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Forum -> Household Management -> Cleaning & Laundry
My minivan has a horrible smell



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bargainlover




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 5:38 am
I cleaned it out, took out all garbage, and vacuumed it. What can it be from? I look everywhere for spoiled food etc
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scruffy




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 5:44 am
We had that once when I was a kid. Turned out that someone had spilled orange juice on a seat and it baked in the sun. It smelled horrible. I don't remember what my parents did to get rid of it.
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avrahamama




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 6:12 am
I had that once also. Milk had spilled and spoiled under the rubber mats. We had to shampoo the floors.
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 6:20 am
The cheap, quick fix, is to pour baking SODA all over the carpet, and rub it in well. Just leave it there.

Better, is to have the entire interior of your car detailed and steam cleaned. Expensive, but IMHO it will be worth it.

If you allow milk or formula in the car, you will keep having this problem, so keep baking soda on the carpet under the child's car seat to prevent odors until your next professional cleaning.


(In high school, one of our favorite pranks was to put a fish head under the passenger car seat, way underneath, or in some other place that was hard to get to and impossible to see. Usually done to bullies, or some jerk who had just dumped one of our best friends. Twisted Evil )


Last edited by FranticFrummie on Tue, May 04 2021, 7:12 am; edited 1 time in total
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mom!




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 6:25 am
You can wash the mats at a laundromat.
Also, put dryer sheets in all areas.
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zaq




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 6:31 am
FranticFrummie wrote:
The cheap, quick fix, is to pour baking powder all over the carpet, and rub it in well. Just leave it there.



Baking SODA, not baking powder. They're not the same thing.
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steak4me




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 6:34 am
Change ur cabin filter
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 6:41 am
It's often the carpeting/upholstery
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sky




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 7:07 am
I found a sealed bottle of spoiled milk under one of the seats last week. The car still stinks.
I’ve been spraying the area with Lysol spray that deodorizes twice a day and leaving windows open. So far no luck. And it didn’t even leak anything.
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 7:11 am
zaq wrote:
Baking SODA, not baking powder. They're not the same thing.


Thank you! I will go back and edit.

My coffee hasn't kicked in yet. Coffee Hypnotized
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bargainlover




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 7:16 am
Thank you for all the tips! The seats are all leather. I will go wash the mats today. Will any laundromat do that?
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avrahamama




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 7:17 am
bargainlover wrote:
Thank you for all the tips! The seats are all leather. I will go wash the mats today. Will any laundromat do that?


The carpets! Make sure you clean the carpets. For us the milk got under the rubber mats and seeped into the carpeted floor.
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avrahamama




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 7:19 am
Oh one time we also found a london broil steak lodged under the seat. It had slid out of the bbag and ended up deep under a seat. I remember being so upset that I paid for a steak and it didn't get bagged ... Then 3 weeks later I found a green decomposing steak. 🤢
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FranticFrummie




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 7:21 am
avrahamama wrote:
Oh one time we also found a london broil steak lodged under the seat. It had slid out of the bbag and ended up deep under a seat. I remember being so upset that I paid for a steak and it didn't get bagged ... Then 3 weeks later I found a green decomposing steak. 🤢


Oh no, that's double bad! Sad

I still vote for professional detailing and steam cleaning. DIY never works 100%. You have to start fresh, and then keep it as clean as possible in the future.
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advocate




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 8:08 am
Maybe check that the window and door gaskets seal properly. Once the carpet in the back got damp, and it really smelled bad. Hatzlacha!
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gitles1234




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 8:21 am
Once had a horrible smell coming from the car of mine, DH bent under the car and saw I had hit a squirrel on the road and part of the square was hanging rotten of the heat and all under the car, it smelled terrible.
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avrahamama




 
 
    
 

Post Tue, May 04 2021, 8:37 am
gitles1234 wrote:
Once had a horrible smell coming from the car of mine, DH bent under the car and saw I had hit a squirrel on the road and part of the square was hanging rotten of the heat and all under the car, it smelled terrible.


Eeeeeegggggghhhhhh
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