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Maybe you’ve parked your car in an area with offensive manufacturing odors that have permeated your upholstery, or you let your teenager drive your car with the result of rotting fast food lodged deep between the seats. Whatever the reason for an offensive odor in your vehicle, you clearly do not want to be driving a car that smells bad.
• Find the source
If you’re not sure why your car smells, the first step to getting rid of the odor is finding the source. To do this, completely clean the inside of your car, including between and under seats. Once you remove the source of the problem, you’ll be able to better handle any embedded odors.
• Thoroughly clean the car
This means a vacuuming and a wipe down of all surfaces in the vehicle. This will probably not removed embedded odors, but it’s a step in the right direction. Vacuuming carpets and wiping the surfaces in your vehicle will assure that there are no leftover particles that could continue to contribute to an odor issue.
• Use a steam cleaner or commercial spray
Depending on the severity of the odor; you may way to employ both of these methods. You can rent a steam cleaner with attachments for vehicles at many retailers, and commercial sprays made specifically for removing odors from carpeting are available at grocery stores and car care retailers.
• Double check for odors
Inspect your vehicle after completing the cleaning to see if there are lingering odors. If you are not able to get the odor out on your own, you may need to employ the help of a professional cleaner.
• Prevent future problems
To be sure that you won’t have a problem with odors in the future, take steps to prevent odors. For example, if you smoke, you may want to make an effort to stop smoking while in your vehicle. If you have a problem with trash causing vehicle odors, be sure to have a trash receptacle available in the car that you regularly empty.
Even if you think you can deal with odors in your vehicle, consider the possibility of selling your car in the future. A bad smell will lower the price by hundreds of dollars, and dealing with it sooner rather than later will help you make sure that the odor isn’t a permanent problem.




