There are times when a day or weekend spent fishing is just what you need to unwind from a long work week. After you’ve gained a bountiful catch from your favorite fishing hole and carried it home, you might find that a strong smell clings to your vehicle. Here are some of the simple ways you can eliminate the overpowering fish smell from your car, truck, or SUV.
Preemptive Measures
Planning ahead can make the difference between cleaning up a minor stink and having to go over every inch of your cabin and storage area to eliminate the awful fish stench. Make sure you bring a tackle box and cooler that are securely closable. It may be nice in a sentimental way to hang on to old boxes and coolers, but one sharp jolt can tilt them open and cover your cabin or storage area with fish, strong-smelling liquids, and sharp objects.
Make sure you have enough towels, newspaper, or similar absorbent material to tackle a large spill. If one takes place, the sooner you mop it up, the easier the stains and smells will be to remove. Ignoring a spill can completely ruin cloth upholstery or seriously discolor leather or vinyl upholstery.
Building Cleaning Kits
We are referring to two different kinds of kits here. The first is a portable kit for gutting, scaling and cleaning fish. It includes a foldable portable workspace, knives, and other items. Many fishers prefer to do that kind of work at home, in or near the kitchen. If you do the work at the fishing site and outside of your vehicle, you’ll eliminate most of what creates unpleasant fishy smells before you head home. You can prevent the fish smell entirely by carrying home a cooler full of filets instead of a cooler full of dead fish.
The second fish cleaning kit includes all of the chemical products and materials you’ll need in the event of cabin contamination. You won’t always be able to do cleaning work on-site because of the weather and other variables, so go ahead and gather these important items. Include cleaning sprays and solutions appropriate to your vehicle’s upholstery and dashboard materials.
It may be tempting to buy all-in-one cleaning products, but these chemicals are less effective than the ones made specifically for the type of stain and/or surface you want to deal with. If you have wooden paneling or metal-look accents in your cabin, check your owner’s manual for the best products to clean them with. These interior additions tend to react badly to powerful all-purpose chemicals.
Include a few quarts of water, vinegar, and a liquid clothing detergent. This mix is excellent for clearing stains and smells from carpet and cloth upholstery. You can work it into the carpet by hand, but a portable carpet cleaner will do the work best. Baking soda is a great scent elimination powder. If you keep an open box or bag in your cooler and in your door cargo pocket, the smell will clear from the air.
Ventilation and Proper Packing
If you’ve got a full haul of fish on your hands and you couldn’t clean them on-site, keeping your vehicle aired out will do a lot to eliminate long-lasting smells. Keep your windows rolled down and run your air conditioning to maximize airflow. Try to avoid stopping anywhere for too long. The longer your fish stay in your vehicle, the more pungent the smell will be and the harder it could be to remove.
If you’ve got whole fish, make sure they are adequately packed into their coolers before you get rolling. Wrap them in newspaper or butcher’s paper to soak up excess fluid and put that in a couple of layers of plastic bag. Lay the fish in layers in a large cooler so that they are as flat as possible and cover each layer with some ice. Avoid overfilling your fish coolers before travel. It is better to throw back a few fish than to have your coolers overflow and tilt onto your floor.
Fill the Air with Better Scents
There are many ways to improve the smell of your vehicle during transport, while you’re cleaning, and after you are done. While a solid air freshener is a common option, vent-set timed-release air freshening units are far more effective. If you prefer a more natural scent, consider compact incense cones. These can be placed in cup holders or dashboard inserts specially made to hold them as they release their aromas.
Scented sprays for cloth upholstery or new leather smell sprays for leather upholstery are also available. When you choose the detergent for the kit mentioned above, try to go with a scentless option. The scented versions can leave a powerful detergent smell in your vehicle for quite a while.
If All Else Fails, Call in the Cavalry
Sometimes, the fish stench won’t disappear, no matter what you do. This is often the case in situations that involve large spills from your fishing cooler. When you hit that wall, it is time to head down to Rydell Cars in Grand Forks, North Dakota. There you’ll find a crew of professionals ready to clean and detail your vehicle, so it looks new inside and out.
They’ll use equipment engineered for delicate and deep cleaning work. Contact our service department to schedule your appointment, and we’ll get that harsh fish smell out in no time. If the odor is so terrible that it can’t be removed, we can replace the tainted upholstery or carpeting.
Contact us if you know of any other valuable tips for clearing fish smells out of vehicles. We’ll add them to our list so our outdoor-loving patrons can benefit. At Rydell Auto Group, we wish you productive fishing trips, safe smell-free rides home, and many delicious dinners with loved ones and friends. Suppose you need something to drive to your fishing spot in; check out our expansive inventory. We’re sure we can help you find a vehicle to enjoy.
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