Spilled food in my new car!

[kindchen]

We bought a brand spanking new Honda Odyssey a week ago. Yesterday I was bringing food to a family with a newborn. I put the bag of food on the passenger seat. When I got to their house, I realized that some juice from the chicken had spilled, leaked through the double paper bags I had the food in, and was on the leather seat. I wiped up the obvious with baby wipes and delivered the food.

When I got home, I realized that the juice had dripped down into the crevice of the back of the seat. I cleaned and cleaned with water and a rag, but the car still kinda smells like this chicken dish.

Any ideas of how I can get the smell out of my (NEW!) car? I feel like it isn't the leather so much as the carpet-type upholstery material on the back of the seat near the floor. I was thinking of trying some kind of enzyme cleaner. Anyone had experience with this?

[mumkimum]

I personally like Dr.Bronners for cleaning leather things - and use undiluted peppermint with a damp rag for anything that's smelly (on leather) so that's what I'd suggest. I'm not sure you'd really need something as strong as an enzyme cleaner.


As an aside, dh spilled most of a chocolate milkshake all over the front two seats of my new subaru (like 8 years ago). I was a little devastated for awhile about it, I'll admit.

[kindchen]

Thanks so much for the suggestion! I actually have some Dr. Bronners peppermint on hand. I've been kind of waiting to see if it gets really stinky (it is still pretty hot here). It isn't so much the leather I am worried about, but the stuff kind of dripped into the seat and got on some carpet. Maybe it will just air out over time.

I knew things would get spilled in the car, but I thought the kids would be the perpetrators, and I've tried not to give them really messy stuff. Of course, *I* had to be the one to cart around messy meals. I'll get over it. It's just a car--one that we got to cart around kids and food. I think I'm just frustrated with myself for not being able to keep it nice and "new" a bit longer.

[Youngfrankenstein]

Carpet steamer! My steamer vac has a handheld thing. You may want to consider paying someone to do it. They may have the perfect tool and since it's brand new you want it to stay night.

The best investment I made for my mini van was $100 worth of rubber floor mats that covered the whole floor. I always put food on them in case of spills.

[kindchen]

Hmm, carpet steamer sounds good. We don't have carpet in the house, so I don't have anything like that. I'll call a car detailer and see if they have something like that.

The dealer tried to sell us rubber mats for the car, but they were WAY more than $100, and it seemed like there must be a cheaper way. I definitely want to do that somehow--at least for the cargo area.