosed it out, and water got under the mat and made mildew.

http://www.fresh-wave.com/

If that doesn't work then I'd look at getting new carpet and check the junkyards for a trunk liner.

 

[98RedRanger]

What I did on my carpet to get rid of mildew was exactly what my mom told me, and it worked. Get enough regular rubbing alcohol that you can get at walgreens, walmart, ect. and soak the floor in it and let it sit for a day or so and let it dry and it should (if your carpets wet) dry out the carpet and it will for sure kill the mildew and might get rid of the smell. If you can I would recomend letting the car air out as much as you can even while it's drying.

 

[crusin93]

Great ideas guys, thanks. I think I will try the Fresh Wave after removing and cleaning the carpet. With all the electronics in this car, I'm apprehensive to use fluids that saturate the interior. I'll be sure to let everyone know what I find and how long it takes to subside.

 

[kunar]

i've heard - though havent tried - that a bottle of mint listerine dumped into a cake pan and left to sit in the car will remove any and all odor. i think its a combination of the alcohol and the mint flavor...

 

[RangerJ]

I have had good results with 3 parts Vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle soak the area and let dry, may take a couple times.

 

[crusin93]

Okay guys, a quick update. I pulled the rear seat bottom to check for any pest residue. All checked out fine. I'm sure that I killed them all. I've left the car alone for a little more than week, with the windows rolled up. I used a cheese grater to grate two bars of Irish Spring deordant soap. I placed half of the grated soap in the trunk and half in the car. Voila no more smell!! I could not believe it. It didn't just cover or make the car smell like soap either. It actually smells of leather. Thanks for all your suggestions, I hope someone else can benefit from the info in this thread.

 

[koda6966]

Maybe that's why my Jeep smells so bad.

 

[Ranger Kip]

Febreeze

 

[koda6966]

Fabreeze never works. It covers the smell, then mixes with it, then disappears.

I'm going to shampoo my entire jeep, it got most of the rotten food/garbage/baby diaper smell out of my girlfriends dads van.

 

[Frank The Tank]

Carpet cleaner, hose it out then leave the doors open in the hot sun. It can't be good for rust, but theres not a whole lot of ways to make a vehicle smell better than remove all interior, primer metal and replace guts.

BTW my brother really does have 2 different scents of febreeze in his b2........... depending on what kind of mood he wants his lady friends in.

Frank

 

[mentalbreakdown00]

heh, ill have to remember that, irish spring who thought of that maybe you need a nobel peace prize...

 

[dp88]

I get my George Foreman grill out and cook some fajitas inside the cab with the windows rolled up. 60% of the time it works every time.

 

[Ranger Kip]

FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS AS SAID:

Step One: - Open driver's side window by 1/4

Step Two: - Carefully place hose into window

Step Three: - Turn on hose till overflow

Step Four: - Carefully replace interior, Smell gone