Interior smell....help....

ClayBartrug

New member
My car was recently at the body shop for a few days having the numper resprayed and some miscellaneous work done. I guess sitting in the shop, probably with the doors open and/or windows down all that time it absorbed an odor from the shop. It's a very paint like, body shop kind of smell...for lack of a better way to describe it. It's not that it's so offensive, just that I prefer not to have it be the way my car smells.



Thoughts as to how best to get rid of this? I know some good ole fashioned open windows and fresh air will help, but I don't drive the car enough, and can't leave it that way over night...



Thx :confused:
 
You know, I have used enzymes before to eat away at spilled crud. Check this article out, I found it useful. I'm not plugging anything but this site, at P&S is where I got the article, I used to use their products when I worked at Nissan.



http://www.pssales.com/troubleshoot.html#odor



Odor Removal:





Odor control chemicals can be some of the following to address specific situations:







Odor Masks - These are products which introduce one odor in order to hide another. They are useful in hiding smells that will dissipate on their own.



Encapsulants - These are agents which surround an odor source and prevent it from off gassing.



Oxidizers - These products speed the oxidation of a compound and deplete its ability to create odors. Oxidizers are used successful, for instance, in handling skunk odors.



Neutralizers - Neutralizers, or "paring agents" as they are sometimes called, stop odors by stopping chemical reactions. Sulfluric acid off-gases sulfur and when neutralized will stop smelling like rotten eggs.



Absorbents - These are normally crystalline structures that attract odor molecules and trap them within their internal matrix. Activated charcoal is an absorbent.



Bio Enzymes - Enzymes and bacteria cultures actually eat organic residues, eliminating them as an odor source. Bio-enzymes can be extremely effective in bodily waste and some food spills.



Disinfectants - Odors caused by organic action, such as mold and mildew, can be stopped by the application of a disinfectant. Killing the organism stops it's ability to generate odors.



Follow these procedures to control odor:



1. Locate the source. A long wave ultraviolet light is almost indispensable.

2. Remove as much of the source as possible. Vacuum, scrape dried deposits and clean spots thoroughly. Urine spots will respond better if you pre-treat with an acid rinse. This is because urine, although acid when fresh, dries to an alkaline deposit. Neutralization with an acid pre-rinse will help in removing most of the spot.

3. Treat the residue. For organic odors, an enzyme product will normally eliminate any remaining contaminants. The exceptions are tobacco and mold.



Tobacco smoke is particularly difficult to remove because smoke migrates into areas which can not be cleaned without disassembling the vehicle. For this reason, you need to be able to introduce a product that will go where the tobacco smoke went.



Thermal fogging is the only method devised so far that can place chemicals exactly where the smoke went. Thermal fogging consists of pumping a chemical (usually based on highly purified kerosene) through a fogging devise. This produces a fog that is of much the same consistency and particle size as tobacco smoke.



Mold and mildew are special because of the need to treat mold and mildew smells with a disinfectant product.



Mold requires darkness, stale air, moisture and a food source.



Mold and mildew usually occur under damp carpeting and in air-conditioning systems, during periods of non-use. You will probably need to lift the carpeting to get at mold for treatment.



No matter how much you clean, bacteria and plant spores are resistant to ordinary detergents.



Odor -- Product to be used



Milk, Ice Cream -- Enzyme

Skunk -- Oxidant

Mold mildew -- Disinfectant

Tobacco smoke -- D-Limolene

Urine -- Acid then enzyme

Gas/diesel fuel -- Alkaline detergent



Another alternative - Ozone



One of the safest and most technologically advanced solutions is the use of an electronic ozone generator. In order for ozone to be an effective deodorizer, ozone must be concentrated into a potent, oxidizing gas. Clearly, the more powerful the ozone unit, the less time needed to eliminate interior odors.



Ozone is carried into the vehicle by a hose through a slightly open window. The window opening is then sealed with foam inserts, pressurizing the interior space with purifying ozone.



When ozone comes in contact with odor-producing particles and bacteria, the oxidation process occurs.



The ozone molecule is extremely reactive with microbiological and organic contaminants and upon contact, will break down the cell structure of the bacteria microbe and kills it.
 
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