How do you get rid of the rat smell?

Sell the car, tell people it's an authentic rat rod, ask twice as much as it's worth -


If it won't stain the seats I'd pull 'em right out, soak them from the bottoms, soak under them, and plan to do it a couple of times as mentioned.

 

Ditto what corsair said about Nature's Miracle. However, if you want to feel useful, and also pretend that you are embarking on some noble science experiement, try this:
Peel an apple (I prefer MacIntosh). Roll the peeled apple in some freshly ground coffee beans (byp*** the $$$ Starbux, and go for some really cheap locally-grown stuff), then, stick 12 whole cloves in the apple (yes, exactly twelve). Next, place this porcupine-looking apple on a piece of tin foil on the floor, in the back seat of the car. Close the doors, and walk away for a day or two. When you come back, it should smell much better. If not, simply repeat. I have used this method on several cars, and it improved the smell. What you do with the apple afterward is up to you.

 

I'm thinking this one is sounding like it might be a good candidate for s****ping. Once they crush it and melt it down, the smell will be barely noticeable.

 

was going to say the same thing, spray that stuff everywhere, rats give off an odor just by running over stuff, not just urine and doodoo, this stuff works great, If it where me I think I would take the time to get the dash apart so you can hit everything..................I'll hold back on the rat rod comments

 

RESPIRATOR rat poop turned to dust from and infected rat/mouse can kill you.

 

Put a Small Block in it ..................... ;-)

 

we use Odoban at the funeral home. Clorox is also really good.

 

beat me to it. simple

 

It was easy for me I kicked my mother in law out of the car....

You might try a janitorial supply or medical supply wharehouse.I had a friend that had some stuff from there it was pretty good.It was an enzyme that neutralized everything.

 

Holy **** that was bad...

 

The only thing worse than rats is clowns (see other post)
Clorox is your best bet on the metal. The soft surfaces- seats, padding, headliner should be replaced.
I worked on a car that a guy had blown his brains out in the back seat. I swear I can still smell it!

 

My friend has an animal pest control business and I've worked with him on some of the bigger jobs. We use this product Bac-Azap and it works very well as it has bacteria in it that eats the odor causing stuff. Here is a link that tells you about it though you should be able to find it locally. We spray it at the end of the day and go back in the morning and the smell is gone. Use a good mask when using this or when cleaning up any rat/mouse waste!!!

Bac-Azap Eliminates Pet, Human Urine Odors

 

go to Sams and buy a jug of ODO BAN that stuff will kill any odor including dead animal we use it all the time on smoke damage

 

make sure you got rid of the rat. before you start pouring perfume everywhere

 

so why does Smithville still smell so bad?

 

Make sure to cut out all the rust and grind till the steel is clean. The filth will soak in and bubble up when you weld. It is awful. It happened to me when I put a floor in a 53 dodge coronet that was in as bad of shape as yours sounds! Good luck

 

I had a similar experience with an old studebaker pickup several years ago....with mice, not rats........terrible experience.....did nearly all the stuff recommended here and repeatedly pressure washed it and it still smelled. Finally after sitting out for several months the smelled seemed to dissipate, but by then I lost interst in it..it was just too disgusting. Call me a wuss if you want.......if I dad it to do over, I would have junked the damn thing. wasn't really that valuable at the time. Think I paid $300 for it.

The next story is the absolute truth, but I would doubt it if I'd heard it from someone else instead of experienceing it myself. I bought a 354" Hemi several years before from a long in outside storage vehicle. Kept it around for several years in my garage. The engine was complete and fully ***embled. So, you might imagine my surprise when I finally got around to building it. First step, dis***embly of course.

The odor began when I pulled the valve covers. The heads came off and it smelled a little worse. Finally, the tin valley cover. May lightening strike me dead if I am even exaggerating, much less lying! There were dead rats in the lifter valley, soaked in oil........six altogether and not babies.....though they didn't appear to be fully grown.
The only POSSIBLE entry I could think of was the road draft tube or the upper oil filler/breather but they appeared to be in place for some time. Damndest mystery I've ever seen, bar none! Also a disgusting sight/smell, but hey this was a HEMI, not a studebaker pickup......so I toughed it out, cleaned everything fairly well and sent it to the machine shop where it got baked and shaked.

