Wife Left 1/2 Gallon of Milk...

...in the '95 DGGM. Not good. Yep, it exploded. Yep, the car smells like sour milk.

The milk was sitting directly behind the back seat (seatback was up). About a quart of what looked like cottage cheese was left in the container, so what leaked out was probably watery and nasty. Nothing on the deck appears wet.

So... what shoudl I do? I can faintly smell it on the back of the seat and the cloth piece that attaches to the deck (the piece with the velcro). I can shampoo those, but what should I use? The seat bottom seems okay, and I don't think the foam on either peice got wet.

The good news is that a puddle of said clear nasty separated milk made it out of the car, but I can't tell exactly where it drained from. The bottom of the car was dry, and it didn't appear that the leak path was through the quarter panels. I'd like to find the leak path so I can rinse it... not only to remove the smell, but isn't milk acidic? Being a well documented rustophobe, I wouldn't want to have any rust happen from this debacle.

Thanks in advance for any advice... and please no suggestions on how to deal with the wife. I already have some ideas for that.

I'm not writing to problem-solve, but to empathize. We recently accidentally left a gallon of milk in the back of our minivan overnight; we found it the next morning, but it had somehow leaked out perhaps two tablespoons. The car STUNK after sitting in the sun for a few hours. Using a garden hose with a sprayer and a shopvac, I rinsed and sucked out as much as I could, then used "nature's miracle" to neutralize the rest of the odor. The smell has gone away over time, but you still can sense the faint odor two weeks later.

If you find out what neutralizes the smell, let me know.

If it was me...I would get a bucket or warm water and Simple Green (50/50 mix) and a soft brush. Scrub away and blot ...scrub and blot...repeat for a bit and then vac it dry.

That milk likely just ran and thinned out on the rear floor pans and dried up. I don't know if the milky residue will cause rust BUT...I think there is some soft rubber sound proofing stuff arounf there too. It might have soaked into that and dried up. Ug. Or...it could have run down and soaked into the cusions under the back seat.

If you want to, take stuff apart and see how it looks. I think I would. It not like you don't have other wagons to drive!

Okay, so on further evaluation I found the carpet directly behind the rear seat (the part with the velcro strip) to be wet underneath. That part of the carpet was fairly soaked. Since that panel is difficult to remove I figured I'd pull the carpet off and wash it. Used a heat gun. That didn't work, carpet melted. Should've stuck with a razor blade!

Dammit. Oh well, I'll order some new carpet for it. and glue it back down after I have a velcro strip and vinyl welt sewn on. Note to self: Heat guns melt carpet fast!

The good news? Smell is gone. Well, pretty much. That stuff is nasty!

Another neat trick is used coffee grounds. Fill up a Folgers can with the used coffee grounds from your pot. Add a bit of water and set it in the car on a hot day with the windows up. Don't know why it works, but it does. Really great at getting rid of the smoke smell and any other invasive odors. Will smell a little like the inside of a coffee shop for a couple days after but disappears quick.

Bill

EEEeeeeeeewwww.....

I had a botttle of wine explode in one of my cars before. I couldn't imagine milk. Damn. That's just nasty!

Sorry I can't help much... If it were me, I'd replace the carpet. But you could try pulling the carpet out and renting one of the steam cleaner/rug shampooers from the grocery or hardware store and try treating it in the driveway. Might as well do the whole thing. Then use a good all purpose cleaner with bleach and clean the floorboards. Maybe let it sit in the garage with the windows open for a few days to air it out?

Damn dude. That just sucks.

convert2diesel wrote:

Another neat trick is used coffee grounds. Fill up a Folgers can with the used coffee grounds from your pot. Add a bit of water and set it in the car on a hot day with the windows up. Don't know why it works, but it does. Really great at getting rid of the smoke smell and any other invasive odors. Will smell a little like the inside of a coffee shop for a couple days after but disappears quick.

Bill

I have heard of that before, but never tired it...so it does work! Pretty neat!!

Man, you rich guys sure have problems eh? too many wagons,. 1/2 gallons of milk,. us poor folk can't afford a 1/2 gallon, so we don't have these problems on such a large scale,.
go to your local market,. buy some fresh fish,. put it in a paper bag,. put it in the rear glove compartment thingy on the drivers side, after a week you won't notice the milk smell,.
If that doesn't suit you,. just shake1/2 a box of baking soda around under the rear seat leave it there, after a couple of days all will be good,. just remember to vacuum it up after a while,.
Coffee grounds will aggravate the dogs at the border,..

Nick

Nick is correct on the baking soda for odors. It works.

I also have a great product designed special for our profession,police cars and Morgues. Hasn't failed yet.

You don't have that big of a problem by comparison or I would ship you a bottle.

On the other hand if the smell persists, I will put my life at risk, drive down and properly dispose the car for you Kevin. Seriously I hope it goes away.

Thanks everyone! The smell is basically gone... but there is still some odor on the seat back (which is no longer in the car). I sprinkled baking soda on it a couple days ago. I'm sure I can get the smell out of it since it didn't get too wet to begin with.

The biggest part of the stink was that carpeting on the panel behind the second seat. With it removed, I was able to wipe down the hard panels and tar insulation below with a bleach solution. That got the smell to pretty much go away. I think a slight bit remained in the insulation behind the tar layer. I pulled it back and put baking soda there as well. I'll pull it back again and vacuum it up in a few days.

The car sat in the sun all day yesterday and had only a faint smell when I got in. That's a good sign. Now I just need to get some replacement carpet for that cargo panel...