Forgot frozen salmon in my car for 2 days... trying to clean and need help

[Bullwinkle]

Yeah, I bought a pack of frozen salmon from Costco and somehow it got overlooked while emptying the back. It defrosted and some liquid got on the carpet in the back on the right side. I've been trying to soak it up with baking soda, but I'm worried that it may have dripped under the carpet. Can I remove that carpet piece in the back of the 2019 JL Unlimited that goes along the side over the right wheel well? I'm afraid to remove it and find that it is a nightmare to put back. Is it just tucked in or is it attached somehow?

Oh and yes... it smells as bad as it sounds. I left all of my windows open last night hoping to air it out a bit.

I bet that doesn't happen again! I feel your pain

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[trouphaz]

12v fridges? That’s quite the flex if it is.

Oh. lol. I meant in the house.

 

[JeepDave]

I'm dealing with the same issue right now. Spilled almond milk baked in to the carpet in a Ford Escape. Dealer says its $1500+ to replace the carpet, all the seats have to come out as well as the dashboard. Called a detailer & they said the smell would never come out no matter what. Giving it vinegar, baking soda & pet odor eliminator, not as bad as it was but still is not right. Coffee idea next...

 

[thecritter]

See if you can find a portable Ozone Generator. They make some 12 v portable ones. Someone gave me one years back to help clean up a similar situation and it worked great. You will still need to remove the carpet but this will take care of all the lingering fragrances

Do NOT use the ozone generator inside of the Jeep it will eat the door nets Live rubber and leave them a saggy mess. If willing to sacrifice door nets ozone will work.

 

[thecritter]

This.

I have a small ozonator. It will kill all odors and sources. A small "room" like the Jeep interior is perfect, I used to use it for mildew when the convertibles leak. Cat pee when... never mind, don't ask. Any off smells. Smaller ones for a single room are not so expensive and have a UV light to help kill. I have a Uvonair 3000, also does decent sized areas. I use a couple times a year for various issues, loan it out more than i use it myself.

It will eat the door nets, found out the hard way. Ozone eates the live rubber in the streatchy of the nets.

 

[CTMopar]

At least it was in your car and not your Jeep, that would have sucked.

 

[trouphaz]

At least it was in your car and not your Jeep, that would have sucked.

lol. dammit!

 

[Yogi]

If it still stinks, try Odoban.
You can get it from Amazon.

 

[entropy]

All the carpet can be removed. Trim removal tools will help.

https://www.amazon.com/Tresalto-Auto-Trim-Removal-Tool/dp/B01L8GHB7O/

I would take the affected pieces out and clean them while they're out of the Jeep, so that you can saturate well and they can dry well. Use a brush -- not a rag or (heaven forbid) paper towel. You want your efforts to produce some foam and suds.

https://www.chemicalguys.com/foaming-citrus-fabric-clean/citrus-fabric-clean.html

Then rinse thoroughly and dry thoroughly and you should be OK. Also, while the carpet is out, look for any other affected areas underneath.

trim removal tools? Ive removed mine like 4 times cause I am lazy and forget to cover the Jeep and night and it rains. All the tools you nee dare your fingers.

 

[entropy]

Ok, for those who didn't know, you can just stick a screwdriver under the plastic caps by the tie down rings and it pops up, revealing a screw underneath. The back two face the back of the car and the front one faces front (I guess so you can get at it from the rear passenger door).

well that's smart. I think I cut a square on mine so I could pull that piece out lol.

 

[John VonJeep]

trim removal tools? Ive removed mine like 4 times cause I am lazy and forget to cover the Jeep and night and it rains. All the tools you nee dare your fingers.

OK cool. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[FloridaLarry]

I thought the first burning jeep pic was a joke, but maybe not. This thread is becoming a cautionary tale.

 

[ViperJon]

I think I can beat this story. My son away at college left a large package of chicken in his Subaru Forrester that had slid under the seat. In the hot summer. In Philadelphia. This car was only used for errands and such and about 3-4 days later he went to use it. We laugh about it now but.....he said as he approached the car parked in a lot 50 feet away he started to smell something. When he opened the door....it was like getting hit with a hammer and smelled like a cadaver. The entire parking area was just enveloped in rotting meat smell. Needless to mention the flies and maggots.

So he had to come home that day and drove this abomination to our house about three hours away. When he pulled in we could smell it and when he opened the doors....dear god. So in the next few days we tried every Internet/YouTube solution to get the smell out to no avail. It lessened somewhat over time but once you get that smell locked into your senses it's always there. Then of course some of the masking agents smelled as bad as the problem. One particular solution was this cinnamon recipe spread liberally around the car...it didn't really do anything but now we couldn't get this overpowering cinnamon/dead body smell out lol. He said he got used to it after time but finally sold it a year or two later. That smell defeated us.

 

[Roky]

Didn’t read the whole thread, but OP, I would order new carpet, scrub , sand and repaint the floor. It seems no matter how clean you think you got it, the next hot summer day it sits in all day will reveal that all that work was for not……My suggestion is based on a rogue tomato that was never seen again until it was smelled in a previous vehicle…....

 

[omnitonic]

Do not use the power wand for the tub. Only the carpet.

I laughed out loud. Yes. Sage advice.

I've actually hosed out my tub, and just with a regular garden hose and a gentle stream, it's pretty easy to splash water everywhere. A pressure washer would be... Interesting.

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