Interior car smell

[Vintalage]

I bought my car used and when I was purchasing it, the interior smelled new. Three months later and it has a strange odor. How does the interior get the smell? What is making the smell? When it's raining, I wear a rain coat and my coat gets soaked. Could it be because the water on the rain coat is soaking into the leather seat, drying up and giving off a mildew odor? Is the carpet giving off the odor? What are some of the things to do to get rid of the odor and make the interior smell fresh again?

[96GAGTVenom]

You can always use Fabreeze, Whenever my car starts to get a stench from the joys of it being a used car....A few sprays of that and it lasts for quite awhile as well.

[AMRAAM4]

Vintalage, once used car smell sets in it is almost impossible to get rid of without spraying it with something on a regular basis. With 3 years of detailing under my belt I never once found car or way that got rid of the strange odor

[sharukhl]

hey, when my car got into an accident, my body shop detalied my car for me, and they used the best smelling stuff i've ever smelt in any car...and i asked em what it was, but they wouldn't tell me...so if any of you have any idea what all those detaling shops use...gimme a holla ;)

Otherwise, i just use the little air fresheners that look like a can of tuna, but smell like la jolla lemon ;)

[detroitgt]

Ok I have done this for years and eveyone seems to like it so give it a try.

I just take any kind of liquid fabric softner (find one you like the smell of) and pour it into a spray bottle about 1/4 - 1/2 way full. Add hot water and shake well! Then spray away. I use it all the time when I detail...(i do it on the side) and people seem to like it. I am pretty sure it is the same concept as that " FEBREZE " crap you get at the store. This seems to last alot longer though. It does a really good job of neutralizing the smell.

:cheers:

[Slim]

There are three main things that contribute to "new car smell".

1. The new fabric/leather of the seats.
2. The new carpet.
3.The wiring in the car.

People may wonder about the last one but new wires give of a certain smell when the first heat up. Anyone who buys a new computer and puts it in a small room can vouch for this.

The new car smell fades when the carpets and seats have been exposed to the elements. They get weathered.

The wires stop giving of smell after a few months.

There are a few things you can do to prolong the true new car smell.

1. Keep you seats clean and dry as possible. Using a non-scented leather conditioner will help preserve the natural leather smell. For cloth seats, vacuum them and use Scotch-Guard. That's what a lot of dealerships put on the seats and it contributes to the smell.

2. For the carpets, my dad showed me a trick years ago that works like a charm. Clean the carpets with mineral spirits (Varsol). The carpets are treated from the factory and the Varsol gives off a similar smell once it's been applied to the carpets.

3. There's nothing you can do for the wires, unless of course you want to replace them all. :p


My dad followed steps 1 and 2 religiously with all of his cars and they kept the new car smell for several years.

The main thing is moisture. Keep the inside of your car as dry as possible.

[Vintalage]

Being away from a computer for a week, ya miss alot.

Thanx for the suggestions. I give them a try. I figured moisture contributes to the way the interior smells.

[Molson]

The main smell of "New Car Smell" Is called Urea Formaldahyde Foam, used as insulation, in the seats, and part of the sound deadning stuff. Some houses are insulated with this stuff too, imagine having a whole house smell that way!?!? But Matt is right, little varsol will clean the carpets good, just let em evaporate a bit outside before putting them in.. haha

[Vintalage]

2 questions. What is the best non-scented leather conditioner? Where can I find this varsol stuff???

[Molson]

varsol can be obtained frm any hardware store.

I can't remember is mothers leather conditioner is scented or not, but works like a dream.

[TypeRob]

Originally posted by Molson
The main smell of "New Car Smell" Is called Urea Formaldahyde Foam, used as insulation, in the seats, and part of the sound deadning stuff. Some houses are insulated with this stuff too, imagine having a whole house smell that way!?!? But Matt is right, little varsol will clean the carpets good, just let em evaporate a bit outside before putting them in.. haha

I thought the use of Urea Formaldahyde Foam was frowned upon due to it's likelihood to breakdown and release toxic fumes?

Houses with UFFI (Urea Formaldahyde Foam Installation) must have a special warranty before they are even allowed to be sold. I don't think they've even built a house with UFFI since the early 80's.

[Molson]

Originally posted by TypeRob
I thought the use of Urea Formaldahyde Foam was frowned upon due to it's likelihood to breakdown and release toxic fumes?

Houses with UFFI (Urea Formaldahyde Foam Installation) must have a special warranty before they are even allowed to be sold. I don't think they've even built a house with UFFI since the early 80's.

Thats right, in Canada UFFI was banned, but that was basically due to non proven facts, people smelt the off gassing as it cured, and assumed there was toxic effects. There have been no studies saying that it is harmful. UFFI is still widly used in Europe and the US. the Canadian Government paid homeowners to insulate their homes with it in the 70s, thinking it was great (It is, just not understood) Then when the public cried death, the same government paid the homeowners to remove it. hahah

If installed correctly, UFFI in a house will be MUCH more comfortable then normal batt insulation.

[BigTaters]

One of the guys above mentioned something about smell of the wiring. He is totally right. My dads friend runs a shop where they buy wrecks and fix them up and sell them. They had an Escalade that they took in and fixed it. The prob was some people died in it when it rolled. They fixed it and when they put it outside and the sun hit it there was a gross reak of dead body. I guess that when the thing rolled the people werent found for a few days or something. Anyways to spare ya guys details lol they ripped out everything and couldnt get rid of this smell and finally the last thing they checked was the wiring, and that was what was retaining all this gross odours. Kinda weird but that was what smelled up the Escalade.