Odor in a car is common for people who don’t know how to get rid of it. But common among the odors you will come across are rubber floor mat and mildew that can be quite annoying and burdensome. Even when you rely on using air freshener, you will discover it’s not as effective as you would want. Of course, no one finds such odors funny in a car especially is you have to wind up your car door glasses.
What are rubber mat and mildew smell?
The rubber mat smell happens on a car floor mat made of rubber. You will notice the rubber mat odor in new your car floor mats, and unless you take steps to remove it, the situation may get worse every passing day until the unpleasant smell subsides and disappears.
A mildew smell, on the other hand, is caused by excessive moisture that led to the growth of mold and mildew inside a car.
If you are concerned that rubber mat or mildew odors are troubling you, don’t worry. This discussion will tell you how to permanently fix mildew and rubber mat stench in your car by following the methods explained below.
Removing rubber mat odor in a car
Rubber Mat is my favorite car floor mat because of its ability to stand foot dirt and long lasting. Many car owners find rubber mat a useful accessory in their vehicles and want to use it often. While the odor can be strong for the nostril, the process of removing it is through thorough cleaning. The following steps will help remove rubber mat smell from your car if you go through to the end of the recommended steps,
- Make Warm Soap-Vinegar Solution. In a large bowl, add warm water enough to submerge the rubber mat. Add mild laundry soap with 1 cup of white vinegar and mix thoroughly.
- Soak the rubber mat. Place the rubber mat in the solution and soak for about 20 minutes. Make sure the rubber mat is submerged in the warm water soap-vinegar solution for proper cleaning to be done.
- Scrub the rubber mat. After 30 minutes of soaking, wash the rubber mat by scrubbing using a clean cloth. Scrub well to cover every inch of the rubber mat. After proper scrubbing, rinse in clean cold water for a sparkling clean rinse.
- Dry the rubber mats. Place the rubber mats in the sun to dry. After the mats are dry, leave them in the sun and fresh atmosphere for the leftover smell to disappear. You can allow it up to four hours in the sun for proper dry and odor removal.
- Removing rubber mat odor in a car. After you place the car floor mats in the car, put a dish of fresh coffee grounds or baking soda in the car to absorb the small in the car atmosphere. This last tip is important to finally rid your vehicle of odor as after you cleaned and remove the smell from the rubber mats, the stench in the car will still be there until you did this.
Removing mildew odor in a car
You don’t park your car and leave the glass wind down; of course, you have to roll it up to protect the interior of your vehicle. But with a rolled up car glass, it causes heat inside the car which could increase the moisture content inside the car depending on where you live and the season of the time your car is parked. With increased moisture content in a car enclosure, it could trigger the growth of mold in their thousands to cause mildew. This damp condition will lead to smell in your vehicle. The good news is you can remove the odor and have your fresh smelling car interior back again. If you are delighted with the news, then follow these steps to remove mildew odor from your vehicle.
For this cleaning, you will need to have the following materials and tools. A vacuum cleaner. Get odor absorbers, anti-mildew solution or enzyme cleaner. You will also need a clean rag or absorbent cloth with a scrub pad and baking soda. If you have the entire above ready, follow the process below.
- Find the source of the odor. If you look inside your car correctly, you should locate the source of the smell. To locate it, find anywhere in the car with crowded whitish substance on the car seat, or anywhere inside the car. They must have accumulated to cause the smell, search for and dislodge them.
When searching, you may go outside the car interior into the spare tire storage in the boot. Don’t be surprise that is where the trouble is coming from because the car trunk leads inside the car as well when you remove the rear seat backrest, you are right in the trunk. You can also check the car floor mats, lift them up to check underneath. Or check the seat pockets for cookies, biscuits and bread crumbs if you do carry kids in your car. Also, check the air conditioner evaporator for leakages and condensation. These are possible causes of mildew and you need to locate and remove them to solve the odor puzzle!
- Remove the cause for thorough cleaning. Whatever the cause, make sure to remove it if they are removable and give it a thorough cleaning to remove the mold completely. After cleaning, leave it in the sun to dry.
- Wipe and dry clean the affected area. Following the removal of the cause, go back to the affected area for proper cleaning. Make sure there is no chances of the place have moisture again. If you affirm it’s the air conditioner, get the technician to fix it to prevent further leakage.
- Remove the mildew without any chance of survival. You should know that mildew is a microorganism that is capable of replicating and grow under favorable environment. Even as you remove all enabling conditions, you need to make sure to dislodge properly by thorough scrub to remove any leftover.
- Keep the area dry. Here is where the hand dryer will find its use. Mold thrives under moisture and accommodating warmth; you need to keep the environment dry with hand dryer after it’s all cleaned out. Do not spare any area, you should dry out all the suspected and cleaned areas for a mold free car interior.
- Use the mildew solution. After you dry the mildew environment, it’s time to apply the anti-mildew solution, the enzyme cleaner and, odor absorber. These will prevent the reemergence of mold and mildew in your car.
To properly seal the fate of mold and mildew in your car, clean and dry the floor mats and the seats and seat covers. Take the removable ones like the car seat cover and upholstery, add some baking soda and allow it stay with it for about 24 hours before dusting it off for a cleaner odor free car interior.
