The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Interiors Help with critter Smells !

I have a problem - Does anyone know the Best way to remove Critter Smells from the cab of a truck . The last owner let his cat keep down the mice problem by leaving the floorboard battery box door off so it could come and go . The problem is it "went" inside the cab and did not control the mice very well for there is also a mice smell . Please any sujestions will be helpful . You just can't survive in the cab for long without a personal air tank even with the windows down . Thanks ED H

Ed get some Concentrated Germicidal Cleaner(any hardware store should have it, I got mine at Tru Value Hardware) it will not only kill any smells you have PLUS any of those nasty bugs that come from mouse/rats feces which can kill you.....Joe

My '49 had the same problem. I removed the seat and scrubed the floor boards with soap and water. And painted the floor with with zero rust.
Cleon

Yesterday I picked up a name brand pet smell deoderizor and attacketed the interior of the cab . I was suprised when I got some good results - not 100% but at least one can sit in the cab and work without a gas mask . I'm going to get some of the cleaner ZooKeeper sujested and when I'm done paint it with some POR 15 to help with some of the rust issues until I have time to address them . ED H

try a bag of charcoal briquettes emptied into a tray like a garbage can lid for a couple days and repeat with new charcoal.

6tvette - Have already done that. It helped a little but a real strong cleaner is needed - then I will put in some more as a monthly preventitive measure to help keep it sweet smelling . ED H

You have to attack the smell where its coming from. If, for instance,the cat "sprayed" on the door, you can scrub all day on the floors and under the seat and it will still stink. Sniff around,stick your nose in it,THEN clean it.
Mice and rats are incontinent,they pee as they walk. (and they dont care what you think about it.) To get rid of that would take almost dipping the whole truck in Lysol!
Good Luck,
Marty

I would make sure before you go sniffing mouse pee that no mice have been it it recently. Hantavirus is carried by deer mouse excrement & urine.It can kill you. I don't know how long it can live outside the mouse, I have heard several days. Might want to use the germicide before sniffing.

Mice like the A-pillars, head liner area and inside the seats. Do not be surprised if you need to remove, replace, recover, re-upholster as well.

I used straight bleach on my cab after removing a few inches of mouse pooh from under the seats. I sprayed it in every crevice that I could find. Then I pressure washed the cab followed by drying with the air hose.

when I got my 54 3600 it has set for 10 years, with the battery box lid open; had been home to rats for years. When we trailered it home first stop was the car wash, it filled commercial vacuum with "stuff" and through away the firewall insullation. we then took it to the car wash. smell was gone.

We dont really have the virus issue up here but we have had a few cases, mostly in Eastern Washington where the climate allows for it.

Usually I start with the shop vac sucking up everything I can see. Then I throw on the respirator and fire the back pack blower up and get at all the hard to get spots. A few goes back and forth between the two and youll pretty much knock all the loose stuff out and then you can get at the scrubbing.

Jeff

55 1st Suburban ; I tryed to put a Better smelling "Critter" in it but she took one whiff and gave me the " you have got to be kidding me " look when I offered to let her sit in the drivers seat . Women ? ED H

Ok. I know this is kinda like wiping before you poop, but I have been wahshing & working on the inside of my cab for over a week now. If I did get some bad virus from the mice leftovers, how long would it take to know if I was getting sick from it?

You can look in my Photobucket pictures & see what I had in my roof & pillars. Half of my seat cushion was missing when I got my truck. I found the missing half in the glove box, the windshield pillars, between the inner & outer roof & between the inner & outer back panel above the rear window.