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Spring Cleaning Time!

6K views 52 replies 12 participants last post by  Rodeo Joe 
#1 · (Edited)
Taking advantage of the decent weather we've finally been getting, I decided to awake the T-Bird from it's winter slumber.

I have it stored in my driveway under a ShelterLogic garage. I disconnected the battery tender, picked up all dryer sheets and Mint X trash bags I had placed under the hood. Then I go inside to start it. Apparently I had a visitor(s) over the course of the last month after I last checked it. :boom: Strong odor, more like urine. Looking for suggestions on proven cleaners and methods to get rid of the odor.

I'm probably going pull the seats and most of the interior out to do it, can't wait to see what I might find. I'm thinking of an ozone generator air purifier, but I might do that after I clean everything up. Open for suggestions, steam clean the rugs and seats, vent cleaners for the A/C.

Funny thing is, the trunk and under the hood are fine. No signs of any visitors, just the interior.

Joe
 
#2 ·
When my Cougar interior was all apart I decided to clean the carpets. I sprayed Lexol deep carpet cleaner on the spots; which consisted of a few tough grease marks, and what looked like spilled soda under the seats. It works better than the spray foam carpet cleaner I have used in the past. It removed the stains really well, so I have been using the Lexol since... even in my house. I like their leather treatment and cleaner as well. After I got the bad spats I went over the entire carpet with a scrub brush I dipped into a bucket of soapy water. Used the shop vac to suck up the soapy water.
Between that and the new headliner the car smells great! It never had a bad odor, but it got rid of the stale older car smell.

On other cars I have had I used Ozium and sprayed it into the air vents and vent intake under the hood. That seems to work well and gets rid of the ducting having a bad smell.
 
#3 ·
Joe, I'd give Folex a go on the carpet, especially if you're going to remove it from the car. I used it to clean the OEM carpet in my 00 Grand Prix that went through 3 kids and 2 adults that really didn't care what was spilled in the car.

The first few times I rinsed it out with the hose after soaking it with Folex the water coming out looked like coffee, lol. Initially soaked hard it with the Folex, then used a brush to work it in a bit then rinsed it over and over, with a few re-treatments inbetween.

After I let it dry out in the sun the difference was amazing. Looks as close to factory as possible. After reinstall I have had no lingering odors even when it got hot over last summer and it didn't make the carpet all crunchy. In fact the factory backing didn't even peel off. Just a nice clean carpet left.

I've used it in the house to remove some other stains that were well set and they also came out. Not sure how this stuff works, but it's damn good for the price.
 
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#4 ·
Nature's Miracle works wonders. You can find it at the local Pet's mart or the Wal-Mart pets department. I think Target carries it too.

We used to use it for our dogs urine when they had accidents in the house. They both passed away last summer. :(

RIP Quincy & Gracie. :angel2::angel2:
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the suggestions guys, looking at everything including cleaning the a/c system.

Sorry to hear about the dogs Ron. My Golden Retriever just turned 15 back in December so I've been blessed that he's been with us this long. Was that the shampoo you used or the cleaner?

Joe
 
#7 ·
I finally got into it and started removing the interior over the weekend, this is worse than I thought! :(

The worst of it appeared to be in quarter panels under the rear speakers. Sound deadening and insulation are pretty much trashed. The only thing that I haven't pulled out is the dash and I'm not touching that. I'll work on trying to clean out the vents if I have to, hopefully nothing is under there.

Started to work out the carpet on the drivers and surer than **** a freakin' mouse (live!) pops out :eek: and makes a beeline over to the passenger side rear. Not sure where it went, I'm thinking in the hole here in the frame rail. (see picture)

Ordered a bunch of traps on Amazon this morning, can't do any real cleaning until they're gone. Getting bait traps outside the car and loading them up with poison and hopefully that will keep them away.

Not what I wanted to be doing with the car this year! :rant:

Joe
 

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#8 ·
I'd use conventional traps and peanut butter. Avoid the poison because they can crawl in a corner and die and then you've got a whole other problem.

So sorry for your critter problem.
 
#10 ·
:zpuke: I’d rather see rust! How many years have I been saying everyone should toss the sound deadener from that area?


That hole goes into the rocker panel, and through that he could get out through the square cutout in the frame rail near the fuel tank, it may be his hiding place it didn’t leave the car. Not many other escape routes since the rockers are packed with foam forward of it.
 
#13 ·
That hole goes into the rocker panel, and through that he could get out through the square cutout in the frame rail near the fuel tank, it may be his hiding place it didn’t leave the car. Not many other escape routes since the rockers are packed with foam forward of it.
Is this hole on either side of the car on the rear? I haven't taken this off before so IDK where it's at.
 
#12 ·
Adopt a cat; seems to work for me. :)

An outdoor cat is great fun, although it may be too cold in your area.

I put out birdseed, when they're bored, lol. Like today.

I need to set up a camera, but I'm sure I'd violate some law. :)
 
#14 ·
It is on both sides of the car, it's close to the wheel housing. Looking thru the speaker hole and look down, there it is.

Joe
 
#19 ·
Spent about 4 hours, a roll of paper towels and a bleach/water mix to clean things up today. Actually doesn't smell too bad at all! :tongue:

Lesson learned with this fiasco, if it's going to sit for any kind of time at all, I'm leaving traps in and around it.

I'll start cleaning up the carpet and seats later this week, weather is going to suck for the first part of the week.

Joe
 

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#20 ·
Joe, I'd add some stereo wiring while it's empty like that.

Any chance you have a Cat?
Putting some food in there while the interior is out, and letting it hang out there for a while will put cat pheromones in there, and those deter mice.

Cat Pheromones, not Cat Pee, lol.

Looks Great!
 
