Stinky car carpet

[Tom P]

I bought a 96 Subaru legacy wagon a couple of months ago. It kind'a has that old wet carpet smell still ( she must of not used mats in the winter ) The smell is just barley there but it comes back after sprinkling baking soda/carpet stuff. Any ideas how to get rid if that smell for good???

[The_Walleye_1]

Try using Febreese (it is spelled different but the name sounds like that)

[REW]

Actually the best thing to do, is to pull the seats, and then pull the carpet out.

I suspect that you are going to find dampness next to the floor boards, that are in the under matting.

The only way to get all of this moisture out is to pull the carpets.

Another thing that you need to possibly be aware of is that this might have been a flood car. If it was a flood car, this smell can be, not only in the carpets but also in the seats and head liners.

Assuming that it wasn't a flood car, but simply moisture from not using rubber carpets in the winter -- taking out the carpets, getting them totally dry, and insuring that the sheet metal is also completely dry -- then using both deoderizer on both the sheet metal and carpets before reinstalling the carpet will solve the problem.

Then, if you find that you simply can't get the smell out - either go to the dealer and buy a new set of carpeting for the car, or go to a junk yard and find the same car and color and pull the mats. Depending on the junkyard, and condtion, you might find perfect mats in a junked car -- and if so, the cost is likely to be free or $5 if you pull the carpets yourself.

The junkyards seldom sell the carpets, and will probably simply give them to you.

As far as pulling the seats are concerned; it is generally only a couple of bolts in the front and back of each seat.
For the back seat, it is generally a snap out arrangement, where you simply push the bench seat back toward the back of the car, and the front of the bench will pop up and out. With the bench out, the carpets can be pulled, without pulling the back seat -0 seat back.

Take care

REW

[Tom P]

I have gone through 2 bottles of Febreese already. I have put a turbo fan on the floor for 1 month straight. It's not a flood car checked DMV/internet before buying. No sign of any water damage in all the main wiring harness at floor level.( I had my own Audi repair shop years ago) I know about the carpet and sound insulation replacement way to fix it. It's just not that bad to go that route.( I have those big matts now that will hold a pint of water) I was hoping someone had one of those miracle cures. You do get those on this board every so often. Thanks for the help so far!! There is just alot of mold in that sound insulation I bet. Please keep the ideas coming I'm open to anything, but bleach and fire!

[TONY ON ICE]

TOM P.
When all else fails, go to a local automotive paint shop or body shop and buy a gallon of "ENAMEL REDUCER".
Your carpets are synthetic and the reducer will not harm them at all.
Pour some reducer in a spray bottle and spray a small area at a time and scrub it good with a dry and stiff bristle brush.
Not only will the smell be absorbed and carried away by the reducer when it dries,
(usually fully in 10 to 15 minutes) but you'll also notice that your carpets are as clean as they've ever been !
The reducer is one of the best spot and grease removers for aoutomotive carpets and upholstery.
Use the same method on your seats and head liners and you'll see the difference in the color of the fabric after it dries.
It's an old trick of automotive detail shops to use the enamel reducer to lift spots and kill oders in all vehicles !
It works great and you can always find other stff around the house that need cleaning with the reducer.
Works great on any synthetic materials.

If you leave your doors and window open for an hour, the enamel smell will also be gone. If you want to dry it in a urry, a hair dryer is the best method.

[Fred]

Inquire at an auto body parts supply store. They supply the pros. with the stuff that works. They also know the the pros who will do it and quarantee the job.