Most of us start the day with coffee. It’s the first thing you take at the breakfast table. And the beverage you are most likely to have with you when going to work in your car.
Coffee spills often happen in cars because we are always in a hurry when driving to work. Therefore, many of our vehicles are full of coffee stains that are difficult to clean.
Spilled coffee can make a car smell horrible and spoil the upholstery. The odor of stale coffee is hard to get rid of unless you clean out the stains properly.
Tips on how to remove coffee smell from your car
1. Get Rid of The Odor With Baking Soda and Vinegar
Baking soda is excellent for getting rid of bad smells on car carpets and upholstery. Mix 2 cups of warm water with 1 cup of white vinegar in a spray bottle.
Spray the vinegar water over your car carpets and the upholstery. Follow that up with some baking soda and leave it for a few minutes.
Vacuum your car and the stale coffee smell, and other foul odors will disappear. Ensure you air dry your vehicle thoroughly afterwards to avoid leaving any wet spots in your car.
2. Use Enzyme Pet Odor Removers
Enzyme pet odor removers can also get rid of coffee smells. They are made to get rid of urine and food smells from pets such as cats and dogs.
These enzymatic pet odor removers also contain antibacterial solutions to get rid of any bacteria that may inhabit stains. They are an excellent option to use when cleaning out coffee smells from your vehicle especially if they are caused by old coffee stains.
Some examples of great enzymatic stain and odor removers are Biokleen Bac Out stain remover, and Naturally, It’s Clean stain and odor remover.
3. Use Laundry Dryer Sheets
You can also use dryer sheets to remove coffee odors from your vehicle. Just leave an open container of the dryer sheets in your car all night. They will absorb any offending coffee smells and leave your vehicle smelling aromatic.
Dryer sheets also come in handy for other car maintenance tasks such wiping off food spills and dust from car surfaces. Some great examples are Love Home and Planet dryer sheets and Purecosheets reusable dryer sheets.
4. Try Coffee Beans
Using coffee beans to get rid of coffee smells sounds like a joke, but it works. Coffee beans are great deodorizers.
All you need is several ounces of your favorite coffee beans to get rid of the coffee smell in your car.
Flavored coffee beans may work even better because they will leave your car with a pleasant smell.
Leave the coffee beans in a container in your car, and you’ll soon notice a change as they absorb the disturbing foul coffee smells.
5. Thoroughly Wash Your Car
Sometimes using odor removers to get rid of coffee smells doesn’t work. The only other solution is a thorough car wash.
You can take your vehicle to a professional for cleaning or do it yourself. Cleaning your car carpets, seats, and other surfaces with soap and water will eliminate any lingering coffee smells in your car.
However, make sure you test the detergent you intend to use on a small spot before using it in the whole vehicle.
That way, you will avoid using a harsh detergent that will damage your vehicle and leave you with worse problems than a horrible coffee smell.
You may also leave the car cleaning to a professional who knows how to clean coffee stains and get rid of bad smells.
Tips to Keep Foul Coffee Smells From Your Car
We would say keep coffee and other beverages or foods out of your car, but that’s hard. The truth is, most of us can’t resist eating or drinking in our vehicles.
It’s safe to say that you’ll bring coffee into your car, especially during rush hour. Therefore, you should work on preventative measures to keep from spilling coffee in your car making it smell horrible. Here are some suggestions.
⦁ Invest in a sturdy travel coffee mug with a lid that you can use whenever you are in the car. Also make sure you get a mug holder or use the one in your car at all times when drinking coffee in your car.
These preventative actions will cut down your chances of pouring coffee on any car surface while driving.
⦁ Accidents happen. If you end up spilling coffee even after using a travel mug and keeping it in the mug holder, clean the spill at once.
The longer you leave coffee on your car upholstery or carpets, the more time it has to stain. Therefore, always use a napkin or wet wipe to clean coffee spills immediately they happen, and clean the spot using stain remover once you get home.
⦁ Dry your car upholstery and carpet thoroughly after cleaning out a coffee stain. Leaving wet spots will encourage mold growth or make the car smell musty. That will smell worse than stale coffee and damage your vehicle.
You can use a blowdryer to dry out wet spots in your car or air dry it. Just don’t let anyone sit on it while it is still wet.
Things to Avoid When Dealing with Coffee Smells
As you can see, cleaning out coffee spills or stains is an important step when it comes to getting rid of coffee smells.
Now that we’ve mentioned what you can do to get rid of coffee smells let’s discuss what you should avoid.
1. Using Hot Water
Hot water may extract flavors from your coffee beans, but it will set any coffee spills on your car upholstery or carpets.
Once these stains are set, they may end up making your car smell horrible. Therefore, always use cold water when cleaning out coffee spills from your car surfaces.
2. Leaving the Spilled Coffee
Although you are busy, leaving coffee spills in your car is not the way to go. Take at least five minutes to wipe coffee from hard surfaces or blot it out from upholstery to avoid permanent stains after a spill.
Always carry enzymatic spot cleaners for cars that you can use to quickly clean out a coffee spill.
The enzymes in these spot cleaners break down coffee and other organic substances, ensuring they don’t stain surfaces or lead to foul smells.
Conclusion
These are a few tips on how to remove the coffee smell from your car. Coffee drinkers have to contend with coffee spills in the car and at home.
It’s easy to pour coffee when driving or sitting in a car. Leaving it especially when it contains creamer or milk will make your car smell bad. Therefore, always clean coffee spills as soon as possible and use any of our solutions to get rid of lingering coffee smells.
