Remove Spoiled Milk Smell Out Of A Car No Matter How Old

Rotten milk in a car carpet

The good “ole” spilled milk in car smell. You can’t beat it for that beautiful tangy, long lasting sour milk odor and although it has a reputation for being difficult to remove, we would like to share with you the technique we have used since 2002 on hundreds on vehicles with excellent success.

As an odor removal expert I will show you exactly how to remove milk smell from your car.

Soak the milk spill with our premix 4 part odor remover and leave for 5 to 10 minutes. The formula breaks down the milk fats, proteins, sugars and salts ready for extraction. Extract the chemical and milk residues with a wet vacuum or use folded towels and apply pressure to soak up the fluids in the car carpet or upholstery. Repeat if the odor persists then let the car dry in the sun or put a dehumidifier inside to extract remaining moisture.

One of my clients left a half gallon milk container in her new Volkswagen on the back floor. She then went on vacation for 3 months!

The bottle swelled up and burst putting rotten milk into the vehicles carpet (which has a thick sound proofing and it soaked it up like a sponge) Thanks Volkswagen!

She got home to a DIY cheese factory complete with fungus, a rank odor and enough mold to interest any science teacher! Using a car grooming company to remove the odor was not successful so she called us in.

The photo shows us treating the milk spill by soaking the area with our DIY formula and then extracting out with a wet vac. Notice all the white foaming in the carpet from the formula.

Treating rotting milk in a car

Step No 1 : The first thing to do is locate the actual contamination

The first thing to do is locate the actual contamination of the milk spill. If you know where the milk spilt then treat that area but if you are unsure i.e you were given the vehicle to clean and no information provided simply spray a light application of our Formula 2 and look for white foaming. Make a thorough examination as milk can spread deeply and quickly, particularly if the floor is sloping.

Helpful Tip: How to locate milk smell in car carpet or seats.
Apply some of my formulation and look for white foaming as shown. Apologies for quality of photo but this is a car floor with 4 pints of milk in it that smelt really bad!. There is a live demonstration in the video below however here is a photo showing what I mean re foaming.

Car Floor Carpet Foaming White With Contamination

Step No 2: Mix up a batch of our rotten milk neutralizer (Use Formula 2 at normal strength)

Once you have located the contamination make a gallon of formula two at normal strength. Mix it in a plastic container with a pouring handle. The product once mixed must be used up and cannot be stored. The cost to make it is minimal so make sure you have plenty on hand.

Step No 3: Tip the solution onto the carpet where you think the main contamination is. Wait for 5 minutes and see which areas foam and which areas do not foam.

removing sour milk vehicle

This is a great odor detector and the best odor neutralizer for stinking old milk.

Step No 4: Use towels or a Wet Vac to extract the solution from the carpet

Extract the rotten milk residues using a wet vac and then flush with hot water and extract again. This is a good wetvac to use.

Step No 5: Pour very hot water onto the area and let soak in for 1 minute

Once you have completed the extraction using a wet vac or folded towels, pour very hot water (just boiled is fine) and extract out with your wet vac or use foldered towels again to soak up as much as possible.

Step No 6: Leave the car in the sun to dry throughly or if you live in a damp moist area with little sun use a dehumidifier.

Get as much of the moisture out of the carpet or upholstery as possible and then leave the car in the sun with the windows cracked to dry throughly. Alternatively to speed things up leave a dehumidifier in the car and change the water canister after 5 hours


See live demo below of removing milk smell from the Volkswagen car mentioned above

How to get rid of spoiled milk spill odor in a car carpet

Part Two of the video below

Part Two of Removing Milk

How do you get spilled milk out of carpet?

The best way is to treat it with an oxidising solution then extract the carpet with a wet vac using a extraction nozzle preferably with an injection unit attached so you can rinse the fibres with fresh hot water as you extract. Towels will work too if you apply very heavy pressure to them and change out the towel once it gets sodden.

I spilt milk in the car footwell. How do I get this out?

If the milk spill is fresh then get a wetvac (see the link in Step Three) and extract the milk out. Get a spray bottle and spray some hot water containing a tiny amount of detergent onto the area and then extract that out also using the wet vac to finish.

Does sprinkling baking soda on the milk spill get rid of the odor?

No it will not as the milk will be deep into the carpet and underfloor layers (the padding) which will need a good flush and extraction to get rid of the milk and stop future odor issues.

Does sour milk smell go away?

It won’t go away quickly without treatment and will linger for years due to the fat compounds bonding with the carpet padding and bacteria feeding on the residues. It will be more noticeable when the car is locked up and the interior gets hot in summer time.

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