How to Remove Smells from Car

How to Remove Smells from Car – A Step-by-Step Guide

Looks like someone had a hearty Chinese meal in the car last night, right? Well, as much as you love sniffing on the fabulous smell of your food, it can linger on around in the car for days and hence, become annoying at one point.

Most people have a habit of eating in their car, and why not? it is easy to grab your favorite burger from McDonald’s and bite it down while you’re driving towards your destination. But the smell, which looks delicious at the moment can become a headache later if it stays inside.

Yes, you should always open your windows when having food in the car but when you do not, it can become difficult to get rid of the smell. However, is it only the food scent that fills the car? Not at all! 

If your kid pukes in the car, it becomes a challenge to get rid of the smell even after thorough cleaning of the mess. On the other hand, maybe your dog made a mess with it going unnoticed for days and thus, the smell can be a hard one to tackle.

So, how to get a bad smell out of the car? Let us share some of the best tricks that we know!

Remove Car Odors with These Tips

Whether you are looking for ways of smoke smell removal car or want to know how to remove pet urine odor from the car, we have some quick tips that you might find handy.

1. Baking Soda

Baking soda is a natural odor killer. This deodorizer is available in every household and can help remove pungent smells like that of vomit and others. So, if your kid has puked in the car and you are struggling to remove the odor, sprinkle some baking soda on the spot, leave it for some time and vacuum away. You can even use a damp cloth to wipe it.

The baking soda is quick to absorb the smell and hence, you will get rid of the smell in no time at all.

2. White Vinegar

The overpowering smell in the car may your drive uncomfortable. Hence, when you are looking for cheap ways for smoke odor removal car detailing then white vinegar is the best option. 

This natural product is a natural deodorizer and hence, can remove the smell from the car without you having to spend hundreds of dollars on expensive car odor removals.

Just add some white vinegar in water and mix well, spritz the interior of the car with the solution, let it sit for a few minutes, and then, wipe it clean. Do not pour raw vinegar in your car or else, it can damage the interiors. Thus, only dilute it in water first and then spray it in the insides so you can get rid of any pungent smell.

3. Car Air Freshener

Car air fresheners work great! And the best part is, you have so many different scents to choose from. It is convenient to use and super affordable. Therefore, even if your car is not smelly, using it can freshen up the mood.

Otherwise, to remove car odors, air fresheners work amazingly well!

4. Vacuum the Seats

So, when was the last time you cleaned your car? Especially the car seats? Looks like you do not remember! What people do not realize is that as important as it is to wash their cars from the outside, one should pay equal attention to cleaning from the inside.

When you travel with your family, your body oil and sweat tend to absorb in the car seat fabric, and hence, when not cleaned in long, it can start to produce odor, which can make you uncomfortable.

Thus, make sure you vacuum the car seats at least once a week or once every 15 days to prevent the production of odor.

5. Activated Charcoal

How to deodorize the car? how can you remove the smoke odor? Well, if you are an avid smoker, you must know that you should open the windows when smoking. But somehow you forget to do so and the smoke fills inside of the car, you can use activated charcoal to get rid of it.

Just drop some pieces of activated charcoal in a bowl and place them inside the car. Leave it overnight and remove it. But you can also leave it there as long as you want to because the charcoal is a natural deodorizer and hence, will help remove other types of odors too.

6. Carpet Cleaner

Carpet cleaners are not only meant for homes. You can use this to clean carpets in the car. Because everyone is constantly bringing in their dirty shoes in the car or your pet wets it or someone pukes on it, the stain on the car carpet if not cleaned can produce an odor with is super uncomfortable.

Thus, if you find nothing in your reach, just grab the carpet cleaner and scrub the car carpet with it to help remove odor. Or if you are looking for ways to remove smoke odor car, the cleaner can surely work.

7. Hire a Professional

Have you already tried cleaning your car with steam cleaners and using air fresheners? Has nothing worked for you as yet? 

Thus, how to deodorize a car without you having to scrub the carpets or vacuum the interior? Simply hire a professional! Take your car to the car wash or a mechanic who holds expertise in thoroughly washing in the interiors to remove all sorts of odor.

A professional knows how to get rid of car odors because they are equipped with the right tools and products that let them work their way through freshening up your car. Nevertheless, is it expensive to take your car to an expert for a wash? It depends on the nature of the work and how good the expert is!

But of course, rather than making your drive uncomfortable due to smell, let the professional help you to get rid of it and breathe in the fresh air.

How to Prevent Car odor

Since we have already discussed ways of how to get odor out of the car, what is more, important than cleaning is to prevent the odor from coming back. You spend endless hours getting rid of it only for it to come back again, not done!

Hence, here is some preventive measures that you should take so that the car odor does not come back:

  1. Always open the windows for ventilation
  2. Throw out any trash immediately out of the car to reduce the chances of odor
  3. If you take pets along with you in the car, make sure you vacuum the seats and carpets after they are out of it
  4. Do not smoke in the car
  5. Clean any mess quickly
  6. Avoid eating in the car and if you do, clean up the mess as soon as you can
  7. Clean the car after you go grocery shopping because sometimes leakages can happen and you wouldn’t want it to dry up

Relax and Enjoy!

Car odors are pretty normal in cars that aren’t well maintained. Make sure you are attentive towards its cleanliness and if not every day then at least once a week make it a habit of cleaning and vacuuming the interiors of the car thoroughly.

Remember, the more you keep it clean, the lesser are the chances of it stinking up. Moreover, if you see a mess, be quick to clean it up because later, it becomes hard to deal with.

You may also take a look at our ultimate step-by-step vacuum cleaners buying guide.

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