Help, my car smells skanky!!

[hamsterTK 93]

My car does not smell pleasant. It has the odor of mildew and feet.

I see new bottles of that "new car smell" spray at the store. Does it work, or does it make it worse?

I guess I could just buy another purple cardboard pine tree  to hang from  my mirror. Only thing is sometimes it gets so hot all the waxy substance those things are coated with tends to actually come out and drip onto the dashboard. Not joking, and the smell was strong my eyes watered when I opened the door.

[Zelgadis 638]

Cloth, leather, or vinyl upholstry?

You're going to need an interior detailing. This isn't too difficult to do yourself, but it's going to take some elbow grease. Unbolt and remove the seats, and then get a damn good carpet cleaner or a carpet shampooer and go to work on it. If the seats are cloth and some of the smell is coming from them, this is going to take more work. You can shampoo the seats, but you're going to have to keep it in a garage for a day or two and let it air out.

(In case you're wondering, I used to be detail-boy at the car dealer where I worked when I was in high school, so I know this stuff. )

Car air fresheners will mask the scent, but will do nothing for the underlying cause.

Good luck!

ISF

[hamsterTK 93]

cloth...

guess I'll get to it then. I wonder if the owner's manual has directions for taking out the drivers seat, which has electrical hookups. Besides that it should be no problem

I should do it tommorow since I don't have to work

[M-SIL 2]

Very well said Zelgadis. Have you tried any air sanitizer?

[hamsterTK 93]

okay, what about the other upholstery ?

this is a 1996 buick. There is carpet and padding everywhere in places that may not be easy to clean. Like the doors...

[Easy Bakes 253]

Clean every thing.

Dont Eat in your car.

[Zelgadis 638]

The electrical hookups shouldn't be too much of a problem. There's probably just a single connector that runs from the floor to the seat. Just unhook it.

As for the bolts, it depends on if the seats are buckets or a bench. Either way, there's most likely 8 bolts or so, connecting the seats to the floor. Once that's done, the entire seat, tracks and all, should lift out fairly easily.

Good luck on the door padding. Those old Buicks are not easy to clean around there...

ISF

[A Nonny Moose 8,261]

Couple of maintenance items.

Febreze is good on cloth upholstery, and is enzymatic, so will destroy odors.  Will not remove mildew.

Armor All is good for cleaning the plastic and metal surfaces inside a car.  Be sure you get the right one.

[sendarrow 3]

I use that little tree that hangs on the mirror. Lavender. Everybody loves it and smells good. It keeps my car smelling good for about two weeks!!

[simsmart 1]

Originally posted by: hamsterTK okay, what about the other upholstery ?

this is a 1996 buick. There is carpet and padding everywhere in places that may not be easy to clean. Like the doors...

quote>

Oh yuck! Ive been in one of those. It smelt like dead mouse!

[Explodingsims 3]

Hmmm..Sienfeld Episode comes to mind...

Anyways, I'd say Fabreze it, vaccum it, and get an airfreshiner without wax in it.

[Duke87 1,070]

You may want to choose a different adjective. "skanky" implies things which I'm sure you don't mean...

[OffTopic 3]

Ah geez, If your willing to spend a little cash, go down to the local car wash and ask them to vaccum your seats.  Then get some of that Oust or Febreeze and keep it in your car, spraying it when it gets smelly.