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Having a brand new, clean car is great, but the synthetic “new car scent” can get irritating after a few days. Not only is this scent annoying, it can also be harmful to your health as it usually is a byproduct of the noxious car polish and plastic covers that make your car look so new and shiny. Eliminate this smell by first removing all the plastic covers on the interior of your car and leaving the windows open to air out your car. Then use absorbent materials like baking soda to soak up the smell, as well as air fresheners and sprays to give your car a new, pleasant scent.
Steps
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Remove interior plastic coverings. One of the main culprits of the chemically new car scent are the plastic coverings that keep the interior pristine. Remove all the plastic coverings from the inside of your car, including the seat covers, the plastic around the dashboard and cup holders, and the lining on the interior doors of the car.
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Leave the windows open. If weather permits, leave the windows open in your car as you are driving around, and consider leaving them open overnight to let the chemical scent escape and let the fresh air come in. Try to keep the windows open when you can as long as you still smell the new car scent.Advertisement
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Park your car outside if possible. Even if you don’t feel safe leaving your car’s windows open overnight, try to park your car outside when you’re not driving it. Since some of the odor comes from the exterior car polish and window cleaner, leaving your car out in open air still helps to air out the scent of the exterior.
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Leave your car out in the hot sun. Though it’s difficult to say why it is effective, leaving your car in the hot sun with the windows cracked is an effective way of “baking” away the stubborn new car scent. Try to leave the car in the sun for at least two hours to lessen the car smell.
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Leave the heat on for several hours. If it’s a gloomy day or the sun isn’t out in your area, another way to bake out the smell of your car is to close the windows and keep the heat on high for several hours. After two to three hours, turn the heat off and open the windows to let the car air out.
- Make sure you do this outside, as doing it in a sealed garage will cause carbon monoxide to build up in the air.
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Keep the vents in your car running fresh air. Something you want to avoid when you’re driving is to re-circulate the chemical-filled air inside your car. When you’re in your car, run the vents on high under the “fresh air” setting rather than the “recirculate” setting to bring air from outside into your car.
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Use baking soda to soak up the scent. To absorb the odor of the car’s interior, place a few scoops of baking soda in an uncovered container like a bowl or Tupperware container. Place the container in a secure location of your car where it won’t get knocked over and let the baking soda absorb the noxious odor of the car for about a day.
- If the smell still persists after a day, empty out and replace the baking soda. You can also try other absorbent substances that may work better at soaking up the smell.
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Soak up the scent with vinegar. White vinegar is another absorbing agent that is effective at combating strong smells. If using baking soda didn’t work, add two parts of vinegar to one part water in a small container like a jar with a few holes poked in the top of the lid. Place the jar or container in a secure place in your car, then leave it there for about a day so that the vinegar can soak up and mask the odor.
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Place barbecue charcoal under the seats. Another unlikely but effective absorber of scents is barbecue charcoal. To use, place a couple pieces of charcoal on top of paper towels and put them under the driver’s and passenger’s seats for a couple of days or until the odor is gone.
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Clean the interior of your car. Since the new car scent is caused in part by the new plastic of the interior of the car, cleaning and wiping interior plastic surfaces can help to remove the odor. Use a gentle cleanser and a microfiber cloth to clean any plastic interior surfaces such as the door or the steering wheel. After using the cleanser, wipe surfaces with a damp cloth to make sure the cleanser is completely removed from the plastic and doesn’t leave streaks.
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Get your car detailed. Another way to clean away the new car smell smell is to get your seats and carpet shampooed at a detailing shop. Seats and carpeting are often made of absorbent material, which may absorb and trap the new car odor. Even though detailing is usually done to remove dirt and dust, it can work to remove bad odors as well.
- You can also do this yourself by buying products made specifically for the materials in your car interior and following the instructions on the label.
- Getting this procedure done is effective but can be quite expensive, so you may want to try other methods and use this as a last resort.
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Steam clean your seats. An alternative to shampooing your car seats is to steam clean them. Steam cleaners shoot steam deep into upholstery to break down and eliminate bad scents. You can buy or rent steam cleaners in many home improvement stores, but be careful to follow the instructions on the label as steam can burn if used improperly.
