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How do you get smells out of a car carpet?

Recently, a carton of milk leaked onto the floor of my car. I soaked up the spill right away and tried spraying fabric deodorizer on it, but I can’t get the spoiled milk smell out of the carpet and now it’s making my whole car smell bad. How do you get smells out of a car carpet?

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Aimee Lynn Everett · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
Spilled milk is never fun, especially when it’s on your car’s carpet.
You did the right thing by soaking up the spill right away to keep it from seeping further into hard-to-reach areas. There are a few things you can do to get smells out of a car carpet.
Here are some ways to clean and deodorize the carpet in your car:
  • Car carpet cleaner: Buy a commercial car carpet cleaner solution and use it on the area of the spill. Make sure you follow the directions on the bottle
  • Vinegar and baking soda: Mix a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and water to spray onto the carpet and let sit for a few hours. After soaking the vinegar solution up with a rag, sprinkle baking soda on the area of the spill and let it sit for another couple of hours. You can vacuum up the baking soda once the carpet is dry
  • Steam cleaner: If you have a small steam cleaner, you can use it to clean the carpet inside your car
If you have tried these methods and still can’t get the smell out, you can always take your car to a professional cleaner. If you want to protect your car carpet from wear and future spills, investing in
fitted floor mats
can make car cleaning easy.
Dealing with the extra chores that come with having a car—whether it’s cleaning the carpets or shopping for
car insurance
—can be a hassle.
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