I think this is good advice. Make sure there is not a gross blanket leg strap or towel used on a horse lost under a seat or in a cubby in the trunk space.
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If the product doesnât come in, I think Bed Bath and Beyond also has some order absorbing cans that you can sit in the interior and hope. I used it on a house that had been chain smoked in for many years, and I wouldnât say that it was miraculous but it mightâve helped a little. I would suggest to leave the car open as much as possible with windows down, etc. to air out. Spraying some fever s on all of the fabric isnât a bad idea. I would do that and then open it up for a few hours.
As I learned from the house experience, fabric holds odors really badly. I know that this may not be of help but I have dogs and so I try to get a vehicle with leather seats. That gives you more surface area that you can wipe down, and I feel like it just doesnât have as much fabric that holds odor.
You would keep a car smelling really nice by never putting horse stuff in it, never having dogs in it, never smoking in it, and never eating in it. Unfortunately that isnât the real world for many, myself included, so in the future Iâd say try to make sure that any stinky horse stuff, like dirty turnout blankets, is contained in a trash bag and set inside of a plastic tub and donât leave it in the car overnight. If you take it home, set it outside instead of leaving it in the car to take to the laundromat or blanket person the next day. If youâre going to have something on the seats, cover the seats with a blanket thatâs washable.
Good luck. I am totally nose blind to dog and horse odor (or at least the odor of my own dogs and horses), but Iâm really sensitive to the smell of cigarettes, perfumes, and other things so I understand people not liking the smell of my car. I bathe the dogs often and Iâve learned not to let dirty horse stuff sit in the car, but some odor from it is just reality. I have an SUV so there is no trunk that is separate, and I take the dogs to the park or dog training stuff and they walk in dew and have wet feet and probably smell like ⌠wet dogs! I do use seat blankets because those are washable, but Iâm sure some people would find my car offensive.
Dealerships do have various odor products that they use when a car has been smoked in, etc. You may not have time this time, but calling the place you bought it from and having it detailed may help. The problem is that it doesnât sound like youâre a total slob with the car with dirty turnouts in it for 3 months, but it sounds like this is the âbarn carâ that you have to use to move the horse stuff around. Some of this may just be the nature of the beast.
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Thanks everyone for the input. I have a small SUV, a Subaru Forester, so there is no separate trunk. @Casey09 i AM the blanket person LOL. I usually carry things back and forth in a rubber tote
Even though I feel like I do everything right, all the notes here made me realize that even if nothing is sitting on the seats or fabric, that doesnât mean the fabric isnât absorbing the scent. I am focusing my cleaning efforts on that. I sprayed all the seats and headliner down last night with the windows open and will do it again today, and hoping the biocide autobomb arrives tomorrow!
Maybe for future you will have to use the truck for pick up of dirty horse clothes for the laundry business. That way the most smelly things (dirty blankets) are not even in your car.
As a day-to-day thing, if your car is in a garage you can drop a window an inch or so to let it air out. This makes all the difference for mine ⌠my last car had a definite funk from, well, everything. Airing it out overnight REALLY helped, and cracking a window on hot summer days at work was sheer self-defense. I recommend it overnight for sure! Really helps!
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My husbands vehicle isnât a truck, itâs just a larger SUV. I could NEVER bring home dirty blankets in it! That would be hard on my marriage ðŸËâðŸËâ
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If your Forester has a hitch, you can get a tiny flat bed trailer (like the kind for a lawn mower). Then bungee some Rubbermaid containers on top when you pick up blankets.
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This is a great idea!
And never leave anything in the vehicle overnight, or all day - especially closed up and in the sun!
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I have a little hatchback and itâs been my tack room all summer due to COVID.
Anything dirty (my backpack with helmet, hairnet, gloves etc,) my tall boots, used saddle pads, damp horse boots, towels is taken out of the car and inside to be washed or put away as soon as Iâm home.
These odor-destoying Bad Air Sponges are stashed under seats and in the trunk: https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Air-Sponge-Absorbing-Neutralant/dp/B001SBMLAM. I also keep most of my stuff in two big Rubbermaid tubs and pop one of those in each tub.
I also have a charcoal odor-aborber from Purggo hanging off the back of the driverâs seat: https://www.amazon.com/PURGGO-Car-Air-Freshener-Fragrance-Free/dp/B019NXUJ5K/ref=psdc_15735121_t1_B00V4049K2
Iâve only gotten one complaint about the smell all summer, I left a pair of wet Equifits in the back for a day or two and my boyfriend thought something had crawled into the car and died.
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Atmosklear works well, Ace hardware carries it. Maybe buy a farm so you donât have to take horse things back and forth?
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Best. Answer. Ever. My goal is to someday have my own place. This might actually finally be a valid reason for my husband
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Buy hubby a new car, and drive the tow vehicle yourself. Put a box in the back for smelly stuff.
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Vodka, cheap Vodka.
15 years in the car business and an Upholsterer by trade. This is how your detail guy gets the smell out, works on pet smell, cigarette smoke, mildew and cars that smell âworseâ
Mix in Spray bottle with half water. Spray all fabric surfaces till they are wet to the touch. Spray in air vents. Roll up windows and set it the sun for 2 or more hours. Then leave running with heat on high for minimum of 20 minutes or dry. You might not want to drive it right away or you will get high off the fumes. Odors are biological in nature and the pure alcohol kills them. To perfect the car smell get the cabin air filter changed at your local parts store and then either finish with dryer sheets under the seats or fresh coffee beans or ground, which ever smell you prefer. Cheap and works every time.
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Home Depot sells these odor absorbing containers. Get a couple and keep one In the back and one under the seat. Anything I carry in the car has to be in a bin with a lid, and I have to be diligent about not wearing barn boots in the car. My coworkers always ride with me so I try to be extra clean.
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Hereâs the thing - your car will smell a whole lot worse, in a much more gross way, once those dirty sweaty sports uniforms get back I. The car for the drive home - especially if some of the kids wonât shower if they put clean clothes on - which they probably wonât if this isnât an overnighter
Iâll just bet your husband wonât notice THAT smellââ- and I would point that out to him â after you get the keys to the truck:)
I agree unless the car is professionally detailed, the smell wonât come out. Thatâs the only thing that works with my car from carrying the dogs.
Yep, I was going to mention the headliner. Open a door, SOAK the headliner in febreeze, then close the door and let it marinate for hours.
Worked very well when I smoked an entire pack of cigarettes in a rental car driving 6 hours to the nearest big city. ⌠I was in meltdown mode after all my personal belongings got stolen in another country, including my passport. :lol:
I am suspicious, but I want to try this.
Meeeeee too, :lol:
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Oh speaking of this⌠my old boss (ironically, the only non-horsey one Iâve ever had) had a thingie that didnât even have wheels, but hooked into the hitch like you would your hitch ball. Perfectly held 3 big rubbermaids. Iâm not describing this well. Google to the rescue: [URL=âhttps://www.autoguide.com/top-10-best-hitch-cargo-carriersâ]https://www.autoguide.com/top-10-bes...cargo-carriers
I once tried a charcoal bag too! Canât really report whether it worked or notâŚput it on the car roof so the sunshine could ârefreshâ it andâŚ:o
@endlessclimb and @walkinthewalk what could possibly go wrong? 
âI swear, officer⌠the VODKA smell is just because I have HORSESâ:lol:
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