wet 'n stinky yaris!

[enobmort42]

a couple nights ago, i mistakenly left my windows open and it rained. i even thought to myself, "man, this rain is coming down hard!" but completely forgot the windows were open.

my question is, what's the best way to get rid of the smell? the interior (seats, carpet, cup holders, etc...) is mostly dry by now, but it smells like a hamper full of gym clothes. any suggestions? =\

thanks!

[AlexNet0]

make sure it wont rain in it again, lol.

but seriously, perhaps open both front windows and the hatch, and setup two fans so they blow into the front windows for a few hours to air it out (with dry air) lol

[jambo101]

I'd spray the carpets with a Lysol type product to eliminate the potential of mold..

[enobmort42]

well dry air is hard to come by in florida.. would my air conditioner work? and i like the lysol idea.

keep 'em coming! thanks!

[YAR1S]

Use this.... at least they wont smell of wetness... just of tough stuff, and it will pull off an amazing amount of dirt from your carpets! Your cloth and carpet will look brand new, this stuff works miracles... now Im starting to sound like a salesman, HAHA.

[enobmort42]

sweet! i think i'll pick some up tomorrow. i can get rid of that smell a lot easier than i can the smell of dirty/wet lol

[CTScott]

My favorite method is to sit a house dehumidifier in the car, close the windows and run it overnight. I sucked two gallons of water out of my Xterra after leaving the windows open during a thunderstorm.

[Altitude]

One word.

Massengill. (Oops did I just say that? )

[enobmort42]

Originally Posted by CTScott

My favorite method is to sit a house dehumidifier in the car, close the windows and run it overnight. I sucked two gallons of water out of my Xterra after leaving the windows open during a thunderstorm.

holy crap! i may have to go find one of those... thanks for the tips, everyone!

[CTScott]

Originally Posted by enobmort42

holy crap! i may have to go find one of those... thanks for the tips, everyone!

The key is getting the moisture out, as opposed to using sprays that mask the smell. Running your A/C can accomplish the same thing, but unless you're doing a 12+ hour drive, it's hard to run it enough to be of benefit.

In another thread someone mentioned using a giant tub of DampRid (which is a moisture absorbing desiccant). That would probably be a reasonable alternative, if you don't have easy access to a dehumidifier.

[toad]

^i gotta agree with that! i would be hesitant to spray anything - even a foam cleaner - to try and cover the smell. just to illustrate, think of your car as a favorite pair of shoes that just got soaked. you want to pull out the insoles(floor mats), remove the laces and pull out the tongues(roll down all windows), and put them out on the porch to dry in the sun(park somewhere where the sun can get to them, but not rain). sorry for the weird comparison, but my car has gotten soaked a few times(i've done the same thing you did) and this method has proven effective. mine has been so bad where i hung the floor mats from a hook in the garage and water just poared from them! luckily for me, the floor mats absorbed most of the water and not the carpet. as for the seats and fabric on the doors, they dry-out quite easily following this method - and not stinky!

[centrysis]

I have to agree with the dehumidifier. It does work. Just roll up all the windows. That will dry it out.

[tomato]

Dehumidifier is a good idea.
But then you can always use a little bit of Febrez after you've dried up your car.
Febrez has come a long way, used to smell like toilet bowl cleaner years ago, now it's a lot more subtle and it does seem to work somewhat.

[DevilGirl]

Originally Posted by tomato

But then you can always use a little bit of Febrez after you've dried up your car.
Febrez has come a long way, used to smell like toilet bowl cleaner years ago, now it's a lot more subtle and it does seem to work somewhat.

I've tried Febreez on lots of things. I havn't found that it works. After it dries, and the odor is supposed to be gone, the original odor is still there, and so is the smell of the Frebreez as well.

[KCALB SIRAY]

http://www.damprid.com/index44e0.html

[enobmort42]

well, it's mostly dried, as far as i can tell. it's been nice and cool out lately, so i've kept the winders open and let it air out a bit. i guess my next step for an optimal outcome would beeee.......?

[billwright]

Originally Posted by centrysis

I have to agree with the dehumidifier. It does work. Just roll up all the windows. That will dry it out.

I agree, Dehumidifiers are must for really any car if you care about it and don't want the musty smell and mold. Try some Silica Gel (Desiccant) based dehumidifiers, they require no electric and you can reuse them as well after reactivation. Something similar to these:

http://www.silicagelpackets.com/dry-packs-dehumidifier/

[enobmort42]

sweet. the smell's gone. now... to get that new car smell back. =P