My convertible was stored for the winter in an unheated garage, and a mouse
decided to visit the car's trunk. It apparently became trapped in one of the
trunk storage compartments, and eventually died, leaving a disgusting
combination of excretions and a rotting corpse.

When the car came out of storage yesterday, I immediately smelled and then
located the mess, and proceeded to clean everything out with a shop vac,
paper towels, and then Lysol in the felt lined compartment where the mess
was located. I have washed and air dried everything, and now there is no
visual evidence of any remaining mess of any kind whatsoever. However, the
trunk absolutely stinks.

Is there any good and dependable way to remove these type of odors
permanently? I do not want to try using fragrances to cover up the remaining
stink and want to get the smell out of there entirely.

Thanks for any advice / recommendations.

On May 15, 5:39 pm, "Smarty" wrote:
My convertible was stored for the winter in an unheated garage, and a mouse
decided to visit the car's trunk. It apparently became trapped in one of the
trunk storage compartments, and eventually died, leaving a disgusting
combination of excretions and a rotting corpse.

When the car came out of storage yesterday, I immediately smelled and then
located the mess, and proceeded to clean everything out with a shop vac,
paper towels, and then Lysol in the felt lined compartment where the mess
was located. I have washed and air dried everything, and now there is no
visual evidence of any remaining mess of any kind whatsoever. However, the
trunk absolutely stinks.

Is there any good and dependable way to remove these type of odors
permanently? I do not want to try using fragrances to cover up the remaining
stink and want to get the smell out of there entirely.

Thanks for any advice / recommendations.

Did you try Febreze?

Joe

Thanks for the reply Joe. I have not tried anything yet. My one prior
experience with using fragrances to mask an odor turned out to be a
disaster, with the result being a strong lingering odor of flower fragrance
on top of my kid's puke smell. I wound up having to have the carpeting in
that car replaced to get rid of both odors.

I am trying to avoid making the same type of mistake again. I was hoping
that something like activated charcoal or some other method could absorb the
offensive odor rather than try to cover it up.



"Joe" wrote in message
ups.com...
On May 15, 5:39 pm, "Smarty" wrote:
My convertible was stored for the winter in an unheated garage, and a
mouse
decided to visit the car's trunk. It apparently became trapped in one of
the
trunk storage compartments, and eventually died, leaving a disgusting
combination of excretions and a rotting corpse.

When the car came out of storage yesterday, I immediately smelled and
then
located the mess, and proceeded to clean everything out with a shop vac,
paper towels, and then Lysol in the felt lined compartment where the mess
was located. I have washed and air dried everything, and now there is no
visual evidence of any remaining mess of any kind whatsoever. However,
the
trunk absolutely stinks.

Is there any good and dependable way to remove these type of odors
permanently? I do not want to try using fragrances to cover up the
remaining
stink and want to get the smell out of there entirely.

Thanks for any advice / recommendations.

Did you try Febreze?

Joe

"Smarty" wrote...
Thanks for the reply Joe. I have not tried anything yet. My one prior
experience with using fragrances to mask an odor turned out to be a
disaster, with the result being a strong lingering odor of flower
fragrance
on top of my kid's puke smell. I wound up having to have the carpeting in
that car replaced to get rid of both odors.

I am trying to avoid making the same type of mistake again. I was hoping
that something like activated charcoal or some other method could absorb
the
offensive odor rather than try to cover it up.


You could try baking (bicarbonate of) soda, work it (dry) into the affected
area with a brush and leave for a few hours, then vacuum up - it absorbs all
kinds of smells (it's what's inside a lot of "fridge deodourisers" etc.)

--
Dave H.
(The engineer formerly known as Homeless)

"Rules are for the obedience of fools, and the guidance of wise men" -
Douglas Bader

. However, the trunk absolutely stinks.
Look in your phone book (or Internet) for Servicemaster. They;ll have
something

Smarty wrote:
My convertible was stored for the winter in an unheated garage, and a mouse
decided to visit the car's trunk. It apparently became trapped in one of the
trunk storage compartments, and eventually died, leaving a disgusting
combination of excretions and a rotting corpse.

