6 Popular Car Odor Eliminator Options

aisle of car fresheners

When your car has a smell or odor to it that is not pleasing you'll want to seek out car odor eliminator techniques, tricks, and tips. Odors in the car can be from various sources from a buildup of dust in the air vents to a dead animal. Regardless of what is causing the smell you want it gone. The following article will share with you several popular car odor eliminator methods both widely known while others may be homemade.

1. Hanging Air Freshener

The most popular and widely used method of eliminating odors from a car is by using an old fashioned hanging air freshener. This car odor eliminator option is essentially a piece of cardboard that is coated in scented oil. You hang the air freshener from your rear view mirror and the scented oil radiates from the cardboard to make the car smell nicer.

2. Air Vent Air Freshener

Consider this car odor eliminator option an updated version of a hanging air freshener. These small units are plastic with miniature fans attached in the front. On the back is a hook that you connect to one or all of the vents inside the vehicle. Inside the plastic case is scented oil. The oil can be on a piece of saturated cardboard or cheesecloth but can also be scented gelatin. When you run the air conditioner or heater the air turns the fan, which in turn distributes the scent throughout the vehicle.

3. Fabric and Leather Cleaner

white car with leather cleaner on the hood

Car odors can come from anything such as dog or cat hair, accidentally spilled food and drink, or from our own clothes and bodies. The fabric in the car will absorb these smells. This happens with leather as well as synthetic and natural fibers. You may never remove the odor unless you have the car detailed by a professional. This detailing can cost a lot of money but with a small investment you can purchase a decent fabric cleaner and wet-dry vacuum.

4. Car Odor Eliminator Spray

When you walk into a grocery or general item store you will be able to find nearly an aisle full of sprays designed to remove odor from the air. Any one of these sprays can help you get rid of the smell coming from your car and you may need to do some product testing of your own. Some of the best sprays, however, are those that contain citrus oils.

5. Extracts and Essences

You can find these items in the baking aisle of most department and general item stores. The most effective of these is vanilla extract and essence of mint. Place several droplets of either onto a cotton ball and place them inside the car. After several days the smell inside the car will begin to vanish.

6. Orange and Lemon Peel

The acidic and aromatic qualities found in citrus is used to create organic sprays and cleaners. Use the peel from oranges and lemons to remove odors by simply placing pieces of their peels in cheesecloth and then inside the car.