Any tricks for removing mouse smell from cars?

[Idaho45guy]

My dad gave me his 2007 HHR a couple of years ago that had been sitting unused next to his home in the country. Infested with mice. I cleaned it out, scrubbed it, used fancy air scrubbers and special de-odorizer solutions.

It was better, but still prominent on warm days. Oh well. It's a $500 beater that I used to run to the range and work in.

However, I just inherited his replacement vehicle; a 2016 Toyota Rav4 LE AWD...

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Unfortunately, it also sat outside and got infested with mice. I got it home the other day and started cleaning it out. I found a giant mouse nest in the spare tire well and the worst rodent damage I have ever seen. There was mouse poo on the front seat, on the dash, literally everywhere! They chewed on the floor mats and sound deadening material. Nasty.

I wore latex gloves and a mask while I cleaned it out...

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I ended up taking apart the back half of the vehicle and using bleach and a pressure sprayer to remove all of the mouse urine.

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I vacuumed and scrubbed the rest of the car and got the front area clean enough to drive...

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I'm taking it to a professional detail shop next week to have everything done and hopefully get any remaining mouse smell out.

If they fail to remove the smell, anyone know of a way to get it out? If the smell doesn't come out, then I will sell it.

[Reg]

We live way out in the boonies and mice and other critters are simply a fact of life Have found the hard way to clean the way you have then scrub liberally with vanilla. Best bet is to keep them out and a bunch of moth balls under the seat seems to do the trick. Stinks to high heaven but does seem to keep them out.

[imashooter2]

A few drops of skunk urine and you’ll never smell those mice again.

You’re welcome!

[Winger Ed.]

It was better, but still prominent on warm days. .

I hate to laugh at someone else's misfortune, and I feel ashamed of myself for doing so, but this is too hard not to.


If they can't get the smell out, which wouldn't be a surprise, I can only think of a few things:
1. Sell it cheap to a relative you don't like.
2. Sell raffle tickets for it at $1. each. Win the winner complains--- give them their dollar back.

It might not be too bad if you'd been married 30 years, but being single---
Even with a country girl, you're going to have a real hard time getting a second date with that thing.

[Idaho45guy]

Sucks because it is the perfect vehicle for me for commuting to work and road trips. It's worth around $20k, so it's quite a bit of money at stake.

Worst case, I spray the heck out of it with air freshener, then trade it in on another vehicle.

[Handloader109]

Daughter had a miata for a number of years. PO tried to reduce heat by covering every spot under hood, in trunk and under carpets etc with a reflective foil. Unfortunately, he went over holes and passages. Think sticky traps. Several mice over the years found themselves trapped and smell was bad.... no way to remove and find them..... just don't do that...

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[deces]

You might want to get an ozone generator.

[wch]

Several of our local car dealers rent the ozone scrubber that they use to put that "new car smell" in previously owned vehicles.
You might contact a few and ask if they think these machines would clear the air for you.

[Nobade]

Once everything is cleaned up, put a room vaporizer in the car overnight with this stuff in it: http://odorkill.com/
Run it with the windows closed, and by morning there won't be any smell. This also works to get rid of cigarette smell in cars and buildings.

[Recycled bullet]

Probably be a good idea to replace the cabin air filter and vacuum out evaporator housing probably also be a good idea to check inside the cowling with the flashlight if it's all full of poop you might want to disassemble it vacuum it out, all the air flow for the interior passes through those areas... you don't want to breathe that stuff

[contender1]

Two items often used to assist in odor removal are simple,, yet very effective. Sometimes taking a couple of applications.

(1) A few boxes of baking soda,, open, pour half in a clean glass container, (open) as well as the other half in the box, placed inside the car. Close up the car and let sit & absorb.
(2) Plain charcoal. Get a bag of charcoal, NOT the instant light stuff. Wearing gloves, (reduces your mess,) place several briquets in a shallow box, break with a hammer into smaller chunks. Place chunks in ladies nylon stockings, and hang inside the car, and place a few boxes of the pieces inside as well. Close up the car & let the charcoal absorb the smells.

[daengmei]

Them mice are around everywhere. I had 2 rifles in a army eqiupment drop bag, they chewed a small hole in the bottom corner and proceded to form a small nest, and mess right against the steel buttplates. Both of them were corroded on the corners and had to be cleaned and ground to remove the corrosion. My wife used to say there was one she saw in her bedroom that would look at her. Aww it's so cute.....no don't kill it...till they multiplied and then she complained. Cats find them often.

[MaryB]

If it is worth $20k and was a freebie new seat covers are pretty cheap, same for new carpet and sound deadening mat. Yes it is work to strip an interior and redo it but for a free vehicle? I would do it in a heartbeat!

Only way to get it all is strip it back to bare metal... spearmint leaves will help deter mice and are not toxic like mothballs. If they chewed ANY holes in the headliner that is where a major odor reservoir is hiding. Wear a full face respirator tearing it out, hanta virus is real and nasty!

[waksupi]

Put some dishes of vinegar inside and let it work. It kills fish smell in the kitchen, so may be worth a try.

[poppy42]

A gallon of gas and a match! OK sorry for that but I just had to post it. Seriously the problem is probably in the ductwork for the heating and air-conditioning. And all the nooks and crannies behind the dashboard and the cowling under the hood. Spraying all the air freshener in the world inside the car ain’t gonna help if you don’t eliminate the source. Unfortunately removing the dashboard and cleaning and or replacing all the insulation and ducts is a major and costly job probably not worth it. You can try at your own risk start the car turn the heater on high open the windows and let it run for about an hour. I have had some success with that as far as eliminating odors of various kinds. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. Good luck

[G W Wade]

Ozone generaters work good. And I know if you put coffee grounds on a plate in a closed area it will even pull rotted meat smell from a deep freeze or fridge GW

[Idaho45guy]

Great suggestions! Thank you!

[Oaks&Pines]

Ozone generaters work good. And I know if you put coffee grounds on a plate in a closed area it will even pull rotted meat smell from a deep freeze or fridge GW

Years ago I knew a truck driver that used to backhaul bagged fish meal between food product loads, always used ground coffee after to take the fish odor out of the trailer, just sprinkled on the floor and closed up the trailer.
Said food warehouse wouldn't load him if the trailer had any odors in it.

[TD1886]

Hey how about that stuff they advertise on TV call pooph or something. The guy ading it even sprays it in his mouth. Expensive though.

[DocSavage]

In my previous house had a fuel oil spill after clen up was told put a saucer of white vinegar in the cellar to kill the smell of rhe fuel oil. It worked IIRC.