Car Odor Eliminator | How To Easily Restore a New Car Smell!

By Shawn Longmore â€¢  Updated: 01/27/22 â€¢  9 min read
Fast food sandwich on center console

Car Odor Eliminators

Let’s face it; if you have kids or enjoy eating on the go, chances are you’ll end up with food spills and food wrappers on the floorboard and seats of your car. These types of car odors will usually go away after removing the wrappers and airing out the vehicle for a couple of hours.

However, other types of odors never seem to go away. For instance, that hidden baby bottle under the seat dripping milk on the carpet for a week during the middle of summer. Getting back that clean-smelling car after milk has fermented in the mid-summer heat for a week will take more than airing out the vehicle.

This article will discuss some tough odors and what types of products to use for the odor elimination process. So let’s get started!

Tough Odors

Burning cigarette with smoke outside car window

There are several kinds of odors that seem to take over the interior of a closed vehicle. However, some great products are available to help eliminate those foul odors quickly. Below are some of the most unpleasant odors I’ve experienced. Unfortunately, not every scent has a simple solution to remove it, but this article should help you get your car smelling like new again!

Baby Bottle Odor

This one is pretty obvious. A baby bottle left on the floor overnight will cause an unpleasant smell in your car if it’s been leaking on the carpet. Likewise, spoiled baby formula or curdled milk isn’t easy to remove once it’s in the carpet fibers and may require a steam cleaner to eliminate the odor.

Cigarette Smoke Smell

Cigarette smoke smells terrible and can be difficult to eliminate since it leaves behind a film on every surface the smoke contacts. I recommend taking it to a professional car detail service for cigarette smoke since removing this smell will require cleaning the carpet, headliner, seats, and the leather and plastic parts throughout the cabin.

Pet Odors

Whether it’s a wet dog or cat urine, pet odors are often challenging to remove but not impossible. Start by removing all loose items such as the floor mats, then wipe down the interior surfaces with a product designed to clean and condition leather and vinyl such as Chemical Guys Total Interior Cleaner & Protectant. Cleaners like this are readily available at your local auto parts store or Amazon for less than $10.

Vomit

The best way to deal with vomit is to use a product specifically designed for cleaning it out of carpets and furniture. You’ll need to start by cleaning all plastic, vinyl, cloth, and leather surfaces that were affected. Then, depending on how long the vomit was on carpeted areas or cloth seats, you may need to rent a carpet cleaner to remove the odor altogether. Be sure to leave the windows rolled down slightly on your vehicle after treatment to prevent wet carpet and upholstery from mildewing.

If you have leather seats, be sure to use a cleaner designed to condition the leather simultaneously. Some cleaners can dry out leather upholstery, leading to premature discoloration and cracking. If you have leather that is cracking, check out the article we wrote on how to fix cracks in leather car seats.

Odor Eliminating Products

Several types of odor eliminators on the market work well to remove unwanted smells and produce long-lasting results. Still, even some essential car care products work well to remove an unwanted smell. Here are some of the most popular product types to help remove those offensive odors.

Below is a list of services we recommend for keeping your vehicle looking new inside and out.

Sports car rim with soap on it

Conclusion

I hope this article helped answer any questions regarding odor removal and keeping your car looking and smelling new. If you found this article helpful, please share it with friends and family who might benefit from reading it too!

Shawn Longmore

Shawn Longmore has been a part of the auto glass industry for over 20 years and is the founder of Auto Glass Locator. With years of hands-on experience replacing and repairing auto glass, he offers valuable insights into the world of windshield replacements. Each year he continues to help more people find great deals on auto glass and other automotive services.

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