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Automotive Service & Repair

2010-09-01 13:38:00

Car care tips

Question: My car got wet, had a spill and now has an odor I can’t get rid of. What can I do?

Answer: Odors can be tough, especially if they don’t come out with a shampooing. Most odors can be traced to fabric or the A/C duct work. Spills (such as milk or whatever might have been spilled) are a common cause of odors in fabric, so quick cleanup and drying is key. If a large amount of liquid was spilled, it may have soaked under the carpeting and into the “jute” (the padding underneath) or deep inside the seat padding. If this happens and odor occurs, you’re in for a struggle. The carpeting can be removed and cleaned on the backside, but it’s not always a cure, and it’s labor-intensive. You might have to replace the carpeting. But don’t worry-as long as you get spills cleaned up quickly, they won’t have much of a chance to soak in under the carpet, because most automotive carpeting has waterproof rubber backing to avoid this problem (this is true of floor carpeting, not the seat fabric). If you have lots of water or liquid in the vehicle, vacuum it out and get air moving in the car with fans. Leave the doors or windows open and let it dry. Even if you think it’s totally dry, let it dry some more, because mold and mildew love slightly damp fabric even more than wet fabric. You might also have to pull out the seats and some of the plastic panels, like the door thresholds, to help get air moving underneath the carpeting. Make sure the carpeting and fabric is bone dry before calling it quits, or you may regret it later. For odors in the A/C ductwork, the culprit is water that condenses on the A/C condenser. This is why you may see a puddle of water under your car on a hot humid day with the A/C running. If the water drain is clogged, the water will have nowhere to go and mold and mildew result. Sometimes it can be fixed by spraying odor spray in the cowling while the A/C is running. The cowling is the part under the windshield where the air is pulled in. The fan pulls the spray into the ductwork and hopefully to the cause of the odor. If this doesn’t cure the smell, some disassembly may be necessary, and you don’t want that. It’s a lot of labor. Question: What is ozone odor treatment? Answer: Another method of odor control is use of an ozone machine. Ozone kills the cause of the certain odors-bacteria and other oxygen-breathing molds and mildews. Killing the bacteria stops the odors from continuing. Depending on the cause of the odor, ozone can be a wonderful thing, but don’t expect ozone to remove the odor of certain things like gasoline, chemicals or other smells not created by bacteria. Ozone machines can be great. These machines are definitely worth a shot. They are expensive so don’t expect to buy one for personal use. Call a detailer or cleaning service. Question: What about cigarette smoke odors? Answer: Depending on whom you ask, ozone treatment might not really do much for smoke, since it is not caused by bacteria or mold. However, smoke odors can be removed depending on the severity. Typically, most of the odor will be in the car’s fabrics...mainly the headliner. Since smoke rises, it will mostly end up on the headliner, but in bad “smokers”, as they are called, all of the fabric can stink. If a car is really bad, the windows and plastic panels will also be coated with smoky crud. To cure this problem, every surface inside the vehicle must be cleaned, often with a steam cleaner. Odor spray and ozone can be thrown in for good measure. Since smoke odor is tough to remove, cars with this problem are worth less on the market. It’s just one more reason to quit!