How to Get Mildew Smell Out of Carpet in Car: The Ultimate Guide

Mildew smell means you have mold in your car.

But, don’t panic!

In this post, I will show you how to get mildew smell out of carpet in car, plus what you can do to help prevent it from occurring in the first place.

A musty smell in a car is not only unpleasant, but can also be dangerous. The mold and mildew that cause the smell can cause respiratory problems, especially in people who already have asthma or other breathing issues.

In this complete guide, I’ll cover a 2-3 step process that you can use to confidently get the mildew smell out of your car.

I’ll also provide some tips on how to prevent mildew from forming in the first place. Let’s get started!

Dealing with bad smells at home? Check this article out.

What is mildew?

• Mildew is a type of mold (fungus) that produces the white substance that you see on your carpet and car seats.
• Mildew loves stale non-moving air, wet conditions (especially humidity > 60%), and darkness.
• Warm temperatures are not required for mildew to survive; however mildew will thrive in temperatures > 68 degrees F.
• To eliminate mildew odor, you have to remove the source of the problem which is the mildew itself.
• Don’t waste time treating the air or trying to cover up the smell with an air freshener.

Smoke odors in your car. Here’s what to do.

How to get mildew smell out of carpet in car

Step 1. Get the car aired and dried out.

• Air the car out. Roll the windows open, get the doors and the sunroof open to let fresh air and sunlight in. If it’s cold outside, turn on the heater to assist circulation.
  
  Go ahead and turn the heater up.
  
  Turning the air conditioning on won’t help. In fact cold air has less ability to hold moisture than warm air. This means that if you run the air conditioning on a hot day when the car interior is damp, that this may cause the moisture to precipitate out onto surfaces when the air conditioning cools the warmer humid air. The same thing can happen in the winter if you open the windows to “dry” the air out. In other words, because cold air can’t hold moisture like warm air, air conditioning is not your friend when it comes to drying the car out!
  
  Mildew doesn’t like DRY conditions. The warmer air will help get dry out car interiors, especially the car carpet.
  
  This is super important to help prevent further mildew growth.
  
• Remove all of the items in the car that may be covering up the seats and flooring. Get any debris out of the car, including emptying the auto door pockets and door panels, so you can access all the surfaces for the next step.
• Vacuum the floors and seats, as well as carpets. You’re goal is to get rid of all the visible debris at this point.

Step 2. Use a product that will remove the mildew instead of just covering up the odor.

Just because mold and mildew can be tough to kill doesn’t mean you have to treat them with harsh or toxic chemicals that might harm your car’s interior.

The best NON-TOXIC products for removing mildew and mildew odors are chlorine dioxide-based sprays.

What’s great is that they are readily available, easy to use, and safe.

Chlorine dioxide (CLO2) is a safe, eco-friendly product that kills mold and mildew. CLO2 has been around for a long time and is primarily used to disinfect drinking water.

CLO2 is also an excellent odor remover in addition to being a highly effective disinfectant.

Even though the name sounds similar CLO2 is NOT the same as bleach, which is a harsh chemical and does a poor job of killing mold.

The best products to remove mold and mildew smells from carpets in the car

Here is my ranked and reviewed list of the best products that do a great job of safely removing mildew and mildew odors from BOTH hard and soft surfaces in your vehicle.

Healthy Environs Odor and Allergy Eliminator Spray

How to Use

Here is how to perform a CLO2 spray treatment to get rid of mildew.

1. Fill the provided 16 oz spray bottle with cool water.  Pour in contents of the packet provided.  Replace trigger sprayer. Shake well. Let sit 10 Minutes. Shake again.  It is now ready to use.
2. Spray the affected areas and let the product completely dry.
3. Make sure the car gets plenty of air – roll down windows and let it air out to speed up drying. In winter, turn on the heater. Do not set it to recirculate as you want to speed up drying by moving the higher humidity air from inside to outside the car.
4. After the carpets and seats are dry the mildew will be gone, and the odor should be gone.

Price: One 16oz spray bottle sells for $14.95

SNiPER Hospital Disinfectant, Odor Eliminator & All-Purpose Cleaner

SNiPer is chlorine dioxide odor remover that is also registered with the EPA as a disinfectant.

Price: $28 for 32 oz.

Bottom Line

SNiPER is an EPA-registered disinfectant and Healthy Environ’s Odor Eliminator is not.

EPA registration takes a lot of time and money. The benefit is that SNiPER can make disinfectant claims while Healthy Environs product can not.

SNiPER does contain quaternary ammonium compounds (quats) which have gotten somewhat of a bad rap in the press as they can cause respiratory irritation in some individuals. This was especially when they were sprayed as a mist to disinfect whole buildings as was more prevalent during the COVID pandemic.

