How Do I Get Rid of a Moldy Smell from a Car?

Clean with a solution of white vinegar and water, then on a nice sunny day, leave the windows and doors open to let it air out a lot. The Sol-u-mel from Melaleuca is also a good idea. I think I'd use the vinegar first, then after it's dried and aired out for a while, use a solution of the Sol-u-mel to leave that nice herbal smell.

My car smelled bad after it got wet- I think from something the kids spilled in it- and I used Renuzit fabric refresher (I am sure of the brand, but not the name). It was from the same section where the Febreeze was and it worked for me. Prior to that I had tried baking soda, which did not work for me and left white clumps due to the moisture-UGH! I would also recommend driving around with the heater blasting to try to dry it completely out so the mold can't keep growing. Good luck!

I would strongly suggest Sol-U-Mel from Melaleuca. It is a fabulous deodorizer and would also get out any stains the mold may have made. I have used it on pet and kid accidents as well as vomit and it has been great! If you are interested, let me know.

Good luck!

I will add a product I have just found and am crazy about. After years of searching and trial and error, I discovered Natural Magic Odor Eliminator from www.drsfostersmith.com which i order from for pet supplies all the time. I just noticed, there's another site on the product www.naturalmagic.com You will not be disappointed and can use it with household odors, pets, kids and anything else. I'm going to also try the Zero Odor product .

Depending upon how badly it got wet you have a couple of options. Take it to a specialty car wash where they clean the carpets of cars. Or replace the carpet.

I had a van leak during the rainy season and there was so much water in the carpet it actually started growing. This was AFTER I'd gotten 6 gallons of water out of it with my Bissel carpet cleaner. It was still just SOAKED. And I had tried leaving the doors open when it wasn't being driven, cranking the heater, even taking it to a car wash that had the foam carpet cleaner stuff. Didn't work. The only thing I didn't do was take it to like one of the detailer type places that cleans carpets. They might have been able to get the water and the smell out. But I'm not really sure.

I eventually just sold the van with the information that the carpet was completely ruined and would have to be replaced.

Use Zero Odor! I like this product because it works and leaves no scent of its own. For more info call 1-800-526-2967 or visit ZeroOdorStore.com It works on cat urine and any other undetermined smell. Something about bonding with the odor molecules and changing the PH is why it works. If you purchase this product you will be happy you did because it is great for all kinds of stuff. After it dries if you want the pretty Febreeze smell then you can use a product like that. Good Luck!

S.,
There is an old remedy that works for cigarette smoke,
put white vinegar in a metal bowl inside the car for a couple of days and it absorbs the odor. It might work for the mold smell also. You never know.
W. m.

Get the car dried out firs leave the doors, hood and the trunk open for a day or two, after everything is dried out start cleaning the car with the trunk after that do the engine (was it with a de-greaser first and then with a car shampoo) after your done with the engine start with the interior of the car, you may want to use some specialized product like Griots Vinyl or some mother product, you may also want to steam clean the entire interior of the car that should do the job. If this seems too much for you to do your self take your car to a detailing business, I get my car cleaned from a business that does organic cleaning with steam http://www.detailxperts.net/organic_interior_steam_cleaning you can look at there website to see if they server in your area.