de-stinking a car interior

On Mar 20, 9:09*am, ransley > wrote:
> On Mar 19, 10:25*pm, aemeijers > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > I'm sure this has come up on here before, but I can't remember what the
> > best recommended product was. I think something died in my van, and I
> > need to de-stink it. I pulled the *removable seats loose and did an
> > eyeball inspection, but found no little corpses. Not yet desperate
> > enough to pull the carpets and interior panels. Used up my remaining
> > quarter-bottle of Febreeze, too soon to tell if it helped. As usual with
> > these things, smell is worst after van has been sitting closed for
> > several hours. Smell arrived with the warm spell a couple days ago.
>
> > Will it dry up faster if I leave it parked in sunshine with windows up,
> > or windows down? And what is best product to saturate the suspect part
> > of carpets and end of floor heater ducts with? (No stink apparent from
> > the dash ducts, or seating surfaces, or underside of the seats I flipped
> > over)
>
> > Does simple mold ever smell like decomp?
>
> > If I leave it parked outside for a month and drive the spare car, will
> > the problem eventually solve itself?
>
> > --
> > aem sends...
>
> I saw an air filter that had a animal nest in it, Ive had squirrels
> under my hood, find what stinks or it maybe many many months for it to
> go away, what does it smell like.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Many years ago a newly sold Chrysler/Dodge car was found to have the
egg lunch sandwiches of a production line worker left in a door!

The local dealer pretty well took the car interior apart before they
were found at the bottom of a door below the window mechanism.

But the worst car smell in recent was when we turned around on the
highway and went back to look at a pickup 'featured' at an auto
dealer's location at a very good price.

Mileage was reasonable, external condition very good. But when we
opened the door the smell was awful and obvious; the previous owner/
driver had been a chain smoker!

Even the headline looked stained and would have to be replaced! The
door liners, seats, everything inside, stunk.
Heard afterwards, since this is not that big a community, that the
owner had died of lung cancer in his late 40s or early
50s; .............. not surprised. In fact that he lived THAT long!

Here, the cost to a single 20 pack/day smoker is now equivalent to a
car payment. Or one could be driving a BMW or Mercedes instead of a
Chev. So smoking makes no sense.

on 3/19/2009 11:25 PM (ET) aemeijers wrote the following:
> I'm sure this has come up on here before, but I can't remember what
> the best recommended product was. I think something died in my van,
> and I need to de-stink it. I pulled the removable seats loose and did
> an eyeball inspection, but found no little corpses. Not yet desperate
> enough to pull the carpets and interior panels. Used up my remaining
> quarter-bottle of Febreeze, too soon to tell if it helped. As usual
> with these things, smell is worst after van has been sitting closed
> for several hours. Smell arrived with the warm spell a couple days ago.
>
> Will it dry up faster if I leave it parked in sunshine with windows
> up, or windows down? And what is best product to saturate the suspect
> part of carpets and end of floor heater ducts with? (No stink apparent
> from the dash ducts, or seating surfaces, or underside of the seats I
> flipped over)
>
> Does simple mold ever smell like decomp?
>
> If I leave it parked outside for a month and drive the spare car, will
> the problem eventually solve itself?
>
> --
> aem sends...
I've read the other responses but can offer some more suggestions. Check
the engine air filter for dead chipmunks, if you don't have a cold air
type filter. They like to build nests in there. The one in my air
cleaner chewed up the paper filter to build a nest and left a bunch of
acorn shells in there.
Make sure there are no dead wet leaves and debris in the heater. Also
check that the heater drain (which drains into the engine compartment)
is not plugged with debris. Mine was clogged so badly one time that
water had filled the heater blower compartment and leaked onto the carpet.

--

Bill
In Hamptonburgh, NY
In the original Orange County. Est. 1683
To email, remove the double zeroes after @

On Mar 19, 11:25*pm, aemeijers > wrote:
> I'm sure this has come up on here before, but I can't remember what the
> best recommended product was. I think something died in my van, and I
> need to de-stink it. I pulled the *removable seats loose and did an
> eyeball inspection, but found no little corpses. Not yet desperate
> enough to pull the carpets and interior panels. Used up my remaining
> quarter-bottle of Febreeze, too soon to tell if it helped. As usual with
> these things, smell is worst after van has been sitting closed for
> several hours. Smell arrived with the warm spell a couple days ago.
>
> Will it dry up faster if I leave it parked in sunshine with windows up,
> or windows down? And what is best product to saturate the suspect part
> of carpets and end of floor heater ducts with? (No stink apparent from
> the dash ducts, or seating surfaces, or underside of the seats I flipped
> over)
>
> Does simple mold ever smell like decomp?
>
> If I leave it parked outside for a month and drive the spare car, will
> the problem eventually solve itself?

