Ridding Cars of Odor Problems
By Stephen J. Romero
Your customers dont want to own a car that emits foul odors
whenever the doors are opened. When one of their friends
accepts a ride, the last thing
they want is to be asked,
Whats that awful stench? or,
worse, to watch as their
acquaintance pretends not to
notice the foul smell.
The embarrassment of a car
filled with the lingering odor of pets, spilled soda, cigarettes,
sour milk, mildew, or any number of sickly scents is enough
to send a car owner running to the experts--auto detailers
like you--for help.
Sometimes malodors in a car accumulate before owners
really notice them. Maybe they were at the park with the
dogs and it started to rain so they all jumped in the car to
leave. Now a wet dog smell has been embedded in their
upholstery. Perhaps they let a friend smoke cigarettes in the
car while they drove him home, not realizing how long that
odor would hang around. Or maybe their toddler spilled
chocolate milk on her car seat on the way home from the
grocery store. That one spill can turn into a stinking mess
surprisingly quickly. In addition, the sugars in the drink
attract even more soil and grime, which turn into bacteria,
causing even more malodors to develop.
Dirty diapers, cracker crumbs, fast-food wrappers, empty
soda cans, and candy are among some of the items that
contribute to odor problems in your customers' cars. And
most often, instead of treating the problem right away when
it can more easily be addressed, they wait until the odor and
interior sanitation state of their cars have gotten out of
handand thats when they come to you, their detailer, to
take action.
Eradicating Odors at the Source
The first step in removing odors from your customers' cars is
cleaning by attacking the source, which in most cases is the
car's carpet, upholstery, and fabric areas. These areas
should be cleaned with hot-water carpet extractors.
Hot water (or heated cleaning solution) is important, beca