It often happens that you may feel the smell of vinegar in your car, and you may not know the reason for the smell. It resembles the body odor or, like the rotten eggs. Luckily the scent is not harmful to your health, and you can quickly treat it well. Moreover, you may notice this strong smell in your car cabins so that air fresheners can cool off the place. This post will thoroughly guide you on how to get rid of vinegar smell in car.
How to Get Rid of Vinegar Smell in Car
Easy methods to remove the smell of vinegar in the car
Find the cause of vinegar smell
Getting rid of the vinegar smell from a car can be challenging when you cannot find the leading cause. Finding the cause of the scent can be helpful to fix the issue healthily.
Replace the car filter
In most common situations, mildew or mold is the cause of the smell, so to resolve the issue, you should replace the car filters and keep the car’s parts clean, and indeed, you will get rid of it as replacement of the car filters can stop the AC from odor like vinegar.
Keep the interior of the car clean.
You want to prevent your car from the vinegar smell by cleaning your car interior, and free of messes is a good solution. If you regularly eat or drink in your vehicle, ensure to clean the inside of your car after taking meals and clean the remains of the food immediately. Lingering the process of cleaning can cause odors like vinegar.
Clean the vents of the car
Using interior air conditioner cleaners, you can remove the vinegar smell in normal conditions. Still, specialized cleaners designed for automotive HVAC systems are the best option to eliminate the vinegar smell. Other sprays and cleaning products are the best and most effective in removing foul and bad odors. These products can fix the problem of vinegar smell temporarily.
Hire a professional
One of the best ways to prevent the smell of foul smell due to vinegar is to get the mechanic’s help to tackle the problem. The professional will remove the scent by changing the engine’s air filters. Suppose that the vinegar smell complaint is not due to the duct cleaner mist and vents; you should use the air conditioning device recommended by the expert professional to be on the safer side.
If the air conditioner does not even work, the professional will advise you on some other alternative to fix the issue if the air conditioner is not the cause of the vinegar smell.
Use of air freshener
The foul odor of vinegar can be due to the AC unit that needs repair and maintenance, as if the smell comes from the battery acid or a bad transmission fluid leak, repair the leaks of the battery and engine. To avoid a bad smell, use a high-quality air freshener.
These cleaning products have enzymes that can help remove the foul odor of vinegar because rectification of this condition is essential to avoid car and engine problems.
Use the detergents and paintbrushes.
The vinegar smell in the car’s vents is the most common problem. To solve this issue, remove the car’s vents and check the cause and nature of the smell. It is important to clean the vents and ducts to avoid the smell of a vacuum cleaner.
Cleaning the vents and ducts will help remove all the dirt and dust that has built up over time, leading to a more pleasant atmosphere for your home.
With the help of paintbrushes and detergents, cleaning and maintaining the air vents is very easy. Spraying this solution with the support of a spray bottle in the dust and vents can completely deal with vinegar’s odor.
Moreover, the best way to remove the smell of vinegar-like smell is to use the box of baking soda and leave the element in your car for some time. The essential oils, citrus juices, fresh herbs, and mixture of lemon juice and dishwashing soap can also help eliminate the foul odor of vinegar.
Use the inter-dynamics certified A/C Pro Vent Duct cleaner.
The smell of vinegar can prevent you from well-being and is more annoying than dangerous during driving. A study shows that a foul odor can divert the driver’s attention.
Hence, it is necessary to solve the problem using inter dynamic certified pro vent duct cleaners in aerosol form and odor neutralizers. These products contain a unique formula for automotive HVAC systems and clean the vents and ducts by eliminating light dirt in vent surfaces and ductworks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the smell of vinegar go away?
Vinegar is a natural cleaner, inexpensive, and deodorizer, as you can use it to clean many surfaces. The sharp odor of the vinegar can be unpleasant for many people and can go away when it dries well.
Why does my car smell like vinegar inside?
There are several reasons and causes that your car can give a bad smell like vinegar. The grounds include the accumulation of moisture, which can come from the overuse and disuse of your vehicle. Other causes include mold or bacteria build-up, gas leaks, damaged drain tubes, and other air conditioning system malfunction.
Why does my car AC smell like vinegar when I switch it on?
When your AC smells like vinegar and sour odor, the problem arises due to the air condition emitting ozone. The access condensation of the coils and ducts, malfunctioning of filters, and mildew in the dust of AC can cause foul odor and smell like vinegar.
Conclusion
If you notice the smell of vinegar inside your car, it can be due to many reasons, like either the vehicle is not clean or some faulty components present. So you should check the car interior and fix it according to the solution available.
I hope this article will be helpful information, and some pointers are good resolution for a vinegary odor in your car. Follow these methods to guarantee a comfortable and refreshing environment inside your vehicle.
I am an Automotive specialist. I graduated from Michigan with Bachelor in Automotive Engineering and Management. Also, I hold degrees in Electrical and Automation Engineering (BEng), Automatic and Industrial Electronic Engineering, and Automotive Technology. I have worked at General Motors Company for over five years as the Marketing Operations Production Coordinator. Now, I own my garage in Miami, Florida. I love cars and love to share everything about them with my readers. I am the founder of the Automotiveex blog, where I share everything about automotive, like car news, car mechanical issues, and anything else that comes up in my blog posts.
