If You’re Considering an Auto Detailing Career, Here’s What You Should Know About Deodorizing Car Interiors
We spend a lot of time in our cars, from our daily commutes to running errands and the occasional road trip. From time to time, every driver is bound to face a problem with an odour in their vehicle that they can’t seem to get rid of. Odours in vehicles can originate from many different causes, such as leftover food, spilled drinks, or even smoke. Drivers may attempt to combat the odour with do-it-yourself methods, but when they can’t seem to get rid of a smell, they’re bound to come asking for professional help. That’s where an auto detailer can come in handy.
If you’re considering a career in auto detailing, here’s everything you need to know about how to remove an odour from a vehicle, and how to advise drivers on preventing odours from occurring in their vehicles in the future.
If You Have Auto Detailing Training, Here’s How to Identify the Source of an Odour
In order to determine where an odour is coming from, the first step is to clean clutter and trash from a vehicle’s interior. Adjust all car seats and remove carpets in order to ensure that you aren’t missing any fallen debris within the crevices of a vehicle. The odour might be coming from something forgotten beneath the seat of a car. After conducting a preliminary sweep of a car, those in an auto detailing career will then be able to tell where the scent is coming from.
If a source is not immediately identified by a stain or some neglected garbage, the odour could be caused by other factors. Ask the owner of a vehicle if they smoke, in which case the vehicle’s cabin air filter or air conditioning system could be perpetuating the smell. The smell could also be coming from mildew or mold which is living on wet spots on the vehicle’s upholstery, either caused by a leak, a spilled beverage, or weather damage. If the upholstery has not dried properly, this could encourage the growth of mold or mildew, which aside from having a pretty terrible smell, can sometimes be dangerous to our health.
How To Remove an Odour
Once the source of the odour has been identified, you can put your auto detailing training to use by treating the upholstery of a vehicle with a stain removing solution. Once all the upholstery has been treated, the dirt resting on it should be thoroughly cleaned. This can be done by using both a scrub brush and a vacuum. Use a stiff brush and scrub the surface area of a carpet, following with a wet-dry vacuum to remove all of the moisture. If the upholstery is leather, use a mild cleanser instead, followed by a soft-bristled scrub brush. Leather seats can be dried using a microfiber cloth so as not to leave any streaks. Make sure to dry the upholstery thoroughly to remove opportunities for mold or mildew. You may have to replace the cabin air filter or spray an AC system cleaner into the exterior intake vents to fully deodorize the car.
For tougher smells, some auto detailing centres will even offer ozone treatments. An ozone treatment uses ozone gas to eliminate any remaining mildew or other pesky bacteria, as well as the lingering smells they create.
What to Tell Drivers Who Want to Prevent Odours From Occurring
Drivers may seek your advice for avoiding getting odours in their vehicle again. You can tell them to avoid leaving food in the car, to avoid smoking in the car as much as possible, and to always be aware of the weather. Leaving windows open in the rain or leaving a car sitting in direct sunlight for a long period of time can contribute to unpleasant odours.
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Check out ATC Toronto’s program options today.
