ClassicCar

Snailslayer

Looking for any good suggestions to remove mothball stink from upholstry out of a 52 hornet sedan. Moth ball smell makes my wife ill, and the car is kept in the same garage as her car. its snowing and cold here in WI. I cant open the windows and air it out insside the garage often as it makes everything else stink bad. I pulled out the seats adn moved them to unheated pole shed. im thinking im going to have to pull the door panels and perhaps even the headliner down too.

any methods you guys use to remove the stink, not just cover it up?

also on the same note, any good methods to deep cleaning teh original style upholestry as well without damage?

thanks

Brad in WI

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53jetman

Multiple applications of "Fabreeze" will probably remove the moth-ball oder in time. Rather than use moth-balls for winter storage, why don't you just place small "Mouse Baits" on top of small sandwich bags around inside the car to protect the interior from critters?

I use "Tide" to clean all the interior parts of my Hornet & Jet. Make a good heavy suds, and use only the suds with a real sponge. Just rub it lightly, and you will be amazed at how easy it all cleans up.

faustmb

Mine was similar, but I used good old fashioned fresh air - combined with light scrubbing with oxiclean and febreeze. The seat bases remove very easily, every sunny day you get a chance put those suckers outside in the breeze. Also, clean every part of the int. you can, all those places trap odor.

Good luck

Snailslayer

Thanks for the cleaning tips. Using the Tide, febreeze and oxiclean, are you blotting it with a damp cloth to "rinse" it, leaving it dry or what second step?

I didnt put the mothballs in there, i Bought the car this fall and thats what i got dealt. sunny days are few and far between right now, but i did pull seats out, im tossing the carpet, adn im vacuuming every nook and cranny i can find. I did find a huge mouse nest in each seat when i pulled them. i read that airing them out in hot weather is the only way to get the moth ball chemical to dissipate. I was thinking about pointing my torpedo heater at them to heat them up, and run a fan next to them to circulate the stink air away to outside. being careful not to start a fire of course. steam cleaning was also mentioned to do the same. the headliner is a tougher nut to crack without rolling it outside or removing it.

thanks

brad

53jetman

When using the "Tide" suds, the idea here is not to make the fabric wet, but to let the suds do the cleaning. After you've finished the cleaning with the suds, you can use a towel to dry any areas that might have gotten overly wet.

I'd be careful with the torpedo heater. Those babies really put out the heat, and as we all know the old fabric will catch pretty easily under high heat conditions.

MikeWA

There are places where you can get an ozone treatment, to get rid of odors- check with auto detailers. I'm told it really works- it alters the stuff chemically by oxidation.

I think I'd stay away from the torpedo heater idea- "What could possibly go wrong?" (Famous last words).

Snailslayer

Yeah, im scratching the torpedo heater. My wife used to use an Ozone machine in Smoked in hotel rooms to de-stink them. Im trying some Tide suds, then Oxiclean spray this weekend. ill check into an ozone machine. Anyone ever use a rug doctor upholestry cleaning machine on thier vintage seats or headliner?

Ol racer

FYI
Ive reluctantly used moth balls and crystals for yrs because it repells rodents but let the cars 'air out' before driving. If odor persists vacuming usually removes remaining odor. However if a car has sat for yrs mothballed the cleaning methods mentioned earlier should suffice. Ive never heard of anyone removing the headliner because the odor is from down on the seat or carpet. I found putting mothballs into open containers rather than on the cloth helps prevent odor.

hudsonguy

I wonder if you put charcoal in there if it would absorb much? Wouldn't cost much to buy a bag of briquets and dump them into an old plastic bin or something and try it.

I gave up using mothballs on my stored cars. Now I use Irish Spring soap, which isn't completely effective either, but it's at least as good as the moth balls were, and it smells a lot better. Traps are the only completely effective method, but you have to get in the regular habit of checking them, or there will be new smell issues to deal with!

bobdriveshudson

We agree about leaving the vehicle open and maybe removing the seats to let them air out in the sun, some lite cleaning and deodoring. And vacuuming as much of the trash, lint, dust, and look in the back of each seat(if you have access).
When we put the seats back in and close the windows and shut the doors, what then. I usually put Fabreeze sheets under the seats, behind the seats, glove box, ash trays(wash it out first), above the visors, any place that there may be odors. Just another way to try. Bob

Uncle Josh

Have you guys used dryer sheets. Critters don't like them. My son turned me on to them when spiders were building webs inside the gas jets on the camper water heater and furnace. I've been using them in the Hudsons since...and put a wad of steel wool in your (well, your Hudson's) tailpipe to keep the mice out of the engine. They'll go right thru an open valve and carry nuts and seeds and pee inside your engine.

I put out some mice food a year ago and it was gone in 2 days. Expected to find dead mice all over the place. Then I fired up the 254 I was rebuilding sans Xpipe and it all came speewing out of the manifold.

After I bought my truck, the motor turned over hard in one place so pulled the head. Darn mice had gone thru an open valve and filled #1 with nut shucks and the piston had compressed them into a pizelli.

Constant battle. If you find a nest, they love to run for that little black hole at the end of your shop vac hose. Eeeew.

Snailslayer

ive used dryer sheets with limited success. Mice built a little green shelter out of DeCon from my brothers boat in the rod lockers. We try those plug in sonic beeping things in the office, and those seem to work for the indoor space. The best mouse catching device we found by far are the sticky pads that smell like peanut butter. they are available from Home Depot and the like. We catch all visible mice with 2 days of putting the traps out. Even a mole once. after 2 days, the sticky pads dont work so well. wait until you start seeing mice, and buy more. Maybe a cat would be a better solution?

dave s

I have been using Fresh Cab for years and never had problem and there is no unpleasant smell it is All Natural Repellant Keeps Mice & Rats Far Away – without Poison, Traps or Any Toxic Chemicals!
click here
http://www.earthkindstore.com/servlet/the-5/mouse,rat,rodent,repellent,repellant,how-to-get-rid/Detail?gclid=CMOGsNb04KcCFQJN4AodpRXc9w

tippleunduly

I gave up on mothballs years ago after finding a large nest right next to the open tray of the balls in my camper. Now most motorhomers seem to prefer the dryer sheets. At least they give off a better smell.

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