In lieu of poor Steve’s rancid turkey car’s solution being “replace it all” I thought I would share with everyone a possible alternate solution that would be more pocket friendly then a total rebuild or new car solution for hen you get that nasty smell that just won’t take a hike. Ionizing is really for an air issue, but bad odor is almost always an issue started off a surface, not the air. Treating air for smell isn’t removing your odor issue permanently. It is only shooing it away, which we all know from mosquito experience means once the hand is done swishing the problem comes buzzing back. If you want to get rid of something you got to smack it down at its root cause. The product being listed kills what creates the odor at the base, by flooding it out of its hiding place. Remember, if you have a lasting odor it is because the bacteria creating it still exists and is producing it. No amount of treating air will help it go away. You have to treat the start point and the air will follow suit.
Pro’s Choice “OSR” is their Odor and Stain Remover product designed specifically to clean up and clear out nasty smell issues that we find impossible to get gone. This is a process and product I have used over 7 years in professional carpet restoration and it has removed rancid smells such as 2-week old New Year’s bender vomit (a smell that makes even dog’s vomit), years-old pet urine (think 50 cats in one house), garbage leaking (from bags filled with fuzzy leftovers), and things that I couldn’t define… or maybe didn’t want to. I have not come across an odor issue it has not been able to resolve yet. Though I will admit I have not used it on car carpet specifically, I have used it on other types of carpet and various fabric products, some of which are very similar to car carpet. So, I do not see why it would not work for a car’s needs.
OSR can be purchased from Pro’s Choice’s website direct (link removed) or you can get it off amazon/ebay/chemical supply retailer. It runs between $80-90 for a gallon, even if it posts at $40. It will have a high shipping and handling that will up it to near $80. I’ve always bought direct from the company since it is same as any other lowest price I find once shipping is added. You can buy it per gallon or a case of 4 gallon containers.
You can follow directions on the bottle or below is how I have always used it.
- Fill a bucket with hot tap water
- Pour in soap while stirring until it is supersaturated (does not absorb any more soap). Be generous!!!
- Pour solution over problem area. You can rub it in with your hand if you like.
- Let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Suck up excess water with a wet dry vac.
- Let damp area dry completely
- Repeat if necessary (many time it will be necessary)
• DO NOT boil water it will hyper activate the soap & make a suds mess before it has time to treat the problem
• DO NOT be stingy with your mixture it will only lead to spreading the infected area into a bigger area through the flooding process & problem will stay and is a waste of soap.
• DO NOT let water sit & air dry on its own after dumping the water on it. That only creates a new problem of mildew smell from being wet too long.
• It is roughly 1 c. per gallon for a moderate smelling stain. Don’t be afraid to use more. More is always better if you are unsure if it will be enough.
• Water should feel sudsy and grainy when mixed properly.
• Many strong smelling problems will need two treatments, possibly more for those over the top gag issues… like old vomit or 7 day turkeys.
• A gallon container usually only covers a few stain issues over small areas. It will not resolve a whole room/house issue.
• If you apply this to a house carpet do not do more than one treatment per 24 hours if you have a wooden subfloor (any level that has another level below it)
• It is common to have leftover grains of white powder on treated spot. They vacuum up easiest once the whole area is dry.
Product looks, smells, and feels similar to powdered laundry soap… but does more than laundry soap can for odor and stains. It may foam during the application process. If you have older/heavy traffic carpet, you may notice the treated area looks faintly lighter than the other carpeted area (most people don’t notice this). This isn’t bleaching. It just intensely cleaned away build up that has evenly darkened the carpet over the years and you are seeing the original color again. The colors should blend back in after a while through normal usage of the area. You can clean the remaining carpet through normal means if desired though this rarely gives a perfect match. Dying should not be done. It may look even for the short term time, but it will turn into a dark spot once the natural blending happens and there is no way to reverse dye once it is added.
(link removed by moderator)