I took my carpet out to pressure wash it. While it was out I noticed mold growing on the sound-deadening resin so I scraped it all up. With EVERYTHING ripped out of the interior, there is still a light odor. Is there anything I can put under the (now clean) carpet to keep the smell from permeating through?

I'm not a sick f***, bought this '94 Accord w/ 67k miles for $980. It's taken some work, but it's nearly back to perfect OEM condition, I really would hate to have this smell linger forever.

Any other pointers for getting the smell out? Maybe wiping the metal down with vinegar or ammonia?

Thanks in advance!

 

Use vinegar in a whipped cream (or similar) container. Google it.

 

Can't really find what you're talking about. A spray bottle? A tub? The charged dispensers?

 

Was the car flooded?

For big smells you can use a standard cleaner, but the smell may come back. You really need to kill and remove all the mold or it will come back in no time. Was the car flooded? If I remember correctly, professionals who clean out vehicles where people have been murdered in use cleaning chemicals that have enzymes that actually break down and remove w/e is in there, unlike over the counter cleaners.

I forget exactly what the professionals use and what exactly it has in it compared to a store product, but you get the idea.

 

No, it was just poorly taken care of. When I pulled the carpets up after letting it air out with the windows down in 90+* weather it DRIPPED when hung up.

 

Hmm, I can't find it either with a quick google.

The basic is you have a plastic container and add a small amount of vinegar, like 1 cm or so around the base. Put it in the car with the lid off over night, then when you drive cap off the lid. Because of the acidity in vinegar the odors/etc crystallize into salts and fall from the air onto the ground. After a few days just remove the tub and vacuum or wipe up the car. I'll see if I can find it exactly

 

I've not had this problem though I would start by mixing some vinegar with baking soda and rubbing it all over the floor. Basically just cake the floor with this combination, rubbing it on the floor. But again I haven't done it because I haven't had the problem you have.

Speaking of bad car odors, an old girlfriend had a car whose previous owner had spilled some bong water and hadn't cleaned it up.

 

HAHA!! You almost got me, until I remembered 3rd grade science! Baking soda + vinegar = fizzle fizzle WHOOSH!

I just finished up wiping the floor pans down with a 50/50 mix of vinegar/water and scraped up a mold spot or two I had missed previously. I found that under the rubber in front of the pedals it was SOAKED about 6-8" up. Pulled it up and put a heat gun to it. Right now it's zip-tied up with a box fan blowing on it. I'll leave it like this for 6 hours or so (about to take a nap) to ensure it's all completely dry.

I'm pretty much set for splashing baking soda all over the floor pan and leaving it there, putting the carpet in over it. Anybody see a drawback to this? Odor deodorizer/absorber + moisture absorber, seems like a win-win.

 

OPEN A BOX OF ARM & HAMMER BAKING SODA & LEAVE IT FOR A WEEK 0R SPRINKLE SOME AROUND & VACUUM IT UP IN ABOUT A WEEK. JIM

 

..........................I'm looking for something to go UNDER the carpet to ensure any smells stuck to the floor pans don't permeate through the carpet...

 

Car dealerships use an air ion-izer.. They look like space heaters.. You place the in the car, roll the windows up then let it run for a day or 2..

These units are also used in hotels and motels to get smoke smell out of carpet and interiors..

I bought a stinky mini van from a HEAVY smoker or maybe a family of 9 heavy smokers and the only thing that really worked was me steam cleaning the whole interior including the headliner.. the key was the industrial type cleaner they sell at ACO or Ace hardware stores.. I also added the odor eliminator liquid they sell in a seprate bottle and I'm pleased to announce that I removed 80% of the smell in one cleaning!

Now, the other element of stinky odors that most people overlook is the ventilation system. If your ride has a "recirculate" mode on the fan then turn the adjuster to that setting, and run some lysol spray or a spray bottle with water and bleach to kill the mold in the ducts.
If you have a cigarette smell in your car, especially when you turn the heat or A/C on, then try "Gone Smoke" foggers with your windows up.(google it)

Hope that helps.. BUt just like the other users eluded to, I suspect some flood damage or the genius previous owner left the windows down in a heavy rain..