The 83 Hurst Olds that I just aquired has a very nice original cloth interior that don't need to be replaced but it has that musty old car interior smell. I think the car has been sitting for an extended period of time. Does anyone have a fix or idea on how to refresh the smell without having to replace? Thanks Larry

 

Try some some odor absorbing stuff, like a few boxes of baking soda that are made to go in the fridge.

 

I have the same problem with a 85 442 I bought in the fall...I only had time to open windows and toss some scented dryer sheets and an open box of baking soda in the car before storing it for winter....hopefully others will chime in, because my interior is also in really good shape.....

 

Also consider wet vacuuming the carpet and upholstery with a good enzymatic based cleaner such as R*g D*ctor, K*ds and Pets, etc (as per the directions). My experience with RG is that it smells like new carpet afterwards, while K & P leaves a citrus scent.

 

You can try all of the above mentioned remedies including using charcoal & coffee to absorb the smell but none of them are any where as near as effective as having the car professionally detailed. It costs money but the cheap route seldom makes any real impact on the odors trapped in the car.

 

Strongly agree!

 

If none of the above works, contact some local used car lots as they have people that deoderize cars professionaly.

 

I retired from the car business and we had someone that came by regularly ,that used a small ozone fogger.He just plugged it up and sat it in the car and it would completely fill the inside of the car with a white fog.After about 10 minutes ,he opened all the door and let it clear out and the odors would be gone.He also deodorized motel rooms.Ask around the local dealers and motels and I bet there's someone around that does this locally. You can check this system out at www.odorfree.com, or buy the small unit for autos and motel rooms ($250 or so),who knows it might be a good side line income with a low start up cost.If you decide to take my advice and start you own business,just PM me for where to send 10 percent! I'm not holding my breath 'till I Get my PM. Larry

 

When I worked for a outlet center for Montgomery Wards back in the 80's we used coffee grinds in the returned refrigerators to get the smell out.

Pat