How to Get Rid of That Terrible Smell in Your Car?
Used vehicles have inevitably lost their nice new car smell over time, which is normal. But in certain cases, this delightful scent was replaced by a particularly bad odour. For a potential buyer, sitting behind the wheel of a stinky car or truck can be a deterring experience.
It’s not great either when you open the door in the morning and realise that a bad smell has made your car its home. What can you do? First, don’t panic, then follow these simple steps.
Find the Source
Get in the habit of cleaning your car to prevent spills, dirt and trash from emitting bad smells inside the cabin. You should vacuum and wash the surfaces on a regular basis.
If you’ve been procrastinating for too long or something out of your control happened, the first thing is to find the source of the smell. Proceed by elimination and check every corner of the cabin.
The mats and the carpet are often where the bad smells are trapped. After a good sweep, wash and scrub the mats with water mixed with detergent. For the carpet, if it’s dry, sprinkle a bit of baking soda on it and let it work for a while.
You shouls also take a look at the cabin air filter, which is generally located behind the glove compartment. Its purpose is to filter mould, pollen and other fine particles, but if it’s clogged, the air quality will suffer.
Use the Right Products
There are plenty of cleaning products on the market that are specifically designed for cars, and you should use them. However, what’s already under the sink can sometimes do the trick and save you some money.
Water mixed with a little bit of vinegar or dish soap is a good alternative. The same goes for isopropyl alcohol, which is useful to remove stains and residues. However, never use bleach or hydrogen peroxide because they can damage various coatings. Ammonia-based cleaners can also be dangerous, especially for the screens’ antireflection layers.
If the bad smell comes from the air vents, you can buy air conditioner disinfectant, or just use Lysol. Open the windows, set the fan at low and spray the product into the air vents located outside at the base of the windshield, under the wipers.
Beware of miracle products that only mask odours for a while. Look for the ones that contain chlorine dioxide, because this ingredient has real chemical elimination abilities.
Call in Professionals
Nothing is working? Feel free to call on the services of a car detailing centre. They have the right products and the right tools, but also experience in dealing with odours in cars. For example, an ozone generator allows them to treat all those hard-to-reach areas that you can’t clean with a rag.
Otherwise, a mechanic can inspect the drains and clear those that are clogged. But be warned: the problem could be more than just olfactory; mould or rust could have caused bad smelling damage to some parts, and if that’s the case, they’ll need to be replaced.