Aroma or Smell

[vundabar]

Anyone know the tips or trick as how to get rid of this new car smell really fast without adding other chemical? (I know some of my friend will do anything to keep that new car smell in theri car...)
Also, what do you do to have nice aroma in the car without having to add chemical base perfume?


My new Tiguan makes my throat and eyes sore.
I've noticed that my skin was irritated and itchy on first day wherever my hands touched so I had to wipe all the interior down with wet cloth.
Actually this happen to me every time I get a new car.

So, any sages here who can advise me with how to?

Here are list of what I been doing. (not so much as getting rid of the new car smell but rather camouflage or cover up or just because it smells nice)

1. Bag of fresh coffee beans in a cheese cloth bag and it works nice but I have to smash the bean bag to release aroma time to time and it doesn't really last. (I found out, not everyone likes coffee like me...Than again, it's my car^^)

2. Bundle of cinnamon sticks with vanilla bean in a mesh bag. This doesn't last either...

3. Cotton balls with various aroma oil drops in a mesh bag. ( was told by car fanatic that oil base aroma is not good for vent and window??? I don't know...)

I don't like pot-pourri or dried flowers because they somehow smell really vile after a while and it breaks down and leaves fine petal dust everywhere...

So, I would love to know what others are doing about making their car smell nice and fresh?

[team_v]

Anyone know the tips or trick as how to get rid of this new car smell really fast without adding other chemical? (I know some of my friend will do anything to keep that new car smell in theri car...)
Also, what do you do to have nice aroma in the car without having to add chemical base perfume?


My new Tiguan makes my throat and eyes sore.
I've noticed that my skin was irritated and itchy on first day wherever my hands touched so I had to wipe all the interior down with wet cloth.
Actually this happen to me every time I get a new car.

So, any sages here who can advise me with how to?

Here are list of what I been doing. (not so much as getting rid of the new car smell but rather camouflage or cover up or just because it smells nice)

1. Bag of fresh coffee beans in a cheese cloth bag and it works nice but I have to smash the bean bag to release aroma time to time and it doesn't really last. (I found out, not everyone likes coffee like me...Than again, it's my car^^)

2. Bundle of cinnamon sticks with vanilla bean in a mesh bag. This doesn't last either...

3. Cotton balls with various aroma oil drops in a mesh bag. ( was told by car fanatic that oil base aroma is not good for vent and window??? I don't know...)

I don't like pot-pourri or dried flowers because they somehow smell really vile after a while and it breaks down and leaves fine petal dust everywhere...

So, I would love to know what others are doing about making their car smell nice and fresh?

to be honest i don't really know what you can do other than spray some glen 20 or something in the car.

Bi-carbinate soda or lemons are menat to remove the smells.

I was completely the opposite though and wanted the new car smell as long as possible.
It went away after a little over a year


Try driving with the windows down a lot or leave them down wen you park it at home.

[gecko2k]

Try driving with the windows down a lot or leave them down wen you park it at home.

+1

Also putting soft plastic packed fabric softener under the seat (unopened) works really well. Otherwise just air it out for a couple of hours every day...

[mikinoz]

Bi-carbonate soda in an open container replace it every week.

[vundabar]

Open Box of Bi-carb been working hard but still stink of new car smell...

[wai]

Anyone know the tips or trick as how to get rid of this new car smell really fast without adding other chemical? (I know some of my friend will do anything to keep that new car smell in theri car...)

Well...there is a sure fire way to do it, but it is drastic.

If you work on a project in a sewage treatment works, the H2S will sensitise your nasal tissues to the point where the medication you are put on strips the lining from your nose (literally). This leaves you with the inability to smell. You can now not be bothered by changing nappies, or gas or the smell of a new car...

But seriously, there is little you can do. No point in adding a perfume to overcome it because all you end up is a mixture of perfume and the smell. On the sewage treatment project, the site foreman was trying to show the project manager that the "grit" was not flowing off a drum screen. He demonstrated this by sticking his bare hand into the accumulated grit. Instead of washing his hand off straight away, he let it dry and the particles ended up deep in the pores of his skin. When he got home, his wife would have nothing to do with him, so he thought he's use the aftershave that was his wife's favourite, only now she could only smell a mixture of sewage and aftershave. He ended up having to scrub his arm until it almost bled and his wife never liked that aftershave again!

What you need is something like an activated carbon filter that will absorb the vapours given off by the plastics, and this would not be a short term fix. You would have to do this until the plastics stopped giving off vapours.

You do not want to add anything, but remove what is being generated. Other than that, just opening the car up and airing it will reduce the intensity of it.

[Red_Polo]

Basically, there are two ways to get rid of any smell out of your car/caravan/boat, etc. with a single application that will not add any new smells or chemicals.

First, is get yourself an ozone generator from Ebay and leave it in the car overnight. Ozone will destroy any smells and any mould/mildew that you may have.

Second, get yourself some chlorine dioxide add water leave in the car for about an hour, don't be tempted to leave it in too long as it will tend to leave a chlorine smell for a week or so. While it's in the car, start the car and run the air conditioner for a while to freshen it up as well. This stuff works, it will kill any smell; dog, petrol, vomit, baby stink, mould, perfume, cigarette, etc. the only thing it won't kill is automatic gearbox oil. There is a company called Zydox that sells it as well as a few others.

Guaranteed one application with either of these, anything else your wasting your time or just adding something else which is probably as nasty or worse compounding the problem. Both ozone and chlorine dioxide break down into nothing along with the smells.

P.S. It is not recommended you sit in the car with these in it. After application air out the car thouroughly before sitting in it.

[Mk3 AAA]

Take up smoking, 5 yrs on and I can still get a vague whiff of it.

If the car has a nice safe spot at home, leave the windows down to air it out. Those tree air fresheners seem to work in friends cars, I just don't really like the smell of them all that much, but your damp cloth idea seems logical, maybe even do the mats etc too, to try and neutralise the place.

[QBDentFree]

Hertz hire cars "fumigate" their cars to get cigarette smoke smell out of them. I'm not sure what the exact process is, but it works a treat. Might be worth giving them a call.
Since you are in Melbourne, I'd be calling their Clayton branch, as they manage all the repairs out this side of the city

[manol]

Wow, how precious.
Just drive around with the windows down/air the car out over night.

You bought a new car, new plastics, leathers all sorts of things.
You're going to have to live with it for a year or so depending how many KM's you do.

[brad]

It sounds like you are hyper-sensitive to solvents. Have you worked with similar chemicals a lot in the past?

Windows down whenever you can - parked, moving , whatever.
HVAC on fresh air & fan on 25-50% (I can't believe how many people drive on recirc)
Sprinkle a box of bicarb soda all over the floor mats - vacuum off after a week.
Park car in sun with windows open. The heat will make the plastic outgas quicker.
wipe over all the hard surfaces with a water solution that is 10% white vinegar (the cheap crap you buy in 2L bottles).
as above but use vanilla essence (a capful in a litre of water).

[pontiff]

Correct me if I am wrong, but aren't most new car smells coming from things like the new plastic releasing agents impregnated during manufacture / byproduct of the 'ingredients' that go into plastic along with the glue/stickyiness in the wiring loom and such like? in which case a lot of the sprays and what not are not going to reach a lot of the surfaces generating the smell?

[brad]

You are right.

Ialso recomend a spirited drive somewhere (preferably up a mountain) to burn off the greasy coating on the engine, exhaust, etc.