Ever since i bought my used 98 Maxima i seem to have this damp odor in the car. Not sure if previous owner left windows down too much during rain storms or what.... Seems to be coming from carpet, seats, and/or vents.

Smells like that damp/humid smell u get when u first sit in the car on a humid day or when u turn on the heater/AC... Anyone know how to get rid of this?

What cleaning or deodorizing methods are there?

 

READ THE FAQ and IMPORTANT threads before posting a question!!!

Also, you might have to pull the carpets and replace the carpet pads.

 

Try spraying lysol into the vent intake (make sure car isn't set to recirculate the cabin air) and run the air for a few minutes. The lysol will kill anything in the ventilation system. Might smell like a hospital for a little while. Run the air for a while with the windows down. It also helps if you turn the air off before you reach your destination and just run the fan to dry the condensation from the ventilation system. The water is what helps the mildew grow in the ducts.

 

I have done the same thing as Bill927 suggested but I used original scent OZIUM. It is an air sanitizer that they use in hospitals and such. I sprayed it in the vents each day for a few days before turning on the air. i basically let it sit in the AC unit and then eventually turned on the ac after doing this. It seems to work pretty well.

I have to spray it in there once every few weeks, but its no big deal.

You can find this stuff at any car wash and probably at any auto parts shop. Maybe online as well.

Hope this helped?

 

Hang a damprid bag in the car, and run the run the a/c on recirculate. That should dry the cabin. The Ozium spray wors extremely well on odors, if you just wanna pull out the smell.