AIBU to think there must be a way to get rid of the rancid smell of spilt milk!

[asnugglysnerd]

Being clumsy, about a week ago, I dropped a bottle of milk in the footwell of my car. I cleaned it up and then put water on it to wash it etc, and I thought that had done the job.

I was wrong... very wrong!

I have used shampoo, dog urine odour eliminator, water, soap, dettol.... all sorts!

Please, someone give me hope before I spend £60 getting it professionally cleaned!

AIBU to think there must be a way?? What about all the vomit that occurs in cars...

Work colleague dropped milk in the car footwell. Used bicarbonate of soda. Worked a treat & no smell. That was when it was fresh though.

Has it soaked thru to underneath? Can you lift the carpet to see? Otherwise 1001 Carpet shampoo from Pound Shop. Whisk til enough foam. Apply foam, leave, then blot clean with sponge then paper towel.

Next time pray with anti bac after mopping up. Either it works for us or I have become immune to the smell.

My Dad had a VW in the 80's that we called the cheese car because this had happened.
It fucking reeked in the summer

Spray not pray. .

"Dear God, Sainsbury's antibacterial spray and I would like you to make my car not smell. Merciful Father, accept these prayers...."

White vinegar, flood it, leave it overnight, then mop up and repeat. The bacteria need killing off. I did this at the start of the lockdown and it took a few goes but eventually went.

Bicarb of soda and vinegar

Vinegar stinks but it goes after a while

Dissolve some biological washing powder/liquid and scrub with it.

Perhaps a strong solution of biological laundry detergent? It worked when my DD1 had spilled a milkshake carton on the carpet in her room and hadn't told us (so nobody realised until it began to stink like vomit).

It can be better to tackle these things when the spillage is fresh, but many things can still work a bit later. All is not lost.

We did this and tried many cleaning methods: to no effect.
We only solved it by selling the car...
We gave it in part-exchange to a well-equipped company (not a hapless individual).

When (shortly afterwards) that car-seller closed down, we did fear that our milky car might have been its downfall :(

Thanks for all your input and advice! Still trying to remove the smell, going for round 2 of bicarb this evening!

I had milk that spilt on to the passenger seat. I tried everything suggested above. Eventually we realised we couldn’t sort it ourselves and got it professionally valeted. That got rid of it.

@NooneElseIsSingingMySong

I think that is my net option.

Without a doubt.

I discarded a yogurt based smoothie drink bottle in my car and forgot about it. Went part way to helping me decide to get the car crushed. Definitely seek professional help sooner rather than later!

Bicarbonate worked when we got spilled milk in the fridge. Despite cleaning her it began to smell like a bin lorry! I scrubbed with a paste of bicarbonate and water then put some down and the smell disappeared. Also good sprinkled in your bin.

There used to be a Stain Devil for milk. I used it years ago, some time after I'd spilled milk in the footwell and the car smelled rancid. I had to lift the carpet as it had soaked through to the wadding below. Got rid of the smell virtually immediately.

It was a good practice run for when I did it again in the boot a couple of months later 😳

Soak with white wine vinegar, then pour a pack of bi carb over the area and leave it there, once its wet through remove and replace with fresh bicarb..... repeat.
I had a 4l bottle of milk leak on the back seat of my car a couple of years ago, maybe a litre went on the seat and this worked a treat.