If it is in fact a dead critter, nothing but removal of the little
rodent corpse will de-stinkify it. Had a similar issue in my parents'
basement once upon a time... otherwise you'll have to wait for it to
completely decompose, which could take months.

nate

On Mar 19, 11:25*pm, aemeijers > wrote:
> I'm sure this has come up on here before, but I can't remember what the
> best recommended product was. I think something died in my van, and I
> need to de-stink it. I pulled the *removable seats loose and did an
> eyeball inspection, but found no little corpses. Not yet desperate
> enough to pull the carpets and interior panels. Used up my remaining
> quarter-bottle of Febreeze, too soon to tell if it helped. As usual with
> these things, smell is worst after van has been sitting closed for
> several hours. Smell arrived with the warm spell a couple days ago.
>
> Will it dry up faster if I leave it parked in sunshine with windows up,
> or windows down? And what is best product to saturate the suspect part
> of carpets and end of floor heater ducts with? (No stink apparent from
> the dash ducts, or seating surfaces, or underside of the seats I flipped
> over)
>
> Does simple mold ever smell like decomp?
>
> If I leave it parked outside for a month and drive the spare car, will
> the problem eventually solve itself?
>
> --
> aem sends...

Check behind the dash, in the ducts as well.

Boy this reminds me of that Seinfeld episode where Jerry's car got
some BO and he couldn't get it out. He wound up giving the car away
after he couldn't sell it.

Good luck!

On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:25:25 +0000, aemeijers wrote:

> I'm sure this has come up on here before, but I can't remember what the
> best recommended product was. I think something died in my van, and I
> need to de-stink it. I pulled the removable seats loose and did an
> eyeball inspection, but found no little corpses. Not yet desperate
> enough to pull the carpets and interior panels. Used up my remaining
> quarter-bottle of Febreeze, too soon to tell if it helped. As usual with
> these things, smell is worst after van has been sitting closed for
> several hours. Smell arrived with the warm spell a couple days ago.
>
> Will it dry up faster if I leave it parked in sunshine with windows up,
> or windows down? And what is best product to saturate the suspect part
> of carpets and end of floor heater ducts with? (No stink apparent from
> the dash ducts, or seating surfaces, or underside of the seats I flipped
> over)
>
> Does simple mold ever smell like decomp?
>
> If I leave it parked outside for a month and drive the spare car, will
> the problem eventually solve itself?

Willshak and ransley had some good comments, add one: the heater blower
cage. They like to make nests in there, too.

You may have to start removing panels, unless you can find the 'snack' one
of the kids left somewhere!

On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 01:50:36 -0400, Tony Sivori >
wrote:

>On Fri, 20 Mar 2009 03:25:25 +0000, aemeijers wrote:
>
>> I'm sure this has come up on here before, but I can't remember what the
>> best recommended product was. I think something died in my van, and I
>> need to de-stink it.
>
>Did you try checking the undercarriage? You might have some road kill
>wedged in somewhere.
>
>How is the weather in your location, warm enough for flies? If so, maybe
>their comings and goings could lead you to the source of the stench.
>
>> Will it dry up faster if I leave it parked in sunshine with windows up,
>> or windows down?
>
>Assuming dry weather, windows down, I would think.


Use a mild H2O2 (Hydrogen peroxide) solution on the rugs, and try an
ozone-ator overnight. A simple hot water or steem cleaner GENERALLY
cannot sterilize the carpet and underpad - where a lot of smells
originate.

My brother bought a Sable wagon. The owner had loaded it with garbage
to go to the dump, then died. Car sat for several months. IT
STUNK!!!!!!.

He bought it cheap enough that he couldn't loose, even breaking it
down for parts. Only had a few thousand KM on it, so he cleaned it up.
It had the ozone in it about 4 times - doesn't smell bad now at all -
2 years later.

The coil cleaner I use on AC coils does a nice job on
smokers film. Cleaning window unit coils and such, it really
takes the brown film off.

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"stan" > wrote in message
...

Mileage was reasonable, external condition very good. But
when we
opened the door the smell was awful and obvious; the
previous owner/
driver had been a chain smoker!

wrote:
> aemeijers wrote:
>> I'm sure this has come up on here before, but I can't remember what
>> the best recommended product was. I think something died in my van,
>> and I need to de-stink it. I pulled the removable seats loose and did
>> an eyeball inspection, but found no little corpses. Not yet desperate
>> enough to pull the carpets and interior panels. Used up my remaining
>> quarter-bottle of Febreeze, too soon to tell if it helped. As usual
>> with these things, smell is worst after van has been sitting closed
>> for several hours. Smell arrived with the warm spell a couple days ago.
>>
>> Will it dry up faster if I leave it parked in sunshine with windows
>> up, or windows down? And what is best product to saturate the suspect
>> part of carpets and end of floor heater ducts with? (No stink apparent
>> from the dash ducts, or seating surfaces, or underside of the seats I
>> flipped over)
>>
>> Does simple mold ever smell like decomp?
>>
>> If I leave it parked outside for a month and drive the spare car, will
>> the problem eventually solve itself?
>>
>> --
>> aem sends...
>
> Did you check the trunk and under the hood for dead animals? Take
> carpet out of the trunk to wash? If no animals, it is most likely
> spills or dropped food...had a leaky package from grocery store? One of
> the worst food smells, from my experience, is rotten potato. If no
> material is found, I would flood the carpet on the floor a couple of
> times, let it soak an hour or so, and remove thoroughly with wet vac.
> Then keep car open on a nice sunny day to dry out.

