what's that smell?

[jannylynn]

Is what my 4 year old says everytime he gets in the van. I swear something died in there. It's gross.

So yesterday I cleaned it all out and the only thing I can figure is that something leaked in the trunk part onto the carpet and just keeps fermenting. I washed it with laundry detergent yesterday and sprayed it with fabreeze and got NO results. I even left it open most of yesterday to let it dry out. I about died on my way to church today.

I checked everywhere to make sure it wasn't a cheeseburger stuck in between the seats. And my kids are old enough that they no longer take milk in the car so I don't think it is a sippy cup. (although I did check for something crazy like that!) And I don't let it get dirty or anything like that. We clean it out on our way into the house!!!

I need suggestions on what to do! DH is taking it to clean the carpet but I'm not hopeful after the scrub down yesterday did nothing. I'm about ready to cash it in for the cash for clunkers deal! But DH says no.

[lauren grier]

you sure it's not like mold/mildew from rain water leaking in somewhere (either the trunk or around the doors or something)

[jessica31876]

something might have actually died in your van. My husband had to get a mouse out of his bosses wifes car. It was stuck somewhere in the dash. Hope you can figure out what it is and it is NOT something like what my husband had to deal with

[Mandy]

Yeah I was going to say maybe an animal crawled up under the hood and died or something....

[pewtertm]

My mom had a gallon of milk leak out in her trunk, and that caused a nasty stink. Of course a few months later, she forgot about a big pack of ground round she bought at Sams, and found it in the trunk a few weeks later...it was green.

And then there's our truck...Rachel had an accident and wet all over her car seat...tried cleaning it, but there's only so much you can do. It smelled for a week or two...every time we opened the door, it would hit you in the face LOL. But then it went away.

BTW, the thing I've found that helped the most is sprinkling baking soda all over the carpet.

[jannylynn]

DH is checking the engine now and seals later by taking it to a car wash. Thanks for the suggestions!

He thinks it's in the rear because he pinpointed the source by sniffing around. I wish I had my camera out! LOL!

[Nonna2Dreja]

Jannylynn, Years ago my hubby bought a used pick up truck....Well the previous owner smoked cigars and stunk of horrible b.o. and it permeated the entire truck....My hubby put Fresh coffee grounds down on the floor of the truck--all over the carpet--and left it there for several days....Voila! The nasty odors was gone after that....

Good luck!

[jessica31876]

vanilla extract poured on a rag will also make it smell better too. That is how I got rid of the smoke smell in my microwave when my son cooked cheese crackers on a styrofoam plate

[RatherBScrappin]

Hope you can find the source fast!

[jannylynn]

It's better. We used some non-chlorine bleach. It foamed on the spot which makes me certain that it was a grocery/meat leak. YUCK YUCK YUCK!!! (hydrogen peroxide foams when in contact with blood! but it also works to get it out.)

Once it drys I'm trying baking soda and the cloth with vanilla! We have a fan on it tonight. Thanks for all the advice.

I'm hoping that it will clear up. It's soooo bad!

[Sue Setiadji]

no real suggestions here - but the baking soda is one neat little product. I always keep my soda water on hand for the carpet too! Great for red wine!

good luck and I hope your plan of attack has it covered!

[Lauren Reid]

oh glad you found the spot that's most likely the culprit!

i was going to mention the mold too... in my old mini, we had a funky smell and turned out something wasn't sealed properly and was leaking water... the run on the floor on the passenger side was all damp, and when we pulled it up... eeew! Luckily they fixed it... it was apparently a known issue w/ those cars.

now i tend to get kid-induced stinks... justin is FAMOUS for leaving apple cores in the car til they "shrink" and mold up..... YUM!

hope your car is smelling better!

xo

[aggiefamily]

now i tend to get kid-induced stinks... justin is FAMOUS for leaving apple cores in the car til they "shrink" and mold up..... YUM!

If only my kid-induced stinks were from rotten apples.

[julifish]

You can try a bag of charcoal - put pieces in bowls in a few places near the smell and that will help absorb the smell. Put some newspaper down under the bowls a newspaper also will help absorb the smell.

Please don't use "matchlight" - just the plain old stuff. I don't want your car to smell like lighter fluid - he, he

Also a few boxes of baking soda can sometimes do the trick as well, but I'd try the charcoal first.

Finally, wash the area with some vinegar and water. Let the vinegar set and then use a wet/dry vac to vac it out. Let it dry out the sun with the doors open.

good luck!!!

During my mom's divorce to her second husband, he put dead fish in the trunk of her car without us knowing. It took some time to get the smell to go away -but the charcoal and newspaper eventually did the trick.

[kresta]

Originally Posted by julifish

During my mom's divorce to her second husband, he put dead fish in the trunk of her car without us knowing. It took some time to get the smell to go away -but the charcoal and newspaper eventually did the trick.

OMGosh! That's just plain evil!

[cheltzey]

Originally Posted by julifish

During my mom's divorce to her second husband, he put dead fish in the trunk of her car without us knowing. It took some time to get the smell to go away -but the charcoal and newspaper eventually did the trick.

Wow. He sounds like a winner.

A few weeks ago my baby dropped one of her bottles and it got wedged under the seat. After a few days of 100 plus degree heat (and of course the garage was full so it was sitting outside), that thing STUNK. You can be I wasted no time finding that thing!

[julifish]

Yes, he was a jerk about the divorce. Let's just say there was a lot of drama going on for a few years while they got everything finalized. Not something I ever want my children to go through!!!!