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6 messages,  Last post on Sep 17, 2002 at 8:48 AM

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#1 of 6 Mouse urine... the smell that keeps giving. by krauseheim Sep 15, 2002 (7:06 pm)
I stored my '53 Buick the last four years. (Wish I'd used mothballs, but I didn't.) Mice did a number on it. I've taken apart and vacuumed out everything I can find and shampooed the carpet and seats with odor additives, and have pretty much soaked every square inch of the interior with OdoBan (sold at Sam's club). It still smells like an old litterbox, so bad that I have to drive with my head hanging out the window like a dog on a hot day. I've heard of ozone generators, Febreeze and vinegar as solutions, but don't want to keep trying things that don't work without getting some advice/experiences from you folks.
#2 of 6 now you've also heard of AtmosKlear by swschrad Sep 16, 2002 (3:39 pm)
to be found at www.atmosklear.com and supposedly being stocked by GM parts.   no matter what you do, you will have to get the vehicle as clean as you can before you get after the odors. dig out the hot-water carpet scrubber, or borrow one, and do that first, airing it out thoroughly until dry with windows open, fans, etc.   then it's worth trying AtmosKlear... spray it heavily on every scrap of fabric, and rub it in, you are going to want to drive that material deep into the upholstery and attempt to get all the way through... or as far through as the mouse pee went. it can't break up the stinkin' molecules unless it is in contact.   air out again, etc.   ozone will fade the interior and being hyper-oxygen, will accelerate any rust formation that is going on. it is very reactive, which is why it is a powerful bleach. it is also more sensitizing when you breathe it than anything you can get your hands on for cleaning (assuming you will not be approved for tanks of raw chlorine gas at the specialty bottle gas places, which has been used for gas warfare as well as water purification.) it might also do the job, but then you have to air the vehicle out like you have fumigated with pesticide.   on the old scale of using the most availiable and safest agents first, and leaving the chemical warfare for last gasp, I'd say it's time for AtmosKlear... I have asthma, it's very mildly irritating to me as a spray, but that's it. works around my house and car.
#3 of 6 Thanks... by krauseheim Sep 16, 2002 (5:53 pm)
...I'll track down some AtmosKlear. Thanks much for your reply.
#4 of 6 by speedshift Sep 16, 2002 (8:23 pm)
I hate to say it but I don't think anything's going to work.   I used to manage apartments and occasionally we'd get one back with a cat urine smell. We tried all the tricks and there was nothing you could do. It's powerful stuff. Sometimes we even had to paint the floor before we replaced the carpet just to seal in the odor.   But good luck. The ultimate test will be a hot day with the windows up.
#5 of 6 by kirstie_h HOST Sep 17, 2002 (4:44 am)
It is difficult to get rid of, but most pet stores sell products that are pretty good at getting rid of the urine smell. If you don't have luck with AtmosKlear, you might stop by the pet store and ask a sales associate for the cat-urine-b-gone products.   kirstie_h Roving Host & Future Vehicles Host
#6 of 6 by Mr_Shiftright HOST Sep 17, 2002 (8:48 am)
I think you will have to remove the interior completely (except door panels and headlines, they should be okay) and perhaps have the seats redone (the odor is IN THERE, DEEP) and carpets professionally cleaned. For the trunk area, if that stinks, you can strip out the matting and use TSP (follow directions). You can also TSP the bare floors of the interior once you've ripped everything up. That should do it, but it's a bit of work. You should also inspect all the ducting in the car for dead bodies.

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