Mothball smell

[vtfireman85]

Is there something that will neutralize the mothball smell? My MIL put balls and packets of flakes all over the inside of her Karmann Ghia, now that my wife has it it is almost undriveable because the smell is so overwhelming it makes you gag. I have vacuumed the interior thoroughly, put the top down outside for multiple days, it’s been a couple years now and it’s still enough to choke a horse. I have considered a carpet cleaner, and I have an ozone generator, but I know Ozone is hard on plastics and I am worried about the old plastic parts and vinyl seats. Maybe large quantities of baking soda? I don’t want to just make flower scented mothballs by adding another scent. 

[cobfly]

2 minutes ago, vtfireman85 said:

Is there something that will neutralize the mothball smell? My MIL put balls and packets of flakes all over the inside of her Karmann Ghia, now that my wife has it it is almost undriveable because the smell is so overwhelming it makes you gag. I have vacuumed the interior thoroughly, put the top down outside for multiple days, it’s been a couple years now and it’s still enough to choke a horse. I have considered a carpet cleaner, and I have an ozone generator, but I know Ozone is hard on plastics and I am worried about the old plastic parts and vinyl seats. Maybe large quantities of baking soda? I don’t want to just make flower scented mothballs by adding another scent. 

Bullsnot, the product. Comes in a spray can 

[Sask466]

I wonder if one of those household activated charcoal air purifiers would do the trick?   Let it circulate for a few days?   
 

Also a few bowls/trays of baking spray throughout the cab can suck out a lot of smell.  
 

I will take mothballs over mice any day!

[vtfireman85]

19 minutes ago, Sask466 said:

will take mothballs over mice any day!

True, but it is honestly hard to breathe. If I can get it cleaned up I have a bunch of those mice dice that you soak with peppermint oil. 

[Sask466]

Fair enough, yeah it can be a lot in terms of a smell.  I wonder if smell ever goes away with time?  Or does it hang around forever?

[vtfireman85]

1 minute ago, Sask466 said:

Fair enough, yeah it can be a lot in terms of a smell.  I wonder if smell ever goes away with time?  Or does it hang around forever?

It’s been a couple years 

[Chester5732]

Can’t help with the smell but I have always wondered how they remove the moth balls!😊

[jeeper61]

12 minutes ago, Chester5732 said:

Can’t help with the smell but I have always wondered how they remove the moth balls!😊

Being Vermont there might be a state program for counseling for that transitioning process 

 

[cobfly]

Once again, Bullsnot.

[farmallcubkid]

2 hours ago, Sask466 said:

I wonder if one of those household activated charcoal air purifiers would do the trick?   Let it circulate for a few days?   
 

Also a few bowls/trays of baking spray throughout the cab can suck out a lot of smell.  
 

I will take mothballs over mice any day!

The charcoal air purifieres work wonders! I had one in my diesel pickup when I got it and it saved the cab from smelling like cigarettes. When I got it, it has sat for a couple of years and the ashtray was full of cigarettes and there where cigarettes every. That charcoal bag kept the cab from absorbing the smell so well that there wasn't even a hint of cigarette smoke when you opened the door. 

[whweldit]

Got mice in wife’s Prius one year.  Tried everything to get rid of them.  Finally used some combine cab stuff to get them gone.  Then the problem. Wife has extreme allergies.  Could not get the smell of the combine bag stuff out.  Tried everything under the sun.  Finally solved the problem by selling the car. 

[1480x3]

2 hours ago, Sask466 said:

Fair enough, yeah it can be a lot in terms of a smell.  I wonder if smell ever goes away with time?  Or does it hang around forever?

The smell does go away. Used to get a box of them every year to put in the combine. Only a faint hint of odor come the following fall, not really noticable. A tight cabin, small car probly much different though.

[yellowrosefarm]

Are you sure you got all the moth balls out?

[vtfireman85]

5 hours ago, Chester5732 said:

Can’t help with the smell but I have always wondered how they remove the moth balls!😊

You have to get their little legs apart first. 

[vtfireman85]

1 hour ago, yellowrosefarm said:

Are you sure you got all the moth balls out?

I have searched everywhere I can find. I think the worst part was she put flake pouches in and the mice tore them open.

[Lazy WP]

We have used crushed charcoal to get rid of the smells. 

[snoshoe]

9 minutes ago, Lazy WP said:

We have used crushed charcoal to get rid of the smells. 

Plain charcoal or does it have to be "activated"?

[yellowrosefarm]

My concern would be that the mice carried some of the mothball material to places you may not be able to access easily.  

[Lazy WP]

9 minutes ago, snoshoe said:

Plain charcoal or does it have to be "activated"?

Charcoal briquettes. Darn good thing for spell check!

[vtfireman85]

1 hour ago, Lazy WP said:

Charcoal briquettes

Just BBQ fuel? 

[New Englander]

I would think a carpet cleaner would help, especially if flakes gave been ground in.

 

[Lazy WP]

9 hours ago, vtfireman85 said:

Just BBQ fuel? 

Yepper. You don’t need to crush it, but if you do it gives more surface area to absorb the odors. 

[cobfly]

Coffee works good too. Did I mention Bullsnot?

[Lazy WP]

Baking soda works well too, but I agree that Bullsnot is a great choice. 

[Cattech]

I'm sure the mentioned products work, there has to be something that will bring the smell out.

That said, when I detailed cars working at a dealership, if we had a particularly nasty interior we would pull the seats and carpet out - power wash the whole lot and hang everything out in the sun to dry. Then, go right inside the car with a pail of hot soapy water & a scrub brush. Suck the moisture out with a wet vac and set up a fan.

An interesting trick I found in the house.... I have been known to put a pizza in the oven and promptly doze off for a few hours - apparently the smoke alarm is not a proper timer. The one thing that completely knocks the smoke smell out of the house is cooking a pork or beef roast. Learning that, I found it also cuts the smell of fresh paint and other stuff that has made the house smell.... Now, I have never tried it in a car, and who knows how it would effect the moth ball smell, but maybe a pan on a hot plate with onion soup mix and some fat trimmings simmered for an hour or two?