You may never be able to recapture that "new-car smell," but when it comes to getting rid of unpleasant odors, there are plenty of ways to banish bad smells from your ride.
How To Get Smells Out of Your Car
Ask a Mechanic Clean Out... Everything Vacuum and Shampoo the Carpets Break Out the Baking Soda Give Charcoal a Try Infuse a Better Smell Special Cases: Dealing with Gasoline Smells Special Cases: Dealing with Cigarette Smells
Ask a Mechanic
If you're catching whiffs of gasoline, transmission fluid, oil, or coolant in the cabin, the odor may be caused by a mechanical malfunction, and your first stop should be at the mechanic. Sometimes a smell is caused by something as simple as a cabin air filter in need of replacement, but the source also may be something that requires a more extensive repair.
Clean Out... Everything
If you've determined that the source of the smell isn’t mechanical, trash could be the culprit. Check for fast-food wrappers and half-empty sandwich bags under the seats and in the center console, the glovebox, the door pockets, and the trunk. Toss any and all garbage you find in the nearest trashcan.
Vacuum and Shampoo the Carpets
The next step is a thorough vacuuming. A Shop-Vac works best, but if you don’t own one, you can drive down to your friendly local car wash with a pocketful of quarters and use its industrial-strength suction machine. Hit the carpets, all the seats, and the floor mats, and don’t forget the carpet under the seats and under the floor mats, too.
If the car still smells, it's time to shampoo the carpets (and the seats, if those are fabric). You can buy carpet shampoo made specifically for cars in an auto-parts store or automotive section of a department store. If you don’t want to go DIY, you can also hire an auto detailer. Steam cleaning your car's carpets, upholstery, and headliner should have it smelling like new.
Break Out the Baking Soda
Baking soda can take the stink out of carpeting, including pet odors and cigarette smoke. Sprinkle and rub into the fibers of carpets with a brush, and let sit for several minutes. Brush off or vacuum out. If ashes are the culprit, empty the ashtray of all cigarette butts and pour a half-inch of baking soda into the tray. Let it sit for several minutes, and then rinse and dry.
For liquid spills, sprinkle baking powder directly onto the spot while the spill is still fresh. Brush off the powder and vacuum after the moisture has been absorbed.
You can also use a solution of 4 tablespoons of baking soda dissolved in one quart of water. Fill a spray bottle to easily wipe down vinyl car seats, dashboards, rear decks, center consoles, and car mats.
Give Charcoal a Try
While you're going the all-natural, old-school cleaning route, don't forget that charcoal is a natural deodorizer thanks to its absorbent properties. Leave a bag of charcoal open in your car overnight to help remove bad smells. Just make sure you don't use the self-lighting kind that's already doused with lighter fluid!
Infuse a Better Smell
There's no shortage of air fresheners and diffusers for your car. You can find everything from the classic cardboard pine tree to scented sprays, gels, and air fresheners that plug into the cigarette lighter. Beware though, especially if you plan to sell the car in the near future. Masking a car odor with a strong scent could be a turnoff for potential buyers.
Of course, some unpleasant smells are particularly stubborn. If you need to remove odors of gasoline or cigarettes, read on.
Special Cases: Dealing with Gasoline Smells
Gasoline is a volatile substance and should always be dealt with carefully. As stated above, if you're smelling gasoline in your car and it's not from an obvious spill, you should have a mechanic check it out promptly. If you're pretty sure the smell is just due to a spill or to residue tracked in from the gas station, you should still act promptly: gasoline fumes are toxic. They can cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and nausea, and allowing them to circulate through your air conditioning system is just going to make things worse.
If you're dealing with a fresh spill, you'll want to first soak up as much of the gasoline as you can. Be sure to wear gloves! Gasoline is not just harmful to breathe—it can also cause irritation or burns if it comes into contact with your skin. You should also be careful to safely dispose of the rags you used, as they will be flammable. Check your state laws to be sure you're following all appropriate regulations.
Ideally, your next step would be to let remaining gas evaporate. If you have a secure location where you can leave your car open for a few hours, that will help speed the evaporation. If that ship has sailed, or if leaving the car open is just not possible, move on to the shampooing step outlined above. You might consider mixing equal parts water, baking soda, and white vinegar to really get after it.
Once you've removed as much of the gas as possible, you're ready to tackle the smell it's left behind. If baking soda and charcoal aren't cutting it, you can try some other famous odor eliminators, like coffee grounds or kitty litter. All of these options will have you breaking out the vacuum again, but their ability to deodorize is worth it.
Special Cases: Dealing with Cigarette Smells
Because cigarette smoke permeates surfaces, the odor can be incredibly persistent. To get a cigarette smoke smell out of your car, you'll have to take the clean-out step to the next level. Tidying isn't going to be enough. To make sure you've cleaned up all trace of ash, you'll need to wipe down all surfaces inside your car, including the glass. Use a toothbrush or detailing brush to clean crevices, and follow up by steam cleaning the front and back seats, carpets, and headliner. Finally, clean your air vents, and consider replacing the air filter for good measure.
The Bottom Line
There's no need to let bad smells ruin the time you spend in your car. With a little effort and regular cleaning, you can keep your car free of bad odors. Besides making your drive time more pleasant, that extra care to keep your car smelling nice will pay off when the time comes to sell it or trade it in.
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