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Last week nearly half a gallon of milk was dumped on the carpet in our car and it sat there for nearly three days before we found out about it. Now a week later, yes, it smells incredibly bad.
I think that I would unbolt the seats and actually remove the carpet and padding. You might be able to steam clean the carpet, but I would re-do the insulation and padding. Even if you use baking soda and all the other stuff, you are going to have a funky smell. Good Luck
Do what Miama suggest, then go get the car ozone bombed. The ozone helps immensely once you've removed the non-microscopic stench sources. I have my doubts you'll ever really be able to clean the carpet, I ended up just cutting out a piece that was under the driver's seat anyway. And that was from a small container of half and half sliding under the seat and leaking a bit undetected. I can only imagine the stench....
You have to let the underneath dry. Wipe with carpet cleaner or shaving cream/foam and rub vigorously. Then coffee beans to take the smell out. Ventilation/air movement is very important, but try to park in a covered area so you don't create new problems-ie rodents moving in.
Last week nearly half a gallon of milk was dumped on the carpet in our car and it sat there for nearly three days before we found out about it. Now a week later, yes, it smells incredibly bad.
Any advice on how to clean the carpet?
If you want to DYI, I agree with Miami above.
But, if it were me, I'd take it to be professionally cleaned. They may take out the entire carpet, clean underneath it, put professional-grade dryers on it, etc.
My former S.O. once accidentally left the windows rolled down on my car. We had literally monsoon-like rains for 2 days. Three days later when I needed the car again, I realized the windows had been down and I had inches of rain in the car and it was so musty - meh (and then there is the fear of mold eventually setting in, which I'm allergic to).
When it gets hot out, and what milk you missed (no matter how well you clean) bakes in the sun, you are going to wish you'd gone the professional route. I think it's worth it in the long run.
Just sell it to my mother-in-law and get something different. She doesn't have any sense of smell, plus the nasty wet-dog odor from the Saint Bernard she takes with her everywhere will cover it up in no time.
They make a protein remover for carpet cleaning. Call a professional household or commercial carpet cleaner and inquire.
My friend owned a carpet cleaning company. He was called out to clean a house carpet. After a few cleanings one did not want to clean. He finally got the owners to fess up. Grandpa had shot his brains out in that spot. Gary was a little upset as if they had only been up front he could have saved hours with the right cleaning compounds.
Last week nearly half a gallon of milk was dumped on the carpet in our car and it sat there for nearly three days before we found out about it. Now a week later, yes, it smells incredibly bad.
Any advice on how to clean the carpet?
Rug Doctor. The have hand attachments for cars & upholstery. Well worth the money.
This might sound a bit odd but try this if it's not too large an area. Use an anti-dandruff shampoo that contains Selenium (Head & Shoulders for instance) on the area. It's a very effective degreaser and the selenium in it breaks down the fat molecules.
I've used it myself when a milk carton broke in the boot (trunk) and it works a treat.
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