Removing odours from your car only works if you deal with the source first: dirt in the upholstery, damp in the mats or a saturated cabin filter. Then you neutralise the smell, and only at the end do you add a fragrance if you want one. Spraying perfume over a smelly car lasts a few hours, after which the old smell simply returns.
In the workshop we see the same spots again and again: the floor mats, the space under the seats, the boot, the cabin filter and the headlining. Below you will find how to track down the cause, which approach suits which smell and which products to use.
Which smell, which approach
A musty smell in the car needs a different approach from smoke. Use this table to decide where to start.
Type of smell | Where it usually sits | Approach |
|---|---|---|
Musty smell in the car | Wet mats, boot, cabin filter, air conditioning | Dry it out first, replace the filter, clean the textiles, then neutralise |
Removing cigarette smoke | Headlining, seats, filter, ventilation | Clean everything, replace the filter, neutralise, ozone for stubborn smoke |
Food and spilled drinks | Seat seams, carpet, under the seats | Lift the source with a fabric cleaner, let it dry fully, then neutralise |
Pets and gym bags | Boot, seats, mats | Remove hair, clean the textiles, neutralise |
How to do it
Empty and air out. Take out the mats, rubbish and everything else, and leave the doors open for a while. Check door pockets, compartments and under the seats too: a forgotten bottle or gym bag is a more common cause than you would think.
Vacuum thoroughly. Vacuum the seats, floor and boot, including the seams. Pitfall: only doing the visible areas. The smell sits in the seams and under the mats.
Clean the upholstery and floor. For light soiling use a pH-neutral interior cleaner such as Koch Chemie Pol Star (pH 7.0, dilutable from 1:20 to 1:5). For deeper soiling and an extractor, ProElite Textil Cleaner is suitable, diluted 1:5 to 1:10. Tip: treat the headlining with a lightly damp cloth only, never soak it. You can read more about upholstery in our guide to cleaning car seats and upholstery.
Let everything dry properly. Damp upholstery is exactly where a musty smell starts. Park the car with the doors open somewhere dry, or run the heater on fresh air (not recirculation) for a while. Pitfall: putting the mats back while they are still damp.
Replace the cabin filter. A filter full of dirt and smoke keeps blowing the smell into the cabin. For many cars a new filter is a quick step against odours from the vents. If you then spray a little odour product onto the filter, the airflow spreads it through the car.
Neutralise the smell. Chemical Guys So Fast Odor Eater uses an enzyme formula that breaks odours down instead of masking them. Koch Chemie FU Fresh Up encapsulates odour molecules and is used on textiles, the headlining and the dashboard. Koch Chemie itself advises cleaning the source first, because the product tackles the smell and not the dirt underneath. Tip: test on an inconspicuous spot and spray evenly, not dripping wet.
Add a fragrance last. Only when the car smells neutral do you choose a scent you like, for example ProElite Aruba Car Perfume, sprayed onto the floor mat or the cabin filter. The car then smells fresh rather than masked.
A smell that will not go: ozone
If the smell is still there after cleaning and neutralising, for example long-term smoke or a car that has stood damp for a long time, an ozone treatment is the logical next step. We offer it as an ozone treatment once the interior has been cleaned. How it works and when it makes sense is covered in our guide to ozone treatment for your car.
Common mistakes
Using a fragrance before the source is gone. The smell returns after a few days.
Skipping the cabin filter. With a musty smell from the vents, the problem is often there.
Working too wet. Soaked upholstery and headlining start to smell musty themselves.
Only cleaning surfaces. Read our guide to cleaning your interior without damage for the right order per material.
Choosing a perfume that is too strong. It overpowers and feels heavy after a drive. A calm scent from our range of air fresheners and fragrance is usually enough.
How to keep the car fresh
Prevention is easier than cure. Do not leave wet items in the car, take rubbish out daily, let the car air out now and then and replace the cabin filter according to the service schedule. Wipe up spilled drinks straight away and dry the spot afterwards. That way a musty smell does not come back.