How to Kill Those Foul Car Odours for Good

Chuck out everything. I mean everything. Gym bags, old Maccas bags, kids' toys, and those half-empty water bottles that have been sitting in the sun. Check under the seats and in the seat pockets. I once found a half-eaten sanga stuck in a seat rail that was the cause of a six-month stink.

Pull the floor mats out and set them aside on the driveway. They usually hold 80% of the red dust and grit anyway.

Open all the doors and the boot. Let the car breathe for 10-15 minutes while you get your gear ready. It helps clear the initial 'punch' of the smell.

Vacuum every square inch. Use the crevice tool to get deep into the gaps where the crumbs live. If you've got a dog, use a rubber brush to pull the hair out of the carpet first, vacuuming alone won't touch it.

Wipe down the dash, door cards, and console with your APC and a microfibre. Avoid the 'greasy' dressings for now. You want the surface clean, not just shiny. Pay attention to the cup holders, that's where the coffee spills ferment.

If you know where the smell is coming from (like where the kitten had an accident or the kid threw up), hit it with the enzymatic cleaner now. These cleaners literally 'eat' the bacteria causing the smell. Let it dwell for 5-10 minutes, don't let it dry out.

Spray your fabric cleaner on the seats and carpets. Scrub it in with your brush until it foams slightly. Then, use your wet/dry vac or extractor to suck all that brown gunk out. It's satisfying but also pretty gross.

This is where smoke smells live. Be careful here, don't soak it or the glue might fail and it'll sag. Just a light mist of cleaner on a cloth and a gentle wipe usually does the trick.

Use your vinegar/water mix or a dedicated glass cleaner like Bowden's 'Naked Glass'. Nicotine and dust film on the inside of the windscreen hold onto odours like you wouldn't believe.

Locate your cabin air filter (usually behind the glovebox). If it's grey and full of leaves, there's your problem. Chuck a fresh one in. Most people haven't changed theirs since the car left the showroom.

Turn the car on, set the AC to full blast, recirculate ON. Set off an 'odour bomb' (like the Meguiar's one) on the floor of the passenger side. Close the doors and let it run for 15 minutes. This gets the anti-bacterial agent through the vents where mould likes to grow.

After the 'bomb' is done, open all the doors again and let it air out for another 20 minutes before you drive it. You don't want to be huffing those concentrated fumes.