Went over to a friend's house two weeks ago and my wife brought some delicious potatoes au gratin. As you know, these sit in a creamy milk-based "sauce". I thought I would be clever by just keeping in in the cargo department (see pic) because the lid was closed. When I arrived, it had spilt. Ugh. I tried to clean it up as good as possible and drenched the area in carpet cleaner, then put a fan on it overnight. I can still smell it a bit when I put my nose about half a meter from the carpet though. Any ideas?
You could try one of those enzyme cleaners. I've used both BioKleen Foaming Action Bac-Out and Nature's Remedy with fairly good success but that was mostly on pet odors. The lipids in the au gratin may be a bigger challenge as fats don't break down all that readily. The usual "test on an inconspicuous spot first" disclaimer applies. Good luck!
try to get a steamer on this. enzymes are a good bet as mentioned above. dont know if your weather is hot summer yet but if not fully cleaned smell will worsen and make you want to sell the car. (been there on a mustang console)
Steam the hell out of carpet. I have a steamer/extractor that I use on things like that (Gaia). Multiple applications may be necessary. Anything that contains milk will rot and stink very badly, and it a challenge to remove. Good luck!
That sucks P1et. We've had good success enzyme cleaners as well. When we transport food in the vehicle, we always sit the pot in a rubbermaid bin because, as you've discovered, s#@t happens.
Thanks for the tips everyone. I have a steamer (although made for steaming clothes) at the house so will give that a try. Good news is that that piece of carpet is replacable and there is bare metal underneath is, so if worse comes to worse, I'll just have to suck it up and rip it out and replace it.