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Use air fresheners. If you have tried airing out and cleaning your new car, you should have been successful in eliminating most of the odor. If you have a small amount of odor left, you can easily mask it by hanging an air freshener from your rearview mirror or spraying around a deodorizing spray. Use your favorite scent and make sure the freshener is near the driver’s side of the car so that you can smell it.
- Opt for an anti-bacterial spray to effectively eliminate the smell. [1]
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Expert Source
Chad Zani
Auto Detailing Expert Expert Interview. 2 October 2019.
- Opt for an anti-bacterial spray to effectively eliminate the smell. [1]
X
Expert Source
Chad Zani
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Buy an industrial strength odor eliminator. If you want to do more than just mask the smell, consider buying an industrial strength odor eliminator. These can be found at automotive stores and are formulated specifically for neutralizing bad car odors. [2] X Trustworthy Source Consumer Reports Nonprofit organization dedicated to consumer advocacy and product testing Go to source
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Use other strong scents to mask the smell. There are certain smells that are extremely potent and have a reputation for lingering. The smell of fast food or popcorn for instance can often linger long after the food is eaten. Perfumes and colognes are also formulated to have a lasting scent. Introduce a new scent into your car that you know will be able to last and mask the new car smell until it is gone.
- Only do this if you like the smell that you are introducing, or else you could have an even bigger problem on your hands!
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Expert Q&A
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QuestionWhat is the best type of spray to remove a smell from your car?Chad Zani is an Auto Detailing Expert based in Los Angeles, California. He is the Director of Franchising at Detail Garage, an automotive detailing company with locations around the U.S. and Sweden. He and his team are auto detailing experts that offer detailing and car care services.You're going to need to use an air freshener that has antibacterial properties. Just spraying something that smells nice is not going to solve the problem.
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QuestionWhat is something people often forget when trying to remove a smell from their car?Chad Zani is an Auto Detailing Expert based in Los Angeles, California. He is the Director of Franchising at Detail Garage, an automotive detailing company with locations around the U.S. and Sweden. He and his team are auto detailing experts that offer detailing and car care services.The biggest thing missed in trying to clean up foul smells is paying attention to the cabin filter. Most modern cars have a cabin filter. Whatever pathogen or bacterial element that's making the car stink, because of the way air conditioning works, it's also in the cabin filter.
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Tips
- Try to absorb and air out the smell before you resort to masking it. [3] X Expert Source Chad Zani
Auto Detailing Expert Expert Interview. 2 October 2019.Thanks - Sometimes your car just needs some time to get rid of the smell. Do your best to remove the smell, but be patient if you can still catch a faint whiff of it. If the smell lingers for more than a few weeks, try out more ways of removing it or consult a car detailer.Thanks
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Warnings
- Only use cleaners formulated for the materials your car interior is made of, or you could risk doing damage to your car.Thanks
- Be extremely careful and follow the instructions on the package if you are using a steam cleaner.Thanks
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Things You’ll Need
- Baking soda
- Vinegar
- Barbecue charcoal
- Gentle car interior cleaner
- Steam cleaner
- Air freshener
- Industrial strength odor eliminator
References
- ↑ Chad Zani. Auto Detailing Expert. Expert Interview. 2 October 2019.
- ↑ https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/09/how-to-rid-your-car-of-odors/index.htm
- ↑ Chad Zani. Auto Detailing Expert. Expert Interview. 2 October 2019.
About This Article
Article Summary
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If you’re not a fan of the new car smell, leave the windows open while you drive, which will let the chemical smell out and fresh air in. If the weather’s bad, keep the vents on the “Fresh air” setting so you’re not circulating the smell of your new car. Another way to get rid of your new car smell is to leave it out in the hot sun for a couple of hours with the windows cracked. Alternatively, leave the heat on in the car for 2-3 hours to bake out the smell. If that doesn’t work, leave a bowl full of baking soda in your car while it’s parked for about a day, which will absorb the smell. For more tips, including how to mask the smell of your new car, read on!
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- "Glad that there were natural ways to clear the new car smell out. Will try the vinegar method and/or the baking soda. Don't want to add more cleaners to the toxic cocktail that's already in the car. The charcoal is also an excellent method." ..." more
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