It's a VAN- no trunk. No smell under hood, or under dash, or from dash
vents. It could be an old winter spill, since The Thaw only came a few
days ago around here, but I don't eat in the car, and I haul the grocery
bags in plastic busboy tubs, just to prevent things falling out and
rolling away. (BTDT)

Stopped on way home from work today, and bought another jug of
extra-strength Febreze, and dosed it all again, and it seems to be
helping some. Van is sitting in sunlight with windows down right now-
have to remember to put it away come dark so nothing else climbs in.

--
aem sends...

ktos wrote:
> aemeijers > wrote in
> :
>
>> Cheri wrote:
>>> "aemeijers" > wrote in message
>>> ...
>>>> I'm sure this has come up on here before, but I can't remember what
>>>> the best recommended product was. I think something died in my van,
>>>> and I need to de-stink it. I pulled the removable seats loose and
>>>> did an eyeball inspection, but found no little corpses. Not yet
>>>> desperate enough to pull the carpets and interior panels. Used up my
>>>> remaining quarter-bottle of Febreeze, too soon to tell if it helped.
>>>> As usual with these things, smell is worst after van has been
>>>> sitting closed for several hours. Smell arrived with the warm spell
>>>> a couple days ago.
>>>>
>>>> Will it dry up faster if I leave it parked in sunshine with windows
>>>> up, or windows down? And what is best product to saturate the
>>>> suspect part of carpets and end of floor heater ducts with? (No
>>>> stink apparent from the dash ducts, or seating surfaces, or
>>>> underside of the seats I flipped over)
>>> You didn't happen to have a leaking baby bottle in it, did you? That
>>> can be ghastly.
>> Nope, I'm a single male. No little ones ever ride in there. (I needed
>> a hauling vehicle, and a pickup won't fit in my garage. The removable
>> seats usually aren't in it, but I had to put them back in to make room
>> for the snow blower in the garage.)
>>
>> --
>> aem sends...
>>
>
> YOU stink. It's not the vehicle.
You're too late- StepfanKing already claimed the 'dumb comments' duty
for this thread.

Here's my guess;

If it's a vehicle that you may not drive every day, and maybe even if you
do.
We're coming off of winter, the mouse colony that took up residence in the
heater box froze to death one very cold night. Now that it's warming up
out, they are starting to rot. Also, they **** in their nests, and it makes
for some horrendous stinking when you are trying to get warm from that
heater. If this is the case, you'll need to pull the heater duct hoses
loose so you can see in the heater box to get the nest out. You may also
need to pull the blower loose in the engine compartment side, because the
whole mess may be on that side of the heater core. Once you remove the
nest, wash out the box with just about anything and the smell will quickly
begin to fade, as long as you got it all. You know, mice simply love jute,
which is found on the backside of most vehicle carpets, and even vinyl floor
mats. It makes excellent nesting material.

HTH, Lefty

"aemeijers" > wrote in message
...
> wrote:
>> aemeijers wrote:
>>> I'm sure this has come up on here before, but I can't remember what the
>>> best recommended product was. I think something died in my van, and I
>>> need to de-stink it. I pulled the removable seats loose and did an
>>> eyeball inspection, but found no little corpses. Not yet desperate
>>> enough to pull the carpets and interior panels. Used up my remaining
>>> quarter-bottle of Febreeze, too soon to tell if it helped. As usual with
>>> these things, smell is worst after van has been sitting closed for
>>> several hours. Smell arrived with the warm spell a couple days ago.
>>>
>>> Will it dry up faster if I leave it parked in sunshine with windows up,
>>> or windows down? And what is best product to saturate the suspect part
>>> of carpets and end of floor heater ducts with? (No stink apparent from
>>> the dash ducts, or seating surfaces, or underside of the seats I flipped
>>> over)
>>>
>>> Does simple mold ever smell like decomp?
>>>
>>> If I leave it parked outside for a month and drive the spare car, will
>>> the problem eventually solve itself?
>>>
>>> --
>>> aem sends...
>>
>> Did you check the trunk and under the hood for dead animals? Take carpet
>> out of the trunk to wash? If no animals, it is most likely spills or
>> dropped food...had a leaky package from grocery store? One of the worst
>> food smells, from my experience, is rotten potato. If no material is
>> found, I would flood the carpet on the floor a couple of times, let it
>> soak an hour or so, and remove thoroughly with wet vac. Then keep car
>> open on a nice sunny day to dry out.
>
> It's a VAN- no trunk. No smell under hood, or under dash, or from dash
> vents. It could be an old winter spill, since The Thaw only came a few
> days ago around here, but I don't eat in the car, and I haul the grocery
> bags in plastic busboy tubs, just to prevent things falling out and
> rolling away. (BTDT)
>
> Stopped on way home from work today, and bought another jug of
> extra-strength Febreze, and dosed it all again, and it seems to be helping
> some. Van is sitting in sunlight with windows down right now- have to
> remember to put it away come dark so nothing else climbs in.
>
> --
> aem sends...