We have an 85 Trans Am that has been in storage for 13 years. I generally get it out once a year and take a slow drive around the island (gravel roads.) For the last several years we have noticed evidence including the smell of mouse urine, but this year was over the top. I used a Bissell Carpet cleaner (with a vinegar kicker) on it for hours yesterday and left the windows down. Soon I found a good sized nest between the frame and manifold when I hit it with an air hose. There had been a little smoke coming off the passenger side under the hood. I thought a seal had dried out and we had an oil leak...wrong. I could have filled a one gallon baggy up with the chewed up insulation that came out of there.
I'm hoping I got everything, but only time will tell.
What do you use for a vehicle in long term storage to keep the critters out of it, and are there any suggestions for removing this odor outside of ripping everything out and replacing the carpet if it isn't gone?
Thanks

P.S. Moth balls do not work, I have tried them and think that is half of the obnoxious odor in the car.

Smell is something that might not go away depending on how bad it is. You can try renting a wet vac. They rent for about $40/24hrs. In my area most large grocery stores carry them. You fill the thing with water and your choice of cleaner, spray the rug, rub it in with a brush and suck it all up with the vac. Its the best and easiest way to get as much dirt/grime/urine/coffee/whatever stains out. Another way is to power wash the sucker but that involves stripping the interior to get the carpet out. Once you do get that sucker wet, spray a lot of cleaner on it, brush in thoroughly and power wash it all off. Afterwards use a spray can or something similar to push the excess water off and hang it up to dry. Hanging it is a good idea so the water also runs off. Good to do on a hot day. Wash in the morning and let it hang in the sun all day.

Both ways should work but sometimes the smell is so ingrained in the fabric that it might not leave completely. And....it could also have seeped into the head liner and seats. So while your carpet might not smell everything else will. Remember smell is actually microscopic particals of that substance.....they float around thats how we sense them. If you smell poop and urine guess whats actually in your nose!



To get the mice, besides a cat, a lot of rat poison, mouse traps that electrocute the mice


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You could also try to place the car on jack stands raised high, remove the tires and put cones around the stands inverted to keep them from climbing up. Don't know if it will work but maybe grease or something slippery to keep them from climbing up. The stands will also stop the tires from getting flat spots on some brand tires. Just don't give the mice anything to climb up on.

I use one of these........

Carbag - Protective jackets for your car or motorcycle

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Steve....

d Con Mouse bait

There is a guy that has a weekly car column in a local paper here.

He said to put the car up on jack stands, but put the jack stands inside 5 gallon buckets. He said that way, the mice won't be able to climb up to get into the car.


**DISCLAIMER**
I haven't tried the above and I don't know if it will work.
It sounds good in theory though.

You need to address the mouse problem in whatever garage, barn or other structure you store the car in. Merely putting the car on stands or covering the car won't do it- mice can jump, chew through cloth, etc. Cats, traps and sealing the building would be the way to go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luU5gsCgyog

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SWHF #448

Another common problem area is in the hvac/blower motor ductwork. Tough area to nuetralize and get rid of the odor. Over the years, I'd say the blower motor fan/cage, and on the intake manifold/or air cleaner intake are the most common areas for nests.

Mice can walk a tight rope and get to all kinds of places. Had a roll of paper towels hanging from a rafter in the garage, about 4ft length of pencil diameter cord. Those little buggers climbed down the rope, chewed up the paper towels and then build their nest under the hood of the tractor.

Just don't need them to start liking electrical wire.

Years ago at work a guy drove about a 1952 chev pickup in. I admired it and he told me it had been his dads back in oklahoma. Then he went on to say how his dad had a heart attack and had drove it off some brushy back road and it was something like a week before he was found.
I guess he noticed my questioning expression as he added, Aw, I cleaned it up pretty good. In winter when I turn on the heater ya can smell a little something, but it aint all that bad.

Try putting an open plastic tote, or cardboard box, full of charcoal briquettes inside the car with windows up. Leave it in there a couple weeks.

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Misty

this may help.......

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There's nowt so queer as folk

Try locking a cat into it next time.

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Forum consigliere

Cajunlawyer......... lawyers must think the same ....... that was my first thought....... LOL

I store my summer car over the winter.....Oct till May......in the garage at the farm it has a concrete floor and standard overhead garage door.........

generally I just slide an open pack or two of mouse bait under the car...... found a couple of dead mice over the years........ they seem to "take the bait" before they can do much else!

Thinking about your story I might just add a couple of standard traps baited with peanut butter this winter...........

To keep the mice out in future, put a number of drier sheets in the car, under the hood and in any obvious access points in the garage. Use the smelly ones, the mice hate them.

I had mice get in the A/C system of my truck and the urine smell from the filter was quite something. The mice then decided that my garage was too messy and hit the next door house who keep their garage like an operating theatre. The lady neighbour was mortified, and i had severe straight face issues.

Mothballs and rat poison.

LVsteve nailed it.
I started to use Bounce Dryer sheets in my trailer over the winter a few years ago and haven't had a mouse problem ever since. The dryer sheets are also good for repelling deer flys. I tuck one around the strap at the back of my baseball cap and that keeps them away from harrasing you.

A friend bought a '97 vette, that is perfect shape, the owner kept it in a "conex" every winter.

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UNDER THE CONE OF SILENCE

We had mice in our attic at one time, we found spearmint oil saturated cotton balls tossed around work wonders.mice and rats hate spearmint,I didn't believe it but was willing to try it and was very pleased with the results.Non toxic,pleasant smell and after the oil eventually dissipates you are left with a harmless cotton ball.i would try putting some under the hood,ashtray,trunk and maybe a few around the car.I got my oil from eBay but I'm sure it's readily available at health food stores etc.This also made me realize why my mom always had fresh mint growing under our swamp cooler when we were kids.try it,I think you'll be surprised at how well it works,I know I was.

Look for Fresh Cab on line, looks like a large tea bag full of spices.
They work very well.
Good luck

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frontsightnsqueaz

Thanks for all of the great replies. I will be trying a number of them as soon as the interior dries out from the carpet/upholstery cleaning. There's still a lot of moisture in there so I have the windows down and hatch open letting the fresh air do it's thing for a few days.
Then it's on to closing it up and trying to absorb what ever odor is left in a closed environment.
As a bonus, I have a couple of good ideas to prevent this from happening next year.

(I'm waxing while I'm waiting.)

Send down a 5 gallon bucket of fresh Perch fillets and I'll send you a matching pair of barn cats, should take care of the problem.