Because we spend so much time in our vehicles, we normally don’t notice if the natural smell is particularly strong or unpleasant. Nose blindness is commonplace, especially in vehicles. Here are five ways to make your automobile smell better and eliminate that potential risk when you may have passengers riding along.
1. Get Air Fresheners
Installing an air freshener is the quickest and easiest way to get a fresher scent in your vehicle. These tiny tree-shaped trinkets have brought the smell of fresh pine, lemon, vanilla, or other enjoyable fragrances to vehicles for many years. However, air fresheners are more of a quick fix to make your car smell nice. Hopefully, you can make bigger changes to attack the underlying cause of unpleasant smells.
2. Clean the Floor Mats
Neglecting to properly clean your car is an overlooked habit that can damage your vehicle. The floor mats are where you put your feet and basically track in a little bit from everywhere you walk. Dirt, sand, mud, and all sorts of potential germs get on the floor mats. Take the time to remove the mats from your car and give them a thorough cleaning. That can help remove some bad smells right there.
3. Avoid Food
One easy way to make your automobile smell better is to try and avoid eating in it. Odors from fast food can seep into your upholstery and lead to bad smells over time. Many people also use their seats as a napkin if they’re eating while driving, which rubs in sauces, grease, and other causes of potential stenches.
4. Clean the Air Vents
We all like to use the air conditioner during the hotter months, but all the built-up dust and dirt can make the air less than fresh. Consider cleaning out the inside of your vents with a brush or vacuum and see if that makes things a little better.
5. Use Baking Soda
We often use baking soda to absorb bad smells in our fridges, which works surprisingly well in our vehicles. You can either sprinkle some baking soda on your seats and vacuum it up after a few hours or leave an open box in your car overnight. Either way, it should do the trick of absorbing some of those unpleasant smells.
