MY CAR STINKS PLEASE HELP!!

stickyrickylol

stickyrickylol

Well-Known Member
63
22
Orange County
Vehicle Model
Civic
Body Style
Sedan
Okay guys I need some serious help. heres my story lol : on my sons 1st bday I was tasked with bringing 5 trays of Chinese food from the restaurant to the park and on the way there my sister is like Ricky the tray is dripping im like ****... okay ill clean it when we get there of course once I move the tray there is a pool of beef and broccoli juice just chillin soaking in my seat all into the seat belt area... I cleaned up as much as I could but I couldn't leave the party next day first thing in the morning I took it to the car wash to get shampooed or whatever.. when they wet it and suck the water out yeah I got that done and the stain is gone but the SMELL... jesus I gag every time I get in to open all the windows and put the air on. I dumped fabreeze into the seat and let it soak in, Ive used scent bomb ive even left bags of cinnamon in my back but the broccoli just overwhelms everything.. I don't know what else to do guys please help me..
 
image.jpg


Sorry, I couldn't resist. But seriously, don't worry too much about it. Just keep spraying it down with Febreeze etc. and the smell will go away .....with time. I had my car not even a month when my 9 year old son vomited in it after his birthday. Soaked into the front passenger floor mat and the rug underneath. The car reeked for weeks but the smell finally went away after about a month. I put airfresheners underneath the floor mat and under the seat.

Not sure there is any quick fix. Maybe give it another shampoo. The smell is probable soaked deeeeep into the seat. Make sure you press down hard when shampooing. Another option would be to take that seat off. @Nix or @ethlar will tell you it's not that difficult to do. If you take it off you could wash and shampoo under the seat too. Plus you could let it air out.

Good luck!
 
Last edited:
yeah some guy was telling me on another forum to remove the seats.. where can I find out how to do that? or is there a place that can do that? he said " DO NOT KEEP ADDING LIQUIDS to reduce the smell the more crap you put on the likely chance of mold then it'll be weeewwwwwww you got **** growing " thanks for the help though..
 
I have never removed a seat before, but I know it will be as easy as unscrewing bolts. Wait a bit until someone chimes in about this.

I don't really understand how adding Febreeze or some other cleaning product can promote mold. :confuzzled:
Those chemicals will not promote mold. Left over food/juices will though. The key to avoid mold will be to make sure all that stuff is cleaned out.
 
@Pauly99to17 true thanks for your input man. Just in case ima look up for some upholstery shops around my area I guess they could help, cause I looked up and asked multiple detailing places yesterday and they had no idea how to clean up the smell lol and these are guys with 10+years of experience at least thats what their ads say haha

@the insider back seat behind driver
 
I have used on carpet (kid vomit) some baking powder made for cleaning carpets. Put a lot of that let sit for a while then use a powerful vacuum. Then go for some of those carpet cleaning chemicals, they will not mold or anything like that. They have special ones with enzymes that should work very well.

The powder is something like this

http://www.armandhammer.com/solutions/solution-47/Freshen-and-Deodorize-Carpets.aspx

Use a proper shop vac or a vacuum with a high efficiency filter or you risk flooding the vacuum engine with it. I've done it once :)
 
it s likely got underneath the seat cushion - so there maybe drippings trapped between the cushion and the floor. I'll see if i can get seat removal directions.

not the best video but it shows the basics - you may have to feel around to find the bolt its kinda hidden
TR0AB4101.png

the bolt that has to come out is #34, the clips that have to be released are #9 - you'll have to pull up on the cushion slightly to get at them
 
Last edited:
@the insider should I do this so soon or you think I have other options I mean its been 6 days since it happened. what do you think about what @Dragos said about the powder ? everyones giving me mixed opinions some are just telling me to wait about a month but then if mold grows im sorta screwed..
 
I've had dog urine, cat urine (way worse than dog urine, for the record), food spills, and coffee spills in my old car. I've found the best way to clean these types of messes out of carpet/cloth is as Dragos said - use baking soda. First vacuum the area to get the loose dirt or dust out of the way. Then, sprinkle liberal amounts of baking soda on the area. Rub the baking soda in with your hands or a towel to make sure it's pushed into the carpet really well. Leave for at least 6 hours (generally, the more the better up until a plateau at like 24 hours). After the time has elapsed, vacuum the baking soda out with a shop vac or a very powerful vacuum. The baking soda sort of "latches" onto the substances creating an odor and pulls the odor out when you vacuum the baking soda out. Baking soda will also take most (not all, depending on the substance) of the discoloration out if the food made a stain/mark. If you're not happy with the first round, apply more baking soda and repeat the process. Stubborn stains may take 2-3 rounds.

You can ignore any odor and it will eventually "go away" because of natural air circulation. Opening the windows at highway speeds will expedite this process. However, the substance will still be under the carpet and you will still be able to smell it if you get close enough to it. Baking soda costs a few bucks and can be purchased at any grocery store. It's well worth the purchase and hassle.

I actually use baking soda to clean non-stained areas (carpet/mattress/shoes) just as routine cleaning. You may not know something smells weird until you clean it and smell the alternative.
 
Velox said:
My buddy uses this and it smells good! That would definitely help with the scent after you do what you can to clean the source.

Also, having a JDM air freshener adds 10hp :P
Click to expand...
We always had it in our FA5 and it smells amazing. It used to be in the M3 also.
 
wtf squash is on amazon prime now? i remember when there were only a couple people selling it and you had to special order it
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top