Getting rid of mildew odor from your interior?

[kid442]

Getting rid of mildew odor from your interior?

 

Thanks, 

Ken

[Bleach]

Set fire to it?

 

Just kidding, try setting a tray of orange, lemon peels or baking soda in the car.

Edited October 24, 2017 by Bleach (see edit history)

[JFranklin]

Lysol

 

[misterc9]

Throw some dryer sheets under the seat and in the trunk etc.

[victorialynn2]

There are reverse osmosis machines used to get cigarette smoke out of cars and houses. If you can rent one or have someone to do that , it would eliminate and not mask the smell. 

[Real Steel]

Put about a 1/4 cup of ammonia in a bowl.  Put the bowl in the car overnight with the windows up.  Done it many times, works great.  

[mercer09]

dollar store deodorizers- these dont mask, they absorb the odor and work great.

 

they have a screw off lid and look like a wax candle in a plastic container.

 

HD sells the same thing for 4.00 each

 

they will take out pet urine as well.

[60FlatTop]

I used to go to car flea markets and sell a lot of paints and chemicals. A real good repeat seller was Malodor Counterreactant.  There were two types, one for mold, the other for smoke. Boat owners loved it. Musty cars got a lot fresher.

 

I checked my old supplier online, Aratari, Rochester, NY, but they don't list it now.

 

This one came up in a search: https://www.mutualscrew.com/product/acs-4856-lemon-plus-odor-counteractant-1-case-12-quarts-140798.cfm?source=froogle&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1eK8x6qJ1wIV01uGCh3XrwK7EAkYASABEgLoM_D_BwE

 

Mine came in a hand spray bottle.

 

I just LOVE the name of that company.

Bernie

Edited October 24, 2017 by 60FlatTop (see edit history)

[W_Higgins]

Get an ozone generator:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Commercial-Industrial-OZONE-GENERATOR-Air-Purifier-MOLD-MILDEW-SMOKE-odor-T/111070363208?_trkparms=aid%3D444000%26algo%3DSOI.DEFAULT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D48754%26meid%3D73a7e434d93e40e099a0ad047cd93003%26pid%3D100752%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D3%26mehot%3Dag%26sd%3D120867557225&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982

 

After trying everything else on a car with a rodent problem that wouldn't go away, ozone solved it.  You could try every trick in the book, think you had it beat, and then the first time it was parked out in the sun it was like nothing at all was done.  I got one of these, sealed it up good, and let it soak a couple of days.  Problem solved.  Works wonders for all kinds of other things too, like musty books.  

 

 

[Brass is Best]

Wash the interior and put the car out in the sun with the windows down to get some fresh air for several days. Then try the deodorizers. 

 

[MarrsCars]

3 hours ago, W_Higgins said:

Get an ozone generator:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Commercial-Industrial-OZONE-GENERATOR-Air-Purifier-MOLD-MILDEW-SMOKE-odor-T/111070363208?_trkparms=aid%3D444000%26algo%3DSOI.DEFAULT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D48754%26meid%3D73a7e434d93e40e099a0ad047cd93003%26pid%3D100752%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D3%26mehot%3Dag%26sd%3D120867557225&_trksid=p2047675.c100752.m1982

 

After trying everything else on a car with a rodent problem that wouldn't go away, ozone solved it.  You could try every trick in the book, think you had it beat, and then the first time it was parked out in the sun it was like nothing at all was done.  I got one of these, sealed it up good, and let it soak a couple of days.  Problem solved.  Works wonders for all kinds of other things too, like musty books.  

 

 

 

This exactly. I learned the trick from a crime scene cleaner fellow who we were filming for a documentary about his business. If they can remove the smell of a corpse they will get mildew out. I have personally used ozone generators for years and years on various smells in houses, basements, sheds, cars, etc. They are miracle machines for odor, even grease and smoke suspended in air to clear out a room quickly. 

[PFitz]

4 hours ago, MarrsCars said:

 

This exactly. I learned the trick from a crime scene cleaner fellow who we were filming for a documentary about his business. If they can remove the smell of a corpse they will get mildew out. I have personally used ozone generators for years and years on various smells in houses, basements, sheds, cars, etc. They are miracle machines for odor, even grease and smoke suspended in air to clear out a room quickly. 

 

 

+1.  

 

It's what a lot of the clean-up pros use.

 

Just be careful with high concentrations  of ozone around anyone with respiratory problems.

 

Paul

[Hudsy Wudsy]

Ozone is a great sterilizer. It's interesting how it works. For those of you who have the time:

http://www.ozoneapplications.com/products/Residential/q&a_ozone.htm

[MarrsCars]

On 10/24/2017 at 3:26 PM, PFitz said:

 

Just be careful with high concentrations  of ozone around anyone with respiratory problems.

 

Very true Paul! One would ideally use these when you plan to be away from the area being treated for a few hours, then wait a short time before entering the room or driving a car that is full of ozone. Let it all settle out of the air. If you buy or rent one of these be sure to understand the instructions for use and safety notices for the device. 

[John348]

What about putting a few pie plates of baking soda on the floor? My son just bought a new Buick Enclave and my 2 year old granddaughter got sick all over the back seat of his new vehicle in the first 500 miles. The dealer told him to use the baking soda and that they do it all of the time to remove all kinda of odors on the trade in's that come in. My son said it worked....  so far....

[PFitz]

Baking soda can only absorb what odors are in the air, it can't kill the mildew.

 

Ozone goes after and kills the mildew causing mold. And being that ozone is a gas, it even penetrates into upholstery where mildew is hiding and baking soda can't do anything about it.

 

Paul

Edited October 26, 2017 by PFitz (see edit history)

[victorialynn2]

The ozone machine was what I was referring to as well. Not sure where I got “reverse osmosis”. ? 

[Hudsy Wudsy]

3 hours ago, victorialynn2 said:

The ozone machine was what I was referring to as well. Not sure where I got “reverse osmosis”. ? 

I have also heard of these as being called ionizers.

[60FlatTop]

When I was 12-14 years old there was nothing that compared with the smell when you opened a door on a junkyard car on those first sunny days of spring. It is a strong memory even today. Mildew isn't quite as inviting.

 

I wrote a composition on it for school, but the teacher called it irrelevant. At least it wasn't as bad as the composition the other English teacher tore up in front of the class. Well, that helps a kid learn the difference between irrelevant and irreverent. Irreverent fit like an old, well worn, flannel shirt back then.

 

Good memories related to old car smells.

Bernie