Air fresheners do not remove smells. They sit on top of them. To get rid of a bad smell in a car properly, you have to find where it comes from and deal with that. Here is how.
Step one: find the source
- Forgotten rubbish, food or drinks under the seats, in door pockets and in the boot
- A spill that soaked into the seat or carpet
- Damp carpets from a leak, wet mats or wet items left in the car
- Sweat and body oils in the seats and headrests
- Smoke that has settled into the fabric
- The air conditioning, if the smell appears when it starts
Use your nose. Smell the seats, the carpets under the mats, the boot and the vents separately until you find where it is strongest.
Step two: remove and clean
- Take out the rubbish, the mats and anything else that does not belong.
- Vacuum thoroughly, including under and between the seats.
- Clean the affected area. Fabric seats and carpets can be treated with a car interior cleaner. Our guide to cleaning seats and carpets shows how, and our guide to removing stains covers specific marks.
- Dry it completely. Leave the doors open or the windows down in a shaded, ventilated spot. Moisture left behind brings the smell straight back.
- To absorb what is left, a bowl or a sprinkling of baking soda left overnight and vacuumed up helps with lingering smells.
If the smell is musty or damp
A musty smell usually means moisture. If the carpet keeps getting damp, the cause may be a leak, for instance from a door seal, the boot or a sunroof. Cleaning will not fix a leak, so have the cause checked or the smell and the damp will return.
If the smell is smoke
Smoke gets into fabric, carpets and the roof lining, and it is the hardest smell to shift. Thorough cleaning and airing help, but be realistic: a heavy smoke smell may not disappear completely.
If it comes from the air conditioning
If the smell only appears when the air conditioning starts, the problem is in the system, not in the seats. That is a job for an air conditioning specialist, not for cleaning the interior.
When the seats and carpets need a deep wash
If the smell is in the seat or carpet itself, surface cleaning will not reach it. Dirt, spills and moisture that have worked down into the foam and padding keep releasing smell long after the surface looks clean. An extraction clean pulls them out.
Our upholstery and carpet deep wash is an extraction clean, stain removal and a freshen up, from R600. We cannot promise that every smell will disappear, because it depends on the source, but if you send us photos and tell us what you are dealing with, we will tell you honestly what to expect.
Smell by smell: what usually helps
- Food and drink spills: clean the spot thoroughly and dry it completely.
- Sweat and body oils: clean the seats and headrests, and air the car.
- Animal smells: vacuum thoroughly, clean the fabric and let it dry in the fresh air.
- Damp and musty: dry everything out and find the cause.
- Smoke: repeated cleaning and airing, and an extraction clean for the fabric.
Stop smells coming back
- Take rubbish out of the car every few days.
- Do not leave wet items such as swimming gear or towels in the car.
- Fix leaks and dry wet carpets quickly.
- Air the car out regularly, and clean mats.
If you want the whole car reset, the full valet detail covers the interior and exterior detail, wheels and tyres, and dressing.
What not to do
- Do not just spray an air freshener over the problem.
- Do not shut a damp car up in the heat.
- Do not soak the seats with water.
- Do not mix cleaning products.
Whatever the smell, the rule is the same: find it, clean it, dry it. Skipping any one of those three is why smells come back.
