best way to remove musty smell from car interior

tech77

Hi.
Would anyone have any suggestions as to how to remove a musty/stale smell from a car interior.

I read somewhere else that baking soda might do the trick.

Any advice would be great.
Thanks.

Anan1

Try Fabreze.

antodeco

Fart?

Where is the smell coming from do you know? Is it the seats, floor or just a general smell?

tech77

Thanks
Do you know does the fabreze just mask the smell or does it actually kill it.

@antodeco.
Not sure of the source.
It's a newly bought 2nd hand car with 3 previous owners.
Carpets look OK generally but on closer inspection they are slightly dirty in places alright.
Nothing noticeable on first inspection though.

I don't think it's anything too obnoxious though as far as I can see. But there is a definite musty/stale odor.

mike65

Best to get the seats and carpets cleaned, there are spray on cleaners in motor factors which you leave on for say 30 mins then wipe off. Also give the whole dashboard and underside a good scrub with warm spoapy water and rinse. And the windows, I bet they're grimy!

Mike.

coolmoose

professional valet will do the trick as well, not that expensive either...if all else fails!

eringobragh

Friend Spilt Milk on the carpet of his GOlf, just pulled the carpet out and went to the brakers for a new one, not expensive and probably your best bet.

tech77

Thanks.
The thing is I got it valeted locally for 50 euro. Cleaned it fairly well but the stale smell remained.

Just wondering if the valet didn't do a thorough enough job.

I'll look at those spray-on cleaners.
Might change the carpet alright if all else fails.

bonham23

check for leaks..sometimes there is a drain along the windscreen that runs inside the front wing that can get blocked with leaves etc..and flow into the car. Dampness can cause bad smells in cars.. You'll never get rid of the smell unless you find the source.

bbability

Also get your hands on a Air-con Cleaner cannister (Comma is the one I used the last time). Around 15 to 20 euro. Will kill most bacteria in your air vents etc.

Here's a link to show you what it looks like.
http://www.fasteronline.co.uk/comma-conditioning-cleaner-p-2706.html

Other than that you need to either get a full valet carried out (including seats and carpets washed or rent out a carpet cleaner. Karcher one is quite good.

coolmoose

well if it was a full valet then they should shampoo the carpets, which i imagine would deal with the smell unless as bonham23 said, you have a leak...you'll never get rid of the smell until you find the leak and fix it!