Coffee beans or grounds for musty smell.
 

I did some searching through the various threads regarding musty/stinky/whatever smells and I found coffee beans (unground) as a solution.

Would not grinding (coarsely) the beans give a bigger surface area to absorb the odor?

Reason I am asking is I just bought a 2001 blazer that had (actually I think it still has) a leaking windshield that the seller forgot to tell me about.

Of course stupid me should have realized (Although I did notice) the upper trim piece missing from the windshield. But I was thinking of everything else mechanical and failed to consider this.

And while I was test driving the vehicle I did not notice the odor. It wasn't until the day after I got it home. The night before had some rain happening. And by the time I got in it it was sunny, hot, and the windows had been rolled up. So you can imagine my (unpleasant) surprise when I opened the door and the odor wafted out to greet me. A quick examination revealed the drivers floor just soaked.

I know the windshield leak will have to be addressed. But for now I just want to drive with my head in the car. :icon_blah:

I've seen the coffee bean remedy mentioned in several places before, but I've never had to try it, so I can't vouch for whole beans vs ground. Why not give it a go with grounds first and, if it doesn't do the job, try the whole beans. Report back in this thread with the results.

I have used ground coffee wrapped in a few filters as deoterizers for many camping trips! Coffee smells good and the grounds absorb the other odors (and moisture). You have to change them out every so often to maintain their effectiveness, but it definitely works.

As far as ground vs. whole beans, ground coffee has more surface area, but you can't go too fine or the air cannot get into it effectively. A course grind will be the most effective.

Thanks for the replies. I will try beans (1st) as well as a coarse grind (2nd) solution.

But first I am trying another tip from my search on this forum: An open bag of charcoal.

I'll see what tomorrow brings.

^^^ just be sure to keep the matches & lighter fluid stored in a seperate location!

sorry, i just had to say it.

be sure to keep us updated with your results.

I was going to recommend charcoal but I see you've already found it. Best thing to absorb odors. Desicant is best for removing moisture.

Saturday sniff test
 

Since my sniffer is not as keen the wife's I will only make a preliminary report that the interior is noticeably better. Once she wakes up I will put her nose to it and see what she thinks.

The 10 lb bag of charcoal has been in there since Weds morning. I have the opened (down the center long style) bag on the passenger seat with half in the bag, and the other half distributed on the drivers side floor.

The past few days have been WAY humid so I am impressed that I can notice ANY improvement. And the garage it is parked in is a little damp as well so I am sure the results would be better in a drier environment. But since I haven't tracked down HOW the water got in I had to keep it out of the rains we have had for the past 2 days.

Driving it has been a bit of a chore. Having 5 lbs of charcoal under your feet makes for a rather odd feeling.

The AC is blasting every time I drive with the vent controls placed at the "floor/dash vent" position.

Some rather personal stuff has come up so aside from this post I won't have much more to report until next Saturday.

But I will follow up,,,

Sounds good!

When you get the chance I'd pull the seats and carpet out after getting the windshield fixed.

Last year during the winter water from melted snow on the all-weather floor mat (which had holes in it) found its way under the carpet of my 05 2dr and I had a real musty smell, I lifted the carpet and found the entire passenger floor "tub" to be filled with water. The insulation was soaked so I tore the insulation out and hung it in the sun to dry, it took 2 full days of exposure to the sun for it to dry. The truck smelt better after, didn't smell wet.

The issue I see is that if it's been wet for TOO long, then you'll have mold, and mold isn't healthy, so I'd take a look.

Final(?) report
 

The smell is gone. In so much as my wife's overly sensitive sniffer says so. The only thing I am waiting for is the odor from the Woolite High Traffic rug cleaner to dissipate.

So here is how it went:

Weds morning: After using the Shop vac on the drivers side floor for 5 minutes I cut open a 10lb bag of Charcoal and set it on the passenger seat. Pulled about a 1/3 of the briquettes and placed them directly on the driver's side floor. Having a black carpet makes this a no brainer.

Saturday morning: Pull out the charcoal, vacuum the drivers floor, and sprinkle a 5lb can of (coarse grind) coffee over the ENTIRE floor area. Front, back, and cargo area. I hit the drivers side floor pretty heavy and then sprinkled the rest out.

Sunday evening: The coffee smell has gone from very strong to "noticeable". Pull out the shop vac again and vacuum out the coffee. Spray out an entire can of the Woolite stuff over the whole carpet. Massage the stuff in and after 30 minutes vacuum again.

The smell from the Woolite is still in the Blazer, but it is now to the point of people just asking what kind of air re-freshener I am using. The weather has been REALLY humid since I started this so I am hopeful that once we get some drier air (maybe Weds) A full day of doors open with some wind thrown in will get this thing back to smelling like a car again.

But it is sure better than what I had.

Next up: Figure out where the leak is that soaked the carpet!

oktain: I will consider your suggestion and pull up the drivers side carpet to see what I have going on there.