How to Clean Car?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Apr 15, 2017
Messages
4,399
Location
Napa, CA.
My free Dodge Ram was previously owned by a contractor with a dog. And, I don't have working AC nor heater nor even a way to turn on the blower motor because the control panel isn't attached. So, how do I clean it? I spent a lot of time yesterday vacuuming it with a Harbor Freight shop vac and wiping down the dash and doors and stuff with Tuff-Stuff and shop rags.

It looks quite a bit better but it still smells like dog and dirt. Fabreze and some random air freshener aren't really helping, and all the surfaces (while much cleaner looking now) still are not as clean as they could, and I haven't done anything to the cloth seats but vacuum them.

What else do I do? Should I get the Tuff-Stuff with a brush to clean the hard surfaces more thoroughly? What do I do about the seats?

Any advice appreciated.
 
Last edited:
A stiff bristled brush will help to loosen the dog hair from the carpet and then actual carpet shampoo rather than Febreze.

Congrats on the new "ride".

I have bought old ranch trucks full of dust throughout the interior. I buy ArmorAll Cleaning Wipes...and use them often and focus on a particular section each time. It takes about a month of this to really get the plastic clean.

Then ai follow up with Megs Protectant but it will seal in dirt so wait until you are really satisfied with your cleaning.
 
Originally Posted By: dogememe
My free Dodge Ram was previously owned by a contractor with a dog. And, I don't have working AC nor heater nor even a way to turn on the blower motor because the control panel isn't attached. So, how do I clean it? .


I would have brought it to a detail shop so they could have done it all.
 
Originally Posted By: Danh
Or you could rent a carpet cleaning/extraction machine from the local hardware store with upholstery attachments.


Those machines cost a third of what a professional extractor costs. There's a reason for it, much more power and very hot water among other things.
 
tenor.gif
 
I had a buddy of mine that bought a 4year old tundra with only 20k miles for a song. The problem was they the original owners use it as a dog house. 4dogs slept there full time.
smirk.gif
. He removed the seats and carpets and scrubbed everything. Still smelled.

He used a product from ace hardware called oders away,

This worked but he had to reapply a few drops every couple of spdays. I works really well and has a cinimon smell.

You might want to get soem seat covers as well to reduce the seapage of the smell.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: gfh77665
Originally Posted By: dogememe
My free Dodge Ram was previously owned by a contractor with a dog. And, I don't have working AC nor heater nor even a way to turn on the blower motor because the control panel isn't attached. So, how do I clean it? .


I would have brought it to a detail shop so they could have done it all.



And charged a fortune for their effort.
 
Take the front seat assembly out, then clean everything up. I've straight power washed cloth seats before and left them outside to dry.
 
^ What he said. If it has carpet pull it and take to a self-car wash or power wash it too. My wife get little white cleaning pads called Magic Erasers that clean some pretty crazy things. Worth a try on the hard surfaces.
 
Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
Did you buy this car without seeing it?


Re-read the first sentence a couple times.
 
Originally Posted By: dogememe
My free Dodge Ram was previously owned by a contractor with a dog. And, I don't have working AC nor heater nor even a way to turn on the blower motor because the control panel isn't attached. So, how do I clean it? I spent a lot of time yesterday vacuuming it with a Harbor Freight shop vac and wiping down the dash and doors and stuff with Tuff-Stuff and shop rags.

It looks quite a bit better but it still smells like dog and dirt. Fabreze and some random air freshener aren't really helping, and all the surfaces (while much cleaner looking now) still are not as clean as they could, and I haven't done anything to the cloth seats but vacuum them.

What else do I do? Should I get the Tuff-Stuff with a brush to clean the hard surfaces more thoroughly? What do I do about the seats?



Any advice appreciated.



I would spray everything with febreze , real good, close your windows, lock it all tight, and let the smell soak in for a couple of days...
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
I would of never bought that truck in the first place if it stunk like a dog....


The truck was FREE.
 
Originally Posted By: ArcticDriver
Originally Posted By: gfh77665


I would have brought it to a detail shop so they could have done it all.



And charged a fortune for their effort.


Nope. They are pretty cheap. Even if they were not exactly cheap, the truck is free.
 
Remove the seats and clean with fabric cleaner, remove the carpet and wash them while out of the vehicle. The carpet, soak it with water and some purple power degreaser, take a bristle brush to it then rinse well. U won't believe how much nasty comes out of the carpet. Then do it again w your favorite cleaner, like simple green, mr clean, carpet cleaner detergent or even laundry detergent. Rinse and let it dry in the sun as the UV rays help eliminate germs, smells, etc. I have 3 dogs and I have used the above method and it works perfect. While its drying, remove the center console. take a brush / sponge / rag with ur favorite cleaner ang go at it on the dash, console, all interior including the ceiling and floor of the cab. Wipe clean and apply a protectant (aerospace 303 is good). I use regular glass cleaner on the insides of the windows and windshield. Reinstall everything and the interior should good to go
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top