When the car came out of storage yesterday, I immediately smelled and then
located the mess, and proceeded to clean everything out with a shop vac,
paper towels, and then Lysol in the felt lined compartment where the mess
was located. I have washed and air dried everything, and now there is no
visual evidence of any remaining mess of any kind whatsoever. However, the
trunk absolutely stinks.

Is there any good and dependable way to remove these type of odors
permanently? I do not want to try using fragrances to cover up the remaining
stink and want to get the smell out of there entirely.

Thanks for any advice / recommendations.





You need to clean it with a quaterary ammonia product. It will have an
active ingredient that looks something like this: "n-alkyl dimethyl
benzyl ammonium chloride" or "Benzalkonium chloride".

It kills bacteria, fungus, and viruses, and has an oddly "fresh" smell.

Don't get any concentrate in your eyes; it kills them too.

Bob

I will try this first Dave. I already have an unopened box in the house.
Thanks for the suggestion.



"Dave H." hopefuldave_doesn't_like_spiced_ham_so_remove_thi
wrote in message ...

"Smarty" wrote...
Thanks for the reply Joe. I have not tried anything yet. My one prior
experience with using fragrances to mask an odor turned out to be a
disaster, with the result being a strong lingering odor of flower
fragrance
on top of my kid's puke smell. I wound up having to have the carpeting in
that car replaced to get rid of both odors.

I am trying to avoid making the same type of mistake again. I was hoping
that something like activated charcoal or some other method could absorb
the
offensive odor rather than try to cover it up.


You could try baking (bicarbonate of) soda, work it (dry) into the
affected
area with a brush and leave for a few hours, then vacuum up - it absorbs
all
kinds of smells (it's what's inside a lot of "fridge deodourisers" etc.)

--
Dave H.
(The engineer formerly known as Homeless)

"Rules are for the obedience of fools, and the guidance of wise men" -
Douglas Bader

Too expensive if I can do it myself. If I fail, they ***WILL BE*** the ones
I call!


"Rudy" wrote in message
news:vYs2i.187398$6m4.183685@pd7urf1no...

. However, the trunk absolutely stinks.
Look in your phone book (or Internet) for Servicemaster. They;ll have
something

Bob,

Where would I buy this stuff? Is it a hardware store type of item? Any
"brand names" to look for?

Thanks very much!


"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...
Smarty wrote:
My convertible was stored for the winter in an unheated garage, and a
mouse decided to visit the car's trunk. It apparently became trapped in
one of the trunk storage compartments, and eventually died, leaving a
disgusting combination of excretions and a rotting corpse.

When the car came out of storage yesterday, I immediately smelled and
then located the mess, and proceeded to clean everything out with a shop
vac, paper towels, and then Lysol in the felt lined compartment where the
mess was located. I have washed and air dried everything, and now there
is no visual evidence of any remaining mess of any kind whatsoever.
However, the trunk absolutely stinks.

Is there any good and dependable way to remove these type of odors
permanently? I do not want to try using fragrances to cover up the
remaining stink and want to get the smell out of there entirely.

Thanks for any advice / recommendations.





You need to clean it with a quaterary ammonia product. It will have an
active ingredient that looks something like this: "n-alkyl dimethyl
benzyl ammonium chloride" or "Benzalkonium chloride".

It kills bacteria, fungus, and viruses, and has an oddly "fresh" smell.

Don't get any concentrate in your eyes; it kills them too.

Bob

Smarty wrote:
Bob,

Where would I buy this stuff? Is it a hardware store type of item? Any
"brand names" to look for?

Thanks very much!


"zxcvbob" wrote in message
...

You need to clean it with a quaterary ammonia product. It will have an
active ingredient that looks something like this: "n-alkyl dimethyl
benzyl ammonium chloride" or "Benzalkonium chloride".