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#22 ·
I can remember when my new car had a problem when I was in a lot next to next door vacant or undeveloped lots. I threw out my old potatoes into the vacant lot to keep them out of a landfill. Later, my windshield washer fluid stopped coming. Later still, I find a potato on the top of my motor, and a hole chewed into my washer fluid line. Happy Mother's Day.
 
#23 ·
Caught 2 more today, one in and one outside the car. Traps are working great!

But it looks like there's been some activity in there since I cleaned it Saturday, found some droppings and a stain that I know I cleaned. Not sure if it's the ones that I found today.

Any idea how long I should wait until I can start putting this thing back together? I don't want to be wasting my time for nothing, I can wait it out. Give it time until there's no longer any signs of activity???

Joe
 
#24 ·
You are probably fighting smells that are attracting them; I'd recommend washing it out with something ammonia based, to kill any pheromones they've left behind.

You're probably going to also have to move to the broader area, and put out poison around your house, and see what their food source is and eliminate it.

If you have dogs, they won't care about mice at all. The mice are probably eating dog food.

Tighten up on food supplies; feeding them inside is an option, but mice will follow the food in most cases.

I tend to use natural means; cats and snakes. :)

Go for a hike and find a couple of blacksnakes you can bring home; they'll eat several mice a day.

Blacksnakes also run off poisonous snakes.

:)
 
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#26 ·
Yes, there are arrowhead shaped drain stampings on the bottom of the rocker panels that water will drain out of. They’re small holes though, not designed for a huge amount of flow so you’ll end up with a pool in them for a period, and if there’s any crap in there there’s a chance it’ll clog the holes before it fully drains out.

Don’t use anything corrosive to paint or metal
 
#28 ·
If you use ammonia based cleaner, or 409, wash it out carefully, thru the drain holes. :)

Coth are corrosive, but ammonia or 409 will break up the pheromones; I use it for killing cat pee markings, so other cat's don't feel the need to mark stuff around the house. (******* cats...)

My mom really must have hated me to leave me her cat.
 
#31 ·
Thermite works wonders, and won't piss off the neighbors.

It's a bit rough on the paint, however.
 
#32 ·
Taking advantage of the decent weather we've finally been getting, I decided to awake the T-Bird from it's winter slumber.

I have it stored in my driveway under a ShelterLogic garage. I disconnected the battery tender, picked up all dryer sheets and Mint X trash bags I had placed under the hood. Then I go inside to start it. Apparently I had a visitor(s) over the course of the last month after I last checked it. <img src="http://forums.tccoa.com/images/smilies/boom.gif" border="0" alt="" title="boom" class="inlineimg" /> Strong odor, more like urine. Looking for suggestions on proven cleaners and methods to get rid of the odor.

I'm probably going pull the seats and most of the interior out to do it, can't wait to see what I might find. I'm thinking of an ozone generator air purifier, but I might do that after I clean everything up. Open for suggestions, steam clean the rugs and seats, vent cleaners for the A/C.

Funny thing is, the trunk and under the hood are fine. No signs of any visitors, just the interior.

Joe
I detail by trade , I wouldn't suggest ozone unless you like a morbid lingering smell of a pneumonia like smell that lasts along time.

Commercial size Carpet extractor , possibly a foaming spray chemical I used called xtra duty works well .
 
#34 ·
I was going to update this thread, thanks for doing it for me. :)

I wouldn't suggest ozone unless you like a morbid lingering smell of a pneumonia like smell that lasts along time.
You mean ammonia?! :rofl: Just kidding, had to do it! Ok, this is the first I heard about this, thank you for the info.
But I would definitely extract carpets and seats .
Did that right away, they're at a detailer now and I'm picking them up in the morning.

Back to business at hand. Things are pretty much cleaned up and I'm getting ready (I thought I was) to start putting this back together.

Inside of the car is good, but to me there's been a lingering odor. And the only place that I really couldn't get at is the frame rail area where Matt said earlier the sunroof drain tubes run. So I figure while I had time before work to try and check a couple of things out. My shop vac has round attachment that can fit over that hole so I tried to see if I get anything, nothing. Then I try my small air compressor and start blasting air in there, mother of freakin' God! Blew some crap out but what a stench. :mad:

Matt or anyone else that might know. Can I get at that frame area somewhere else to clean this thing out. I was thinking under the door sill plate and going that way but wasn't sure, either that or drill holes to access it.

Joe
 
#33 ·
Taking advantage of the decent weather we've finally been getting, I decided to awake the T-Bird from it's winter slumber.

I have it stored in my driveway under a ShelterLogic garage. I disconnected the battery tender, picked up all dryer sheets and Mint X trash bags I had placed under the hood. Then I go inside to start it. Apparently I had a visitor(s) over the course of the last month after I last checked it. <img src="http://forums.tccoa.com/images/smilies/boom.gif" border="0" alt="" title="boom" class="inlineimg" /> Strong odor, more like urine. Looking for suggestions on proven cleaners and methods to get rid of the odor.

I'm probably going pull the seats and most of the interior out to do it, can't wait to see what I might find. I'm thinking of an ozone generator air purifier, but I might do that after I clean everything up. Open for suggestions, steam clean the rugs and seats, vent cleaners for the A/C.

Funny thing is, the trunk and under the hood are fine. No signs of any visitors, just the interior.

Joe
I detail by trade , I wouldn't suggest ozone unless you like a morbid lingering smell of a pneumonia like smell that lasts along time.

Commercial size Carpet extractor , possibly a foaming spray chemical I used called xtra duty works well .
Vesco oil products can be ordered online and they make a fabric neutralizer chemical with a mix of cherry or some scent that mixes in with the carpet extractor and steaming water
Make sure it has 100psi of extracting pull
And use fans on all floors while drying it with the cars heater on floor .
But I would definitely extract carpets and seats .
 
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