How To Remove Odor From Car Interiors

Most of us, especially those with a corporate job, end up spending 3-4 hours on a daily basis inside our cars. These are fast becoming our second home! And then there are young guns who not only commute to their college in the cars but also head out for late night parties and weekend drives. Ever thought how we end up neglecting the car interior in the entire ownership experience? No one likes to have a bad smelling car interior. Our cars are often our fashion statement and we like flaunting them in front of others. Imagine your closest pal taunting you about that bad odor the moment he sits inside - we are sure you will not appreciate that. You will be amazed to know how simple it is to keep your car interiors smell-free and always fresh. Read on...

Let The Car Interior Breathe

When you leave your car overnight, all the air trapped inside ends up reaching every nook and corner of the car interior. And if you had snacks or a smoke the previous day, it shows in terms of the bad smell as you step inside the car the next morning. It is best to roll down all the windows as you start the car. Drive around for atleast a minute so that fresh air can ventilate the entire cabin.

Re-circulation Helps

Every car allows you to re-circulate the air via the press of a button. This helps fresh air to come inside the car interior and is advisable when you are eating on the move. Likewise, if someone is having a smoke, roll down the windows a bit along with switching the air-con to the re-circulate mode.

Clean It Out

Every night when you park your car, make sure you throw out every possible trash into the dustbin. This includes empty packets of strong smelling chips, cigarette buts and even coffee cups. You will be surprised to know how these little things can fill the car interiors with odor by the next morning. A handy tip is to keep those black garbage bags in the boot and use them each night to pack all the trash and left over items easily.

Fragrance Always Helps

Invest into a good car perfume. You can never go wrong with these. However, in summers, some of these do tend to leak a bit, so be wary of them. A cheaper option is to use your favorite deodorant and spray it inside the car interiors but not directly onto a cabin part like seat or dashboard. Let it be in the air, close all the windows and let the fragrance settle down. Likewise, you can even keep perfumed wet tissues under the seat. Poke a couple of holes into the box as this will help the essence leak out slowly into the car interior. You can also invest into a car air purifier which easily removes odor, bacteria, dust and mold from the car's interior. The market for such devices is now increasing in India. The latest one includes Moonbow's car air purifier for Rs 6,990.

Baking Soda Magic

Its a lesser known fact that baking soda is used to neutralize the odor inside a car. Sprinkle some amount of baking soda inside the car interior - on the dash, the floor mats and even the seat. Let it sit there for a few hours - this will allow the baking soda to neutralize the smell in the cabin. After a few hours, use a vacuum machine to clean out the car properly. While using the machine, do try to reach every nook and corner of the cabin to remove other hidden dirt particles. These hidden spots are also a good place for growth of fungal and other micro organisms.

Regular Usage Of The Air-Con

We seldom use the air-con in winters but it is advisable to use it every few days. This makes sure the car interior remains moist-free. Further, if un-used, the filter of the air-conditioning unit can become home to fungus and other bacterial organisms. All said and done, precaution is better than cure. This means in the first place itself, we should avoid using our car as a dining area. Refrain from eating inside, even if its just a packet of chips. And its not just about the smell that fills inside but the oily marks you leave on the steering and other parts. Cleanliness is next to godliness and we hope you will apply this on a daily basis inside your favorite set of wheels. We inspect hundreds of used cars each day across India and trust us, clean and fresh smelling cars end up getting a slightly higher resale value. Want to know how much your car can fetch? Head over to

CARS24

right now. For more such tips on car usage, head over to our

car maintenance

section.