I might be in over my head

D

dubber

New member
I am an avid clean freak. I enjoy all aspects of detailing as a hobby, as I'm still a newbie.



I recently purchased a 2nd car that is 18 years old.... And it shows.

Since its winter here I'm not worrying about the exterior of the car until spring time. It's the inside I'm worried about.



The PO of the car was a heavy heavy smoker and slob. I have never been in a filthyer car than this. But I bough it anyway because it is mechanically safe. (knock on wood).



The stench is so bad I am embarrassed to have people in my car.

How and where do I start in the middle of winter.



I have vacuumed as much as I can at the coin op, but those vacs suck



Anyone have advice
 
Leaving aside the smell of smoke, I would just start to wash and clean everything. I assume you don't have access to a vac but you can still use a small hand brush to clean up most of the dirt. Wrapping selotape or any adhesive tape around your hands can lift up a lot of hair and dust



Just start on one section eg a door, clean it and make sure it is spotless before moving onto the section section
 
Or--buy a can of what the wimmens use for anti-static and their nylons and dresses, it's an aerosol, spray the area and then moving the vac in one direction only, vac it up.

The hair is held by static electricity.

That stuff breaks the attraction and it comes right up, just don't move in other than one direction and no "rubby-dubby" when you do it.

Grumpy
 
When I finally get to handle a pet hair infested vehicle, the hair is embedded in the fabric. The only way I can get out is with manual labor.
 
Accumulator said:
What about replacement, as opposed to restoration :think:



Nah, not the vehicle ;) but rather some aspects of the interior.
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i have thought about this, but i think it might be unnessesary. for the exception of the trunk carpet that was soaked in rain water.





i guess ill have to start one panel at a time like mentioned above.

i would like to know what is the best product to kill the odor causing bacteria on seats and carpets
 
dubber said:
i have thought about this, but i think it might be unnessesary...
Click to expand...



OK, your call, but I wasn't thinking "necessity" as much as "reasonable convenience". Time and effort have an awful lot of value to me, if you get my drift.
 
Justin Murphy said:
When I finally get to handle a pet hair infested vehicle, the hair is embedded in the fabric. The only way I can get out is with manual labor.
Click to expand...



I have used some of the hoover shampooer machines.They do an ok job of extraction. Alot of dirt,odors, stains are embedded like said in fabric. That alone should help a great deal

Dubber, from what you stated it seems like you need to play around with some of these extraction methods.



Steam cleaning is one of the best methods to get sticky stuff out. (candy, syrupy stuff, etc.)

Cleaners/Protectants for me work very good at grime,dirt,sweat build up on leather and even vinyl.
 
Odor Terminator, ValuGard, mist the affected areas so they are damp with the product.

Let it set, the bacteria will stop feeding on the proteins, when they don't feed, they die.

They are what you are smelling, just as with spilt milk, it's the bacteria.

It will take 15 minutes to an hour after you treat the area to notice the odor going away.

If you find small areas that still have the odor, you missed them so just respray/mist the area. The product has no fragrance in it, however, once the bacteria are dead, you may notice a slight clorine odor due to the water that carrys the actives to and down into the surfaces.

Grumpy
 
Yeah don't feel bad about not searching - I like when people post, even if it is repetitive - we want to keep this forum alive, and people come up with new approaches all the time that will only be discussed via new threads (even new threads on old topics). So welcome!



Now to your problem - some good ideas already in this thread. If it is really bad and you are stuck in winter without a good warm space to work I really would consider taking this to a professional. You could probably find someone who would do a good enough job that would last you until spring for $100-150. Then you could really clean it up. If you want to go at it now, I'd start with the basics: a full wipedown and agitation of the entire interior with a diluted all purpose cleaner. You can use something like Megs APC diluted 10:1 or one of many other options. Careful with Megs APC on leather though as it is both a gem and a beast - it will clean whatever you put it on, but may also remove some die. Wipe everything down very thoroughly, a couple of times. Go over it all again with something like ONR just to remove the APC residue. A damp towel will work for a final wipe if you don't have ONR and want to limit your new product purchases. Then a thorough vacuum. Remove whatever you can - seat cushions, floor mats, vacuum it all. Floor mats can be hosed out at your local coin-op using car soap and left to dry (or blown dry). You'll need to do this to help with the smell.