It kills bacteria, fungus, and viruses, and has an oddly "fresh" smell.

Don't get any concentrate in your eyes; it kills them too.

Bob



I buy it at Fleet Farm where it comes in a 1 gallon jug called
"Stearamine", with the dairy barn chemicals. It's used in all kinds
hospital cleaners that you might can buy at a janitor supply store. I
think Sam's Club sells it in a product called "OdorBan", or something
like that. It's also used in some humidifier algaecides, and in a
garden chemical called "Consan Triple 20" HTH :-)

Bob

"Smarty" wrote in message
...
Thanks for the reply Joe. I have not tried anything yet. My one prior
experience with using fragrances to mask an odor turned out to be a
disaster, with the result being a strong lingering odor of flower
fragrance on top of my kid's puke smell. I wound up having to have the
carpeting in that car replaced to get rid of both odors.

I am trying to avoid making the same type of mistake again. I was hoping
that something like activated charcoal or some other method could absorb
the offensive odor rather than try to cover it up.


I believe that febreze is suppost to be an enzyme product that breaks
organic odor producing things. It is often recommended for pet urine
problems.

Bob



Did you try Febreze?

Joe

On Tue, 15 May 2007 18:39:27 -0400, "Smarty"
wrote:

My convertible was stored for the winter in an unheated garage, and a mouse
decided to visit the car's trunk. It apparently became trapped in one of the
trunk storage compartments, and eventually died, leaving a disgusting
combination of excretions and a rotting corpse.

When the car came out of storage yesterday, I immediately smelled and then
located the mess, and proceeded to clean everything out with a shop vac,
paper towels, and then Lysol in the felt lined compartment where the mess
was located. I have washed and air dried everything, and now there is no
visual evidence of any remaining mess of any kind whatsoever. However, the
trunk absolutely stinks.

Is there any good and dependable way to remove these type of odors
permanently? I do not want to try using fragrances to cover up the remaining
stink and want to get the smell out of there entirely.

Thanks for any advice / recommendations.

I've had good luck using an "upholstery cleaner" (spray can) in cars
to get odors out.

Spray the foam on the "felt liner" and work in with a scrub brush,
then shop vac out.

If the liner will come out easily; set in the sun awhile to help air
it out also.

--
Oren

Hofstadter's Law - It [a task] always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.

On May 15, 3:39 pm, "Smarty" wrote:
My convertible was stored for the winter in an unheated garage, and a mouse
decided to visit the car's trunk. It apparently became trapped in one of the
trunk storage compartments, and eventually died, leaving a disgusting
combination of excretions and a rotting corpse.

When the car came out of storage yesterday, I immediately smelled and then
located the mess, and proceeded to clean everything out with a shop vac,
paper towels, and then Lysol in the felt lined compartment where the mess
was located. I have washed and air dried everything, and now there is no
visual evidence of any remaining mess of any kind whatsoever. However, the
trunk absolutely stinks.

Is there any good and dependable way to remove these type of odors
permanently? I do not want to try using fragrances to cover up the remaining
stink and want to get the smell out of there entirely.

Thanks for any advice / recommendations.

The last time I check, Sitre Magana was sleeping the the trunk of a
car.

"Bob F" wrote in message
. ..
I believe that febreze is suppost to be an enzyme product that breaks
organic odor producing things. It is often recommended for pet urine
problems.

Bob

That's how they market it anyway, supposedly an "odor eliminator". In my
experience, it leaves a lot to be desired. Last house I rented, the
previous occupant (the owner) had a HUGE and generally unwashed shaggy dog,
Norwegian elk hound or some damned thing. The animal used to sleep on the
carpeted floor of the living room in front of a sliding glass doors where
the sun would pour in during the afternoon. I know this because whenever
we'd leave the blinds open, 10 seconds after the sun began to warm the spot,
it was like the beast was over for a visit, dirty-doggy-smell wise. Tried
Fabreeze on the spot, after which the whole room still smelled like the dog
was visiting, but doused in Aqua Velva.

