Nobody likes a stinky car, with particularly toe-curling smells enough to make you consider selling. But before you ask yourself ‘how much is my car worth?’, we’ve got a far easier alternative.
A quick search online or at your local Halfords will reveal a wide range of odour eliminators that might help you breathe easy. Sound good? Well, have a look at our list of five of the best.
OUR PICK: Autoglym Odour Eliminator
A cheap and easy option designed to eliminate bad odours at their source. Autoglym claims it’s great for smoke, pets, and spilt food and drink, so it should cover most eventualities. The squared-off bottle means it’s easy to wedge into a cubby or boot crevice, making it a perfect on-the-go solution.
A staple option that you can keep in the car for any mid-trip nasal emergencies, Autoglym Odour Eliminator is an excellent option for keeping bad smells away. Designed to eliminate bad odours at their source, this spray is claimed to be excellent on smoke, pets, and spilt food and drink.
Pros:
• Effective
• Affordable
Cons:
• Stronger options available
ValetPRO Enzyme Odour Eater
Another affordable spray you squirt on the source of the smell, while the enzymes also help clean fabric. In 500ml form, it’s ready to use, with larger bottles needing to be diluted. It works well on organic matter including pet whiffs, mould and food stains, while also dealing with cigarette smells, too.
Pros:
• Cheap
• Effective on all organic smells
Cons:
• Not designed for the strongest odours
AirVidox Car Odour Remover
If you’re dealing with a serious stink, this is the product for you. Mix the two products and leave them in your car for four hours, and it’ll nuke any smell, microbe and tiny insect present. The chemicals used are potentially dangerous so you’ll need to leave your car in a well-ventilated area, but water neutralises AirVidox leaving you with a completely scentless interior.
Pros:
• Extremely potent
Cons:
• One-time use
Meguiar’s Carpet & Fabric Re-Fresher Odour Eliminator
A fragranced odour eliminator that removes pongs permanently leaving behind the coveted new car smell. We approve of the big bottle, simple trigger and lack of residue, if not the short duration of the new car smell. At least once that scent clears, you won’t start smelling the bad aromas once more.
Pros:
• Scented
• Easy to use
Cons:
• New car scent doesn’t last too long
Turtle Wax Odor-X Whole Car Blast
A cost-effective way of sprucing up your whole interior, Odor-X works a bit like an air freshener bomb. The kit comes with two 100ml canisters that you open and leave in the closed car, supposedly removing bad smells and replacing them with a new car scent. Although it’s supposed to work for 30 days, we found it to be acceptable rather than outstanding.
Pros:
• Easy to use
• Leaves a nice smell
Cons:
• Only two uses from the set