But it is also worth noting that SNiPER has the safest toxicity classification the EPA gives out. Such that SNiPER can claim to be non-toxic.

My last word

• If you want a registered disinfectant, in addition to an odor eliminator, then buy SNiPER.
• If you want to be as eco-friendly as possible, then get Healthy Environs Odor eliminator because it does not contain the quats.
• SNiPER is 2x more expensive, but you get 2x the amount of product (32oz vs. 16oz).
• In my experience 16 oz. is plenty of product for a couple of car treatments.
• It’s important to know that both of these products have a shelf-life of 2 years before the chlorine dioxide loses its effectivity.
• I have used both products extensively and my experience is that either one will eliminate your mildew and mildew smell issue.
• I’ve recommended Healthy Environs’ product because it does not have the quats, which, in my experience, are not necessary for mildew odor removal.

What to do when the mildew contamination is REALLY BAD

Let’s say you have followed the steps I’ve outlined thus far, but you still have a mildew smell in the car.

You have two choices. You could repeat the process as you may just need a deeper treatment on the areas you’ve treated.

But, here’s the catch. It is also possible that the mold has penetrated more deeply throughout the car than just the visible surfaces you saw.

In this case, you’ll want to perform a vapor treatment to ensure you deep treat every nook and cranny to remove any remaining mildew.

The good news is that Healthy Environs also has a product that allows you perform a CLO2 vapor treatment quickly and safely.

Healthy Environs Mobile Refresh Product

Check out this short video on how to use CLO2 gas to treat a car. The video covers a 2-step process starting with the initial spray (just Like I talked about earlier in this post) followed by an easy to perform gas treatment,

Don’t forget: you’ll need to get an aerator (watch the video) to speed up the process of CLO2 generation. This is the aerator I recommend and it costs less than $8.

Tips for keeping you car smelling fresh

Once you’ve removed the mildew smell and the mildew itself from your car, here are a few tips you can take for preventing mildew from growing again.

• Air dry out your car frequently. Mold and mildew love stale air. Keeping moisture out of car interiors is important to prevent musty smells and car odors of all types.
  
  Don’t always recirculate but open up the vents to fresh air mode to change out the air.
• Replace your cabin air filter periodically so it doesn’t get clogged and reduce the flow of clean air into your car.
• Keep your car, especially your car carpet, dry. Fix any leaks immediately.
  
  Mold can start to grow in as little as two days in stale non-moving air environments where the humidity is above 60%
• Remove any wet towels or articles that block sunlight and create warm moist conditions on your seats and carpets where the mold and mildew can thrive.
  
  Don’t leave wet stuff in the glove compartment, in your back seat, or on your car carpet.
• Keep your car clean. All that debris and dirt in your car is a great food source for mold and mildew.
  
  Use a car vacuum regularly, including under front seat floor mats. You can also sprinkle baking soda on the carpet, including under the car mats, before using the vacuum cleaner, to help prevent a bad smell from starting.
  
  These portable stick vacuums are battery powered, have a handheld option and are specially made for removing pet hair and other dirt in carpets.
• Avoid the use of air fresheners that only mask odors. Do use odor eliminators that purify the air by breaking down allergen and odor-causing mildew particles.

The best products for KEEPING the air fresh in your car

Here are my top recommendations for true odor eliminators that will help keep your car fresh after you’ve deep treated the car and removed the initial mildew smell.

Healthy Environs Odor Eliminator 102

Healthy Environs Odor Eliminator 365

Bottom LIne

Both of these products work well to remove odors from the air!

• Both are affordable, eco-friendly, and safe to use around people and pets.
• The Odor Eliminator 102 sachet lasts longer and is great when your concern is a slow buildup over time of stale air and bad smells.
• Use the Odor Eliminator 365 canister if you need a quick fix to freshen the air when you need more odor removal punch, like when you’ve had your pet or fast food in the car! Be sure to remove the culprit first otherwise the smell will build as fast as you remove it.
• Both also work great to keep other low-level odor environments smelling fresh, like bathrooms, for example.
• Do not put these in a car with visible mold or mildew and expect them to work. You’ll need to follow the earlier protocols I outlined which will set the stage for ongoing maintenance which is what these products are intended for.

FAQ’s

Wrap-Up

My final thought is that you shouldn’t fall for quick fixes when it comes to removing any type of mold, mildew, or musty smells. Bring your A-Game and do not waste time with just placing bowls of vinegar or activated charcoal out, sprinkling baking soda or using an air freshener that’s primarily a fragrance base.

This article contains my proven methods. These are my tried and proven secrets for getting rid of musty and mildew odors in cars. By following these steps, you can not only get rid of a bad odor issue, but you can keep your car smelling fresh and clean.

Related: How to get smoke smell out of the car.