Hello all, I just bought a 2006 Berlina Black S2000, and needless to say the car needs some lovin', but I won't get off topic here. I can't stand the vanilla scent in the car courtesy of a cardboard christmas tree saying "Vanilla-Licious" (oh the irony...). How can I remove this smell? Here is what I have tried: -Vacuuming the entire interior and replacing the A/C filter. -Baking soda on the carpets, allowed to sit for a day, vacuumed up. -A cup of baking soda in the cup holder over night. All of these helped a little bit, but it is still very strong. My brother suggested activated charcoal in substitute of baking soda. Anybody try this? I heard an ozone generator would make quick work of it, but that is pretty expensive.
Find a janitorial supply dealer that sells a product called fresh wave. Get 1 ea 8oz gel amd 1 quart of the liquid spray. 1 or 2 treatments and it should knock it out. Keep the gel in the car and spray the liquid on the mats, wipe seats and dash. Really good stuff and all natural.
Is there a particular spot or place where the smell is strongest? If so, that spot, area, etc., needs to be thoroughly cleaned.. Have you tried airing out the vehicle with the doors open so air can blow through it ? There used to be a product called So2 Pure photo catalyst air purifier coating made by Aquartz - Phil here used to sell it... Dont know if he still does or how good it works. In my experience removing bad smells from vehicles, I have had to find the source of the smell and really clean that area and/or really clean the entire vehicle with something like Meguiars APC+ to remove all traces of the smell from the vehicle. Laborious, I know.. But it will work, and the vehicle always benefits from having someone else's "life" removed from the vehicle, so you can start over with yours.. A beautiful car in a beautiful color ! I love those S2000's ! They look especially good with big stainless steel exhaust pipes in back.. There are a lot of aftermarket parts and people that tune them too.. Good luck with this ! Dan F
Thanks for the replies y'all. I used to work at Bed Bath and Beyond and I know Fresh Wave works, but the thing is I don't want to cover up the smell, I want to get rid of it. Fresh Wave contains clove oil which essentially numbs your sense of smell. I'll give it a try regardless. I have done the baking soda on the spot where I found the tree (under the seat), but it hasn't gotten any better. Should I hit it with some Folex? Would I need a carpet extractor for this to get the liquid out of the carpet? And thanks! I had an S2000 before this one as well, they're lovely cars. Berlina Black will be a challenge to keep looking nice, but I'm looking forward to the challenge! I've got stainless steel exhaust right now (Magnaflow), but it drones so much I'm gonna replace it this weekend. Thanks again y'all! Chris
You could rent an ozone machine or take it to the dealer to have it done. A couple years ago my GTI was having a problem for a while where the AC system would smell like old moldy socks whenever you turned it on. I should also add that I smoke in my car. Took it to the dealer to have the AC issue diagnosed and they ran an ozone machine in my car...came back smelling totally normal, save for the faint scent of what smelled kinda like baby powder. It even got the smoke smell out, and we all know how hard that is to remove. Might be worth looking into...
Any idea where I could rent said ozone generator? I'm thinking of trying the activated charcoal first since it would only be about $5. I am interested in seeing how well the ozone generator would work though.
Chris - If you found that dang tree under the seat, then that is the primary source of the smell - the carpeting where it was laying on. I would really wash that spot and if you have access to an extractor, so much the better. If not, how about a wet/dry vac ?? If not, try to get as much of the soap and rinse water out and the smell should come with it. Another thing that I heard works - Meguiars Odor Eliminator - spray bottle, supposedly has enzymes that attack the microbes of smell and kill them. Perhaps after the good cleaning and drying, spray some of this stuff on there? Ive seen it on Amazon.com.. I like to use my Steamer through a towel to rub over dirty, sprayed and shampooed with a brush, carpeting, to really get the dirt down below loosened up, then use my Mytee HP60 Extractor to inject hot water into the carpet and extract all that mess up. I have never not found dirty, dark brown to black water in my Recovery Tank after doing this to any carpeting, cloth seats, carpeted mats... And with the really clean, steamed, and extracted carpeting comes the ultimate bonus - The Clean Car Smell ... Good luck! Dan F
I'm not entirely sure where you could get one to be honest, I've just heard talk that they are available to rent. I would just start googling and see what you find in your area, lol.
You could try the activated charcoal, but that will likely only have marginally better results than baking soda as it won't be treating the problem spot, just the air. My plan of attack would be using a steam cleaner and extractor...hit EVERYTHING!!! and use APC's like megs...afterwards, I would use febreeze or ozium, and then on top of it another scent to your liking. Let it air out for a while as all that will create a strong odor! Another couple products to try are 1z klima, and although I do not know how well they work I have always wanted to try the fabric foams...same idea as a fogger but it foams your carpets to remove odor. If you still have any previous odors after all of that...just burn it to the ground, lmao!
