Removing dog smell from a vehicle?
 

We just bought a used 4Runner that came with the bonus of some leftover dog smell. It is not strong - in fact it took me a while to even put my finger on it - but now that I know what it is, it's bugging me.

The interior is immaculate, so there aren't really any stains to remove - just trying to remove the last remnants of wet dog smell.

Any good remedies? Vinegar? Baking soda?

Maybe get a male cat?

sERIOUSLY....CRUSHED CHARCOAL BRIQUETS (not MATCH LIGHT charcoal) in a tray under the seats with the windows up helps. Also sprinkle carpets/cloth interior with baking soda and let sit over night will help. Ozium also seems to help....spray heavily and close doors/windows.

I have always heard that fabric softener sheets under the seats prevents critters in the car and removes some smells. May want to use a carpet steam cleaner if you have one to clean the carpet and the seats (if they are fabric.) May want to try leaving an open box of baking soda on the floor in the evening also to remove any residual odors.

The two smells I cannot stand in a car are cigarettes and animals.:(

My wet dog gets in my 4Runner all the time. I just spray a little Febreeze in the interior.

Try using some of this (along with your detergent) when you're cleaning the seats and carpets. Petsmart, Petco, etc. should carry it.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41YGsMJFDYL.jpg

I should share this info with my father in law.

His dog has been gone for 2 years and getting in his Suburban is always a strangely strong reminder of 'ole Juno...

Dust the car interior with baking soda It will soak up onion smells in a fridge etc.) Then vacuum.

Make sure you don't have a hidden leak, e.g. a window/door seal, sunroof drain, or a/c drain, that is going under the carpet. That will impart an "off" odor that ranges anywhere from a moldy smell, to a wet animal smell.

angela

I had a car that had a cowl full of pine needles which caused the drain holes to be clogged. When it would rain, the cowl would fill up with water and slosh around. It would leak into the interior onto the carpet and cause a mildew smell in the car. Removed the needles and the wet carpet went away. I used a steam cleaner on the both the carpet and the underlayment and the smell dissipated.

Thanks for the comments. We're going to try the baking soda right off the bat and see how that works. Depending on the success, we might graduate to the Petsmart stuff.

This has worked very well for me.

Odor Exterminator® - Griot's Garage

Get a porduct called Scoe10x. You can order it online and it comes in everything from spray bottle size to gallon jugs.

It is hands down the most amazing thing I have ever used for smells. It removed Skunk from the carpet bed liner of my truck and my clothes. (Don't ask)

Also my brother in law bought a rental house that had had over 30 cats in it and it removed all the smell from the wood sub floors.

Thanks. I will keep this in mind if the less violent methods are unsuccessful.

Step one: Remove the dog.

Funny, I had the same issue with a used 4runner I bought. I ended up pulling all the seats and shampooed the heck out of the carpet. The carpets looked clean, but I probably pulled a gallon of mud out of it.

I also removed the cowl and cleaned that area out, it was full of pine needles also.

That took a bunch of the odor away, and it finished going away on it's own after a few months. I really dislike using strong chemicals when I will be sitting in an enclosed area for any period of time. And febreeze as nice as it is, uses sugar which can promote mold growth..

Scoe10x is not violent at all. In fack it is oderless and so far has been color safe on everything weve used it on. Even set in laundry oders have been no match for it.

I sprayed it on my carpet and headliner too and worked perfectly.

Well, that's good to know. The dog smell is actually not horrible. I wasn't even sure it was "dog" or just "used-car-sitting-around-for-awhile" smell until I found some traces of dog hair in the rear hatch area. The interior is immaculate, so I don't have stains, etc., to deal with - just the smell.

just fart a lot in the car

i start my used car purchases with general maintenance, and what i call a "class 5" cleaning.

seats get uprooted and i shampoo everything. i use a small squirt of laundry detergent in a spray bottle filled with hot water, a stiff brush,...and ALL my garage towels.

scary what you find under the seat..nail clippings, old french fries..it is really gross. i want the fries and clippings to be mine :D

does immaculate mean the interior surfaces - glass, fabrics, carpet, vinyl were all cleaned?

if not sure, do those first with your favored products for each - then go to the ideas above - I know that Nature's Miracle works on dog urine

try call the Meguair's help line too - 800#