Musty carpet after water spill

[huntingjman73]

I had a cheap cooler leak water into Bronco, But didn’t notice. Sat for 3 weeks while on vacation. Any tips on misty smell or some carpet spray without lifting carpet? It wasn’t a lot but still stinks

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[Deadpool392]

Febreeze or something like that and airflow. If you can get air going under the carpet from a small low speed blower it should also help. Three weeks sitting though, I would go ahead and pull the carpet so I could check for mold.

 

[Jakob1972]

Vinegar and baking soda the mixture you use to make a volcano. I put the vinegar a spray bottle spray the area well until it is damp then sprinkle the soda and let it fizz and bubble and sit until it dries then vacuum up the soda. That got the spoiled milk smell out of a car. Same thing happened to us one of the boys spilled some milk and the car sat for a week.

 

[Pbethel]

Ozone generator. As cheap as $30 on Amazon.
Thats what we used in the hotel I worked at after alcoholic/addicts on benders expelled bodily fluids from all orifices on beds, floors, walls, and the especially ambitious ones, ceilings.

 

[Brian_B]

As big of a pain as it may be (and on the scale of Bronco mods - it honestly isn’t that bad) - you should pull the carpet out entirely to clean it and let it all air/dry out.

If it’s really bad, the other suggestions here will work… for a couple of days, and then the smell will pop back up.

 

[HBTFD 2.0]

When I worked for ford we would have vehicles soaking wet from leaks in the water test booth. After pulling the floorboard plugs or shop vaccing to dry them out we would start it, turn the heat to wide open/fan top speed on the floor and let it run for 30 minutes. If you park in the sun it will dry faster.

 

[Nibroc99]

I had a cheap cooler leak water into Bronco, But didn’t notice. Sat for 3 weeks while on vacation. Any tips on misty smell or some carpet spray without lifting carpet? It wasn’t a lot but still stinks

Take your top off and let it air out. Then take your Bronco's top off and let that air out too!! An ozone generator could help as well. But furthermore I'd use a carpet vacuum (extractor vacuum) before letting it air out so that it's fairly cleaner moisture evaporating. Direct sunlight will help kill some bacteria if it's a sunny hot day as well.

 

[Dral97]

You could try this:
Fabric Cleaning Interior Brush Kit | Chemical Guys

Though I worry that might do that thing that happens with that bathroom air spray after ya poop. It doesn't smell like flowers - it smells like poop and flowers.

 

[BearPatrol]

White vinegar is amazing at neutralizing smells. But also agree that you should probably get underneath it to really nip it in the bud.

2 weeks new, I had a buddy accidentally spill a few quarts of used motor oil in the far back. Took removing everything in the back to get it all. Used white vinegar & baking soda for the carpeted areas tho. I expected on hot summer days, the smell would show back up, but it never did.

Re-read your post, probably fine with just some baking soda & vinegar. There's a plastic layer on the bottom of the carpet, so it might be fine.

 

[Valhalla]

As big of a pain as it may be (and on the scale of Bronco mods - it honestly isn’t that bad) - you should pull the carpet out entirely to clean it and let it all air/dry out.

If it’s really bad, the other suggestions here will work… for a couple of days, and then the smell will pop back up.

This

 

[CalvinT]

I've used this with great success. I keep a packet handy. I gave one to a friend who bought a PT Cruiser from someone who had a lot of dogs. NosGuard got rid of the dog smell permanently. It kills the source of the smell.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J4GHLFI?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1

 

[CalvinT]

I had a cheap cooler leak water into Bronco, But didn’t notice. Sat for 3 weeks while on vacation. Any tips on misty smell or some carpet spray without lifting carpet? It wasn’t a lot but still stinks

I've used this with great success. I keep a packet handy. I gave one to a friend who bought a PT Cruiser from someone who had a lot of dogs. NosGuard got rid of the dog smell permanently. It kills the source of the smell. You'll have to use it at night or in a garage. Sunlight makes the active ingredient breakdown.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00J4GHLFI?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_3&th=1

 

[Pops]

Reminds me of the time I was the designated driver for my friend at his university graduation party (ritzy part of La Jolla, CA).
The next day I was wet mopping puke and chunks of chewed carrots out of the back of my rally Volvo.
I had, luckily, removed the back seat and all the carpet in that car.

To not totally hijack this thread:
late advice is to remove the carpet from our Broncos?
Edit: he was one of my best friends. We had each others’ backs.

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