Stinky seats

[rdefabri]

I picked up some second hand 240Z seats that might have been exposed to the elements, they have a somewhat musty smell. Any ideas on eliminating that smell?

Something tells me it may be from moisture that the seat foam absorbed over time, but I suppose it's possible the leather just needs a good cleaning. The seats, cosmetically, are in very nice shape.

Any ideas?

[montoya_fan01]

LEATHER? ? ? ? If so they have been reupholstered.

If the source of the smell has been absorbed into the foam or other fiberous components I suspect that any product strong enough to remove the odor would also destroy the material.

I do wish you good luck though. Let us know if you are successful.

[moonpup]

Here's something you might try....Get a couple large plastic bags that are big enough to completely encase each seat, put an odor absorbent such as charcoal/baking soda/etc. in the bag and seal tightly. Check for odor occasionally and replace odor absorbent as needed.

Good Luck.

[beandip]

This is what I have found that worked vary well for me . FebreZe ! It is a fabric refresher , as it says on the bottle. This stuff is amazing . I took the ''horse '' hair insulation that is on the trans tunnel and the firewall , form a parts car . Phisicaly is was intact and in good shape but had been wet for at least 2 yrs and smelled really bad . After I dried it out completely by laying it out in the sun . The sun does shine in Oregon some times . Any way after it was dry I sprayed the FebreZe all over the insulation , rather heavy , and again let it dry . ALL the order is gone , completely gone. You can find it in the Market where they sell the soap and bleach . It is worth a try and it wont hurt any thing either . It does say that it is not recommended for leather . So just spray it from under the seat.

[rdefabri]

Yep, I know Febreze, it's good stuff. I'll also try the charcoal/baking soda thing. I just wasn't sure if this is a bigger problem and that I'd have to can the seats

I meant Vinyl, I just have a tendency to refer to seats as leather!

[EScanlon]

If the vinyl has already been removed from the foam center, then simply wash the vinyl with dishwashing soap inside and out. Set it in the sun to dry and it will do a great job of deodorizing it.

As far as the foam, I've had excellent luck with a small carpet cleaner (Bissel Lil Green Machine) where I simply squirt and vacuum the cleaning solution through the foam. I suppose that plain old dishwashing liquid and water could be sprayed onto the foam, worked in and out of it, then simply vacuumed out with a shop vac. Allow it to air-dry and you'll be pleased with the results.

Don't be misled by those know-it-nots who haven't any personal experience.

Unless you had a body decay inside the car, or mold that infested every seam, nook or cranny of the vehicle, you can usually use plain materials to do wonders.

2¢

Enrique

[rdefabri]

Good feedback...I am going to try the carpet shampooer on the foam (I have one). The only other concern is dry rot -- the foam looks like it's seen better days. Presuming the carpet shampooer eats the foam up (doubt it, but you never know)...is there a replacement kit?

I haven't seen one in Victoria British/Black Dragon...any thoughts?

[EScanlon]

Too Intense also has the foam kits.

If you're using a little carpet shampooer, just make sure you don't use the powered brush attachment. My Lil Green Machine just basically squirts the soap solution and then vacuums up the water and soap. I've not had a problem with it damaging the cloth seats on any of my cars. Granted the Z is vinyl, so I haven't squirted the foam in a Z seat, but it shouldn't be such a vastly different material that it would dissolve with the mild soap you're using.

You can also first wash with plain old warm water. You'd be surprised at just how much dirt you can get off with plain old warm water.

FWIW

Enrique

[Pop's Z]

Hi, I bought new seat foam from MSA and they literally changed the seats. I was contemplating new seats, but the foam made the seats like new. I can actually spend more than a few hours behind the wheel now. Thats a real improvement from before. My 60 year old butt was not happy w/ the 33 year old seats. Even my wife enjoys the ride. They were not that hard to install. If the old foam is mildewed they are probably not worth saving.IMHO.

Cheers, Mike '73 Z

[sakijo]

An old trick learned from a hotel housekeeper: coffee grounds. We had a room that smelled really bad after being previously occupied by a smoker. Called housekeeping, and they brought up some coffee grounds on a plate. The smell went away. Of course, the room smelled like coffee for a day or so, but better than cigarette smoke. I also tried it when my car got caught in a super typhoon (class 4 hurricane). My car was dry inside but smelled bad, probably because of the sea water the storm was sucking up and dumping as rain . . . the coffee grounds cleared up the stink in a week.