Odor-ban is a good product, I've used it a few times successfully where other products couldn't last. You can find a lifetime supply of it at Sams club for $12 or so. But Ron and the others have more experience on this one so you might go with their suggestions - I used Odor-ban all around the house and like it because it is so easy to get. Trash cans, cars, etc. Go ahead and spray erything down thoroughly. Spray some down the vents, on cloth seats, carpet, etc. Wet to the touch. Unfortunately Odor-ban leaves a distasteful lilac smell for about a 3-4 weeks, but the good news is other smells should not come back after application. For smoke infestation, an ozone machine might further help if these measures are not satisfactory. Given the age of your car, you might just consider replacing your floormats if they are in declining shape anyway as Accumulator suggested.
 
extrabolts said:
Yeah don't feel bad about not searching - I like when people post, even if it is repetitive - we want to keep this forum alive, and people come up with new approaches all the time that will only be discussed via new threads (even new threads on old topics). So welcome!



Now to your problem - some good ideas already in this thread. If it is really bad and you are stuck in winter without a good warm space to work I really would consider taking this to a professional. You could probably find someone who would do a good enough job that would last you until spring for $100-150. Then you could really clean it up. If you want to go at it now, I'd start with the basics: a full wipedown and agitation of the entire interior with a diluted all purpose cleaner. You can use something like Megs APC diluted 10:1 or one of many other options. Careful with Megs APC on leather though as it is both a gem and a beast - it will clean whatever you put it on, but may also remove some die. Wipe everything down very thoroughly, a couple of times. Go over it all again with something like ONR just to remove the APC residue. A damp towel will work for a final wipe if you don't have ONR and want to limit your new product purchases. Then a thorough vacuum. Remove whatever you can - seat cushions, floor mats, vacuum it all. Floor mats can be hosed out at your local coin-op using car soap and left to dry (or blown dry). You'll need to do this to help with the smell.



Odor-ban is a good product, I've used it a few times successfully where other products couldn't last. You can find a lifetime supply of it at Sams club for $12 or so. But Ron and the others have more experience on this one so you might go with their suggestions - I used Odor-ban all around the house and like it because it is so easy to get. Trash cans, cars, etc. Go ahead and spray erything down thoroughly. Spray some down the vents, on cloth seats, carpet, etc. Wet to the touch. Unfortunately Odor-ban leaves a distasteful lilac smell for about a 3-4 weeks, but the good news is other smells should not come back after application. For smoke infestation, an ozone machine might further help if these measures are not satisfactory. Given the age of your car, you might just consider replacing your floormats if they are in declining shape anyway as Accumulator suggested.
Click to expand...



i appreciate your feedback and comments.

just to get a few things out of the way...i am in canada and i know of 1 place to get detailing products from and the prices are super-inflated (compared to US retailers)

Ordering from the US is tricky because of shipping and duty. majority of the products you suggested are not readily available to me.

regardless i am using a SimpleGreen? APC diluted 10:1. i will be giving the car a full wipe down of all hard plastics in the car.

i went to a few hardware stores (Home depot) but couldnt find Odor-Ban, and i am having a hard time finding it locally. I did resort to something similar that claims it kills all mildew, mold and bacteria. Since today should warm up (7*C), i will attempt to remove the seats to clean up the nasty junk from the tracks.



The only other concern im left with is moisture extraction. when i bought the car, the carpets were soaked and the spare tire well was actually a well...i scooped out about 5 liters of water. i have since then made sure no further water gets in. how do i go about removing moisture from the car so i dont have foggy windows?



thanks again for your help
 
so i am planning on tackling this project this weekend. i have slowly started to gut the dashboard and clean everything with APC and IPA. I removed all vents and trim peices to wipe down the 2cm of dust and crud off the surfaces. this weekend i will attept the carpets and seats, as they are probably the most unsanitary. i was able to pick up a product that kills mold and mildew, but im unsure what steps should be first.

do i first spray down the entire interior with the mould cleaner and let it do its thing? do i use APC and water extractor first? from what i read the mould product keeps working long after it has been applied. so it would make sense to wash then use that product.
 
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