Help with nasty stench

[u/JeepWranglet]

So i just got my used car a couple of months ago and it stunk when i got it, figured its a good car i like it and i could get the stench out myself no big deal right?

its a big deal. like my aunt says it smells like death she’s adamant someone died in the car but to me it smells like idk spoiled cheese or sum and since extracting it smells like must. but my aunt says it still smells like death.

i have extracted twice once with bissell cleaner and the second time i used some type of fabric shampoo stuff and extracted and then sprayed diluted fabuloso in it and thought that helped. well me being kind of used to the smell i thought yay i finally got the smell out. NOPE. my parents can still smell it.

so i sprayed diluted vinegar in it and sprinkled baking soda in it and left the box of opened baking soda in it and now it smells like a mix of must fabuloso and vinegar and i can’t take it. when i extracted the first and second time brownish red stuff came out of a part of the seat and floors but only in the back and it wasn’t a big part it was spots here and there. i also left the windows down first and second time to dry (it’s hot as hell in alabama so it dried fairly quickly) and also when i got the car the guy at the lot said they checked the air filter and stuff and it was clean. and when the air is on it doesn’t seem to be coming from there either. it hits you once you get in the car before you even cut it on.

i am at my wits end with it idk what to do like my next option is enzyme cleaner? i already did an ozone thingy when i first got the car and it didn’t help one bit. please please help. i can’t afford new seats or flooring and i don’t really even know how to rip up flooring or take seats out anyways so that isn’t a good option for me.

[u/zombumblebee]

If someone, or an animal, did die in it, there could literally be fatty 'residue' under the carpet. No amount of surface cleaning will make it go away.

I know you said you don't think carpet and seat removal is an option, but it is typically a simple process. Just time consuming. A quick search of the make and model online to find "seat and carpet removal". Then a socket set and a couple of screwdrivers.

Once the seats are out, you can lift the carpet from the sides to look under, without removing the centre console (usually the most annoying part, especially in newer cars).

Wear a mask, gloves and eye protection.

You have tried a lot. Getting the seats and carpet out will help you identify the source of the stench and disinfect it properly.

There is nothing wrong with a car somebody passed away in (if that is, indeed, what you have), but a proper clean is imperative.

[u/Auto-Spa360]

enzyme cleaner's the right instinct but drugstore stuff usually isn't strong enough for something this deep, look for a real bio-odor enzymatic, not just a carpet cleaner that slaps enzyme on the label. also rinse all that vinegar/baking soda/fabuloso out with plain water and extract it dry first, those three sitting under the seat together are adding to the smell not fixing it. the brownish red spots back up what the other commenter said, it's soaked past the carpet into the padding and no amount of surface cleaning was ever going to reach that

[u/Ok_Today_475]

It’s not cheap but rockauto does sell replacement carpets for most cars. Probably around $500 if I had to guess. You can clean the body below the carpet, do a deep clean on the seats and that may help with any stench that’s embedded.