B-BO, horrible stink.... help?

[Mr Bravada]

Ok guys, heres the scoop: dad is looking at this tahoe, said tahoe is in great shape rides perfect, clean, etc....

the problem is this, the previous owners must have had large dogs that they let in wet. so imagine that wet dog smell, but almost over powering. (when with my g/f's dog and he's wet its the same smell) so basically pet odor). Now we're buying this truck if the smell can be removed.

So for those of you with hints or have dealt with this in the past what have you done, has it worked, etc... we've thought of fra-breeze (sp?) but wonder if its up to the challenge

[Mr Bravada]

and for reference, the title is in regards to that Sienfeld episode where jerry's car is over taken with the b-o from the valet.... same level of smell here folks

[stockchevy1983]

lol great episode on seinfeld lol, good luck with the smell, dont have a clue how to get rid of it lol

[Tex Star Detail]

Can you pin-point where the smell is coming from, or is it the whole interior in general? Is it coming from the A/C vents when the A/C is on?

I would take it to a detail shop. A lot of over the counter products will just mask the odor for a short time.
I would assume it would need to have an interior detail to scrub down every part as well as shampoo/hot water extract all the seats, carpet, and fabric. Shouldn't cost that much, maybe around $100, really depends on the area you live.
A reputable detailer may have an Ozone Machine as well, which will remove the odor.

If you are dead set on doing it yourself, try some Kids 'n' Pets.
You can buy it at Wal-Mart and such. I would also recommend you rent a steam cleaner/carpet shampooer as well. The Kids 'n' Pets is an enzyme based cleaner if I remember correctly, which kills odor causing bacteria. Leaves a pleasant smell as well....

I would pour it in a spray bottle and go over the seats and fabric, give it a good scrub down. For the carpets, use the steam cleaner you can rent with the Kids 'n' Pets in it.

Let me know if you need any other info...

[ib2loud]

Some of our dealerships have a vendor come out that fogs up the interior or smoker's cars, the fog just sits in the car for an hour or so and it gets rid of a lot of the smell...you could always call your nearest dealership and ask who they do their odor removal

[spatch137]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tex Star Detail

Can you pin-point where the smell is coming from, or is it the whole interior in general? Is it coming from the A/C vents when the A/C is on?

I would take it to a detail shop. A lot of over the counter products will just mask the odor for a short time.
I would assume it would need to have an interior detail to scrub down every part as well as shampoo/hot water extract all the seats, carpet, and fabric. Shouldn't cost that much, maybe around $100, really depends on the area you live.
A reputable detailer may have an Ozone Machine as well, which will remove the odor.

If you are dead set on doing it yourself, try some Kids 'n' Pets.
You can buy it at Wal-Mart and such. I would also recommend you rent a steam cleaner/carpet shampooer as well. The Kids 'n' Pets is an enzyme based cleaner if I remember correctly, which kills odor causing bacteria. Leaves a pleasant smell as well....

I would pour it in a spray bottle and go over the seats and fabric, give it a good scrub down. For the carpets, use the steam cleaner you can rent with the Kids 'n' Pets in it.

Let me know if you need any other info...

An Ozone machine although pretty expensive works wonders.

[Mr Bravada]

my dad is leaving for a week on business, when he comes back he is going to see if the dealership still has it and i guess we'll see from there

[Tex Star Detail]

Quote: Originally Posted by spatch137

An Ozone machine although pretty expensive works wonders.

Amen to that!
I have been wanting one for a while now. I don't get enough calls for odor removal to justify the cost of purchasing one...

[Nate8727]

Here's what to do.

First remove all seats and excess trim covering the carpet.

Next shampoo carpet and apply stain remover. Try the stuff that has a nice scent to it. (Go to a petsmart, and get something with Pet odor neutralizer or anything in that category)

I would highly recommend the little green shampoo/vac from bissell. Thing works great. If you can find a bigger version, then that's even better.

Windex all interior windows.(works great with smokers, always leaves a yellow film)

After that take some detergent with hot water (dish soap, anything that's gentle), and wipe down all the interior trim, parts, etc...

Make sure you shampoo the seats also, unless their leather, then you would use leather cleaner, reconditioner.

After all the shampooing, put the truck in a ventilated area and leave the windows down. Open doors if you have to. Leaving the doors windows shut/sealed will just cause it to mildew. Make sure to turn off the dome lights too, or you'll have a dead battery...lol.

If it still smells, repeat all of the above until there the smell is gone. It takes a bit of time, but it does work. Most of those sprays like febreeze just mask the smell, and don't get rid of it.

[XsteveedgeX]

those foggers work awesome, we have a guy that comes out ot work and does it, and it is amazing...

[96blazer]

Do like Tex Star Detail and just take irt to a detail place.

Fabreez and pretty much most of the cleaners will just mask the smell.

For the price of the supplies and time it'll take you to fully clean out a Tahoe, it's just easier and about the same price to have a shop clean it fully and detail it. and they'll get rid off the smell, not hide it (a good shop will).

[Tex Star Detail]

Yea, take a trip down here to Texas and I'll take care of it for you....... LOL
I've never had any problems removing odors from my clients' cars. Cat spray is the worst. It just takes patience and time, along with proper chemicals.

Let us know how it plays out....

[Mr Bravada]

update:
Dad took the truck (while on test drive) to the detailing place. the kid laughs and says he's smelled worse and they can get rid of that smell.

needless to say that it worked fantastically, if anyone has a wierd smell, an ozone machine is awesome.... now it smells cleaner than the stuff at the dealer.

[Tex Star Detail]

good to hear.

Yea, I've smelt some rancid things in my business. Had one lady with a van. Her kid spilled half gallon of milk in it. She let it set for a week, in the hot Texas heat. She then thought she could get rid of the smell by using half bottle of vinegar. Oh yea, smelled wonderful. I ended up pulling the seat out, pulling the carpet/padding. Replaced the padding, steamed and shampoo'd the carpet a few times, put it all back together, and the smell was finally gone.
Also had a 50 lb. bag of catfish food get wet in the back of an SUV. Now that was bad smell. I ended up dry heaving for half the morning.

[NOTORIOUS J]

fitzgeralds aerosol fogger... works WONDERS. let it soak in the truck for around 2 hours then open the doors and look at the fake hot box clear out haha