Dan

Shellac spray is generally used for this in woodworking. No odor,
fast drying.

On Tue, 15 May 2007 18:39:27 -0400, "Smarty"
wrote:

My convertible was stored for the winter in an unheated garage, and a mouse
decided to visit the car's trunk. It apparently became trapped in one of the
trunk storage compartments, and eventually died, leaving a disgusting
combination of excretions and a rotting corpse.

When the car came out of storage yesterday, I immediately smelled and then
located the mess, and proceeded to clean everything out with a shop vac,
paper towels, and then Lysol in the felt lined compartment where the mess
was located. I have washed and air dried everything, and now there is no
visual evidence of any remaining mess of any kind whatsoever. However, the
trunk absolutely stinks.

Is there any good and dependable way to remove these type of odors
permanently? I do not want to try using fragrances to cover up the remaining
stink and want to get the smell out of there entirely.

Thanks for any advice / recommendations.

I'm confused by the suggestion of shellac. How would shellac be used to
remove an odor from a car trunk carpet???

I'm still fighting this issue BTW. Having thoroughly cleaned the affected
area with Lysol, Renuzit Carpet shampoo, lots of scrubbing and vacuuming,
the smell has become less noticeable, but it is still there.

I am next trying baking soda, hoping it will soak up the remaining odor.
Still looking for some really effective odor removal method.....





wrote in message
...
Shellac spray is generally used for this in woodworking. No odor,
fast drying.

On Tue, 15 May 2007 18:39:27 -0400, "Smarty"
wrote:

My convertible was stored for the winter in an unheated garage, and a
mouse
decided to visit the car's trunk. It apparently became trapped in one of
the
trunk storage compartments, and eventually died, leaving a disgusting
combination of excretions and a rotting corpse.

When the car came out of storage yesterday, I immediately smelled and then
located the mess, and proceeded to clean everything out with a shop vac,
paper towels, and then Lysol in the felt lined compartment where the mess
was located. I have washed and air dried everything, and now there is no
visual evidence of any remaining mess of any kind whatsoever. However, the
trunk absolutely stinks.

Is there any good and dependable way to remove these type of odors
permanently? I do not want to try using fragrances to cover up the
remaining
stink and want to get the smell out of there entirely.

Thanks for any advice / recommendations.

In article ,
"Smarty" wrote:

I'm confused by the suggestion of shellac. How would shellac be used to
remove an odor from a car trunk carpet???

I'm still fighting this issue BTW. Having thoroughly cleaned the affected
area with Lysol, Renuzit Carpet shampoo, lots of scrubbing and vacuuming,
the smell has become less noticeable, but it is still there.

I am next trying baking soda, hoping it will soak up the remaining odor.
Still looking for some really effective odor removal method.....






Wonder whether you remember the Seinfeld episode in which Jerry finally
abandons his car, with keys in it, because he can't get rid of a bad
smell in it no matter what he does, and can't even sell it.

Have you tried Ozium? Or, the skunk recipe might work:

"The formula is a safe, fast and cheap skunk deodorant that was
developed by chemist Paul Krebaum of Lisle, Ill., when a colleague's cat
was in dire need of a cure. The recipe includes:

One quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide

One-fourth cup baking soda

One teaspoon liquid soap

Skunk essence is made of sulfur molecules, Krebaum explained in the
article. The materials in the recipe, when mixed together, form an
alkaline peroxide, which chemically changes the skunk essence into
sulfonic acid; a completely odorless chemical. The soap breaks down the
oily skunk essence, making it more susceptible to the other chemicals."

Smitty Two,

I saw the episode and thought it was very funny.....until it happened to my
car.........a 2006 Corvette convertible with only 920 miles on it, purchased
last summer, briefly driven, and then put away for storage in the winter.