More recently, I bought another Hemi, a 315" Dodge truck engine that had also been sitting idle for a couple decades. This one had the wire covers off and a couple of spark plug tubes removed. Uh-Oh.. shot story on this one..no rodent carc***es found, but the pan had rusted through on the bottom, the oil was gone, and the pan was full, and I mean FULL, of nesting materials. I had the engine upside down when I pulled the pan and it left a mound of nest stuff that looked like a cake when the baking pan is lifted away. I took PICS of this one. The rods were corroded, the pan is junk, but the crank, block and heads all cleaned up. It is amazing where and how rodents will infiltrate.

My recommendation........burn or crush, or both, the wagon and get another car to build that hasn't been so infested.

 

While your not working on the car put charcoal briquetts in a bucket they will absorb the odor. My dad hit a skunk and with the charcoal the smell was gon the next day.

 

is it an ammonia smell? if it is they sell stuff at walmart for pet deordorizing, it's got bacteria in it that eat the ammonia. if you put it in a spray bottle, spray it and let it sit a couple of days, it should help a lot. I think it's called pet odor remover comes in a half gallon bottle. I know it removes cat piss smell like nothing else,my cats live outside now.

 

I forgot about this, buy a bag of the stuff open it, and close up the car with it inside. it really works.

 

You will have to completely di***emble the interior of the car not to mention any duct work. You can use any solution you want but Natures Miracle works great. You will have apply and re apply until the smell is gone. I had to clear out my dads 51 Chevy Sedan Delivery that has been sitting since the day I was born (I'm 29). There was remnants of mice like you wouldnt believe. Those little ****ers got into everyhting especially since my dad used it as a storage shed all theses years. I completely stripped it and cleaned it with Simple Green and a power washer. Then treated it it with natures miracle three times. I left the windows and doors open for a week and all is good now. I hope I never have to do that again.

 

they do that because they drag their nuts and everything else and leave a piss trail everywhere they go. they have poor eyesight so they follow the piss trail.

 

I am having an issue with a car myself. I tried bleach, and when the bleach oder was gone the mouse smell was back. I tried Ozium, Oderban, Fresh Sent pet stain carpet cleaner, and Zep oder eliminator. All with the same results. Last week when out job hunting I was at a commercial cleaning supply and I told the guy about my problem and he said that rodent issues need to be cleaned with an enzyme or bacterial culture enriched cleaner. He said it would be labeled as such on the ingredients list. The stuff I bought from him is made by Spartan Chemical Company Inc of Maumee, Ohio. Its called Consume Natures Way, cleaner, oder eliminator, stain remover, and drain maintainer. It cost me $5 and the sales man said if it doesn't work, I'll get my money back. I have not tried it yet but will Mon. or Tues. and post my results.

 

Remember the headliner is uptown for those little basturds

 

Fire the only surefire way ...flame thrower from 20 yards ..shake an bake

 

Damn dude. That is ROUGH....

 

Check the vents, Cut out the headliner, and spray down the trunk.

 

High pressure washer.......... bleach.... but after 3 years rat **** is still falling out of cracks...

 

I dont understand the dryer sheet comments. I cant see dryer sheets solving anything other than an extremely minor infestation (meaning maybe one or fewer rats once walked across the seat). I use dryer sheets in everything that is going to sit for the winter but that is to try to keep rodents out, rather than cure the smell after they have already infiltrated.

I would strip all upholstery out and throw it away (if you are wanting to re-use the upholstery, I dont even have a guess what you need to do). Then, as mentioned before, I would pressure-wash everything out intensely and then apply copious amounts of vinegar or bleach or both. A hand pump yard sprayer would probably work well if you have one sitting around, but it wouldnt be completely necessary. Then pressure wash everything out really well so the chemicals are neutralized or the surface is free of residues. After that, I would put a nice coat of paint over every surface to seal it.