Trunk stinks. Need to replace liner or something.

[cutlasssupremeking]

Okay, so my trunk stinks really bad. I think there is a mold living in my trunk! Seriously if I put a sweater in there, it stinks too and I have to wash it to get the stink out. About 7 years ago I was working on a job site and I tipped my water jug over in my trunk. So after 5 hours of being in the blazing hot southern California sun with the water all over, I got a stink in my trunk.

 

I think I need to replace the trunk liner, but there is fabric, if you can call it that, on the walls of the trunk as well as the bottom. So, how do I replace that? Its molded to fit the trunk's shape!

[Night Fury]

Febreeze?

[94 olds vert]

All that carpet comes out really easily. I just took all mine out.

 

Those hooks where your cargo net attaches all you do is unhook the cargo net and those just unscrew. Then just start pulling it all out. If you have sound deadening from the factory that is just glued on and I just ripped mine off. I'd take out the spare tire too. Then mix up some bleach water and wipe down the inside of the trunk.

 

Then go to the junkyard and buy new carpet.

[tornado_735]

get new carpet, or throw that liner in the wash at a laundromat.

[94 olds vert]

I don't know if putting in the wash is a good idea. I think that might make it loose its shape.

[pontiacmaniac94]

have you removed the cover for the spare tire? On mine, there was several *gallons* of water in there, causing the mold smell, the way I "fixed" that was by drilling a hole in the bottom of the spare tire well.

 

to fix the smell, remove all the insulation, and throw away.

 

get new carpeting from the salvage yard, and check the smell first

[cutlasssupremeking]

Febreeze?

 

I tried Fabreeze a couple times. The Trunk Mold won.

[cutlasssupremeking]

Dang! It sounds like throwing the old carpet away and getting new carpet at the junk yard is the way to go.

Does any one know what models of w-body have a similar enough trunk to my '91 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme? Will any w-body of about the same year work?

[birdman]

you could probably steam clean it if you dont want to try to find new carpet.

[slick]

I recommend spraying the trunk carpet down with bleach. While you're at it, you could also spray down the interior of the car too, get it nice and clean, and get rid of any residual smells!

[birdman]

bleech will kill mold, had to spray down the bottom of the spare tire cover in the lumina because it was geting moldy.

[slick]

Spray the carpet with it too. In fact, I would try to find the strongest bleach possible. Let it sit on it for like a day or 10.

[birdman]

mabey throw it out in the sun too.

[cutlasssupremeking]

you could probably steam clean it if you dont want to try to find new carpet.

This sounds like a good idea, but might cause the carpet to loose it's shape. Any ideas on how to get is back into shape to fit the sides of my trunk if this does happen?

[cutlasssupremeking]

Spray the carpet with it too. In fact, I would try to find the strongest bleach possible. Let it sit on it for like a day or 10.

Wait... this sounds like I will loose a trunk carpet. Won't really strong bleach dissolve carpet? Especially if left in it for up to 10 days?

[occupant]

I guess at this point my mind boils this discussion down to one line of questioning:

 

Do you want to take the time to SMELL all the trunk carpets in local junkyards that might fit your car just right? Then bleach the metal in your trunk area and install the junkyard carpet? Or do you want to try to bleach everything you have and hope the current carpet is savable? You might still be out there sniffing people's trunks in the end.

My brain says hit the yards. Don't forget to pick up everything that isn't bolted down or wired up.

[White93z34]

When I first got my z34 I just dumped it into storage and forgot about it till spring. Over the winter mice got in and built a nest in my trunk and it reeked to high hell of urine. In the end I took out all my trunk liner pieces and stuffed them in a laundromat washer and washed them twice, they were so much cleaner and don't smell anymore.

 

also the padding that is glued to the trunkpan I mixed up a bleach/water mix and soaked it down, let it dry and put it all back in.

[slick]

Hydrochloric acid will clean it too.

[GTP091]

Be careful with bleach If you use it to clean up any mold when the carpet is pulled. It will react with any exposed metal and cause some funky corrosion. You'd be better off with Lysol. And if you run out of beer you can always huff it.

Edited August 22, 2010 by GTP091

[virtuetovice]

Just go to a spray car wash, pull all the carpet out, spray it down with the suds, rinse.

Bring an empty trash can with you so you can roll the carpet up and take it home.

Hang it and let it dry.

Clean all the metal in the trunk with Lysol.

???????

PROFIT!

[GOT2B GM]

Remember to pull the dead hookers out of the trunk, or all of this work will be in vain.

[Regal_GS_1989]

Just go to a spray car wash, pull all the carpet out, spray it down with the suds, rinse.

Bring an empty trash can with you so you can roll the carpet up and take it home.

Hang it and let it dry.

Clean all the metal in the trunk with Lysol.

???????

PROFIT!

 

I would use something like lysol to clean the hard surfaces in the trunk, then maybe look at spraying the carpet down with some kind of odor eliminator. Then shampoo the carpet, rinse, dry, and if needed, a light spray of odor eliminator again and reinstall. That should take out all of the smell, plus leave the carpet smelling nice and clean.

 

I used this stuff on my Regal after I hit a skunk last fall. I sprayed the shit out of the under side of the car and it got rid of 90% of the odor. Whatever odor remained was only present when washing the car, and was likely because I missed a spot. Seems to work a lot more effectively than Febreeze, and smells a lot better too. It doesn't stain, and it really does eliminate odors.

 

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