Thankfully, after a lot of time and trouble, the stink is entirely and
totally gone.

I am posting this final comment for those who may stumble upon this thread
in the future with a similar problem.

The basic lesson is:

Do ***NOT*** (I repeat ***DO NOT***) attempt to use any detergents or
cleaners which themselves contain fragrances and / or other cover-up
chemicals. All they wind up doing is adding to the stench.

The very best recommendations and eventually the ***ONLY*** true solutions
were to use an enzymatic solution which itself has no smell, but just
attacks the bacteria which comprise the stink and kill them entirely.
Secondly, using baking soda to absorb residual odor is an excellent
complement to the enzyme solution.

I mistakenly applied Fabreze, Renuzit, and Woolite carpet shampoo in various
attempts. Each one made the stench worse...........

Finally the enzymes and baking soda truly removed the stench of both the
original dead rodent as well as the flower cover-ups, which themselves are
also disgusting.

I used a little spray of "New Car Smell" when I got all finished and now the
Corvette is back on the road and rockin'.....


Thanks again to all,

Smarty


"Smitty Two" wrote in message
news
In article ,
"Smarty" wrote:

I'm confused by the suggestion of shellac. How would shellac be used to
remove an odor from a car trunk carpet???

I'm still fighting this issue BTW. Having thoroughly cleaned the affected
area with Lysol, Renuzit Carpet shampoo, lots of scrubbing and vacuuming,
the smell has become less noticeable, but it is still there.

I am next trying baking soda, hoping it will soak up the remaining odor.
Still looking for some really effective odor removal method.....






Wonder whether you remember the Seinfeld episode in which Jerry finally
abandons his car, with keys in it, because he can't get rid of a bad
smell in it no matter what he does, and can't even sell it.

Have you tried Ozium? Or, the skunk recipe might work:

"The formula is a safe, fast and cheap skunk deodorant that was
developed by chemist Paul Krebaum of Lisle, Ill., when a colleague's cat
was in dire need of a cure. The recipe includes:

One quart of 3 percent hydrogen peroxide

One-fourth cup baking soda

One teaspoon liquid soap

Skunk essence is made of sulfur molecules, Krebaum explained in the
article. The materials in the recipe, when mixed together, form an
alkaline peroxide, which chemically changes the skunk essence into
sulfonic acid; a completely odorless chemical. The soap breaks down the
oily skunk essence, making it more susceptible to the other chemicals."

When you say "an enzymatic solution which itself has no smell", do you
mean a manufactured product you can buy or a home-made solution? What
exactly did you use?

Thanks!

Sorry I failed to be more specific. The product is called RugDoctorPro Odor
Remover. It is described on the spec sheet at:
http://www.rugdoctorpro.com/pro/solutions.pdf

with the description: "Bioenzyme technology eliminates the organic source of
odors" and boy does it ever work! It has no cleaning ability.....only odor
removal....and no scent of its own.

This company makes a family of chemical cleaning and deodorizing products
along with steam cleaning equipment for rent in some supermarkets and rental
stores.

It did an outstanding job in my case......and nothing else even remotely
seemed to solve the problem.

Smarty

wrote in message
ps.com...
When you say "an enzymatic solution which itself has no smell", do you
mean a manufactured product you can buy or a home-made solution? What
exactly did you use?

Thanks!

I bought a little house from an estate sale where the owner had been in a
nursing home for 5 years. The basement contained a chest type freezer full
of meat. The freezer no longer worked. You think you had a smell....

Aaaaaarrrrrgh!

How were you able to get rid of the stink? Or, maybe I should ask: "Were you
***ever*** able to get rid of the stink"?

Smarty



"longshot" wrote in message
news:2paai.14142$Gy4.12986@trndny08...
I bought a little house from an estate sale where the owner had been in a
nursing home for 5 years. The basement contained a chest type freezer full
of meat. The freezer no longer worked. You think you had a smell....