Too Much Car Air Freshener . Won't Dissipate

Maintenance/Repairs
1

One month ago I bought a 2006 Certified Camry from a Toyota dealer. The car is entirely infused with cinnamon smelling air freshener which is so strong I feel ill even when driving with the windows down. We have to wash our clothes after riding in the car becsuse they are saturated with the fragrance. I’ve left the windows down throughout the day and even an inch at night. I washed the interior plastic surfaces and windows with baking soda but it seems that the fragrance was sprayed into the upholstery and carpet.

I’m guessingthat the dealership sprayed it in the car when they washed it before my husband drove it off the lot. I was driving

our old car home or I would have tried to return it right away. I hadn’t encountered car air fresheners before this and I thought it might dissipate with time but it isn’t. Any ideas about what to do?

2

I would suggest finding a local auto detailer or maybe better a local home fire company. The detailer can do some serious cleaning and often can take care of the problem, and maybe give you a cleaner interior than you thought possible. The fire recovery company has the special kinds of equipment (think industrial Ozone generators) to deactivate that odor.

3

Thank you for your suggestions. That gives me hope.I’ll look for a fire recovery company and will call some detailers. This is my first time using this site and my first time writing in on a discussion group. I don’t know how I made the error which caused the red flag. I’d be glad to correct whatever I did that is not useful. Can you tell me how?

4

Was that a ‘dead man’s’ car? Did it come from an area that has been flooded? It sounds to me that someone tried covering up the smell of something dead. Maybe a rodent or two that might have gotten stuck in an A.C. or heater duct? That’s a very old trick in the used car business. Cover up bad odors with a car freshener. A Dealer used car salesperson? ?? Used car salesperson is the common thread here. I ditto what J.E. Meehan said.

5

Thanks for your reply. The car wasn’t from a flooded area but , now that you mention it ,I may have detected a tobacco scent underlying the freshener. As far as hiring an auto detailer: We’ve been having some rain here.Is it best to wait until hot days so that the upholstery will dry well after cleaning?