Removing Mothball Smell

[AlienAgent]

So my son brought (towed…) yet another ancient Ford work truck to fix up. Early 80’s F250 4x4 Lariat extended cab with a 460. $600.

This thing has sat in a barn for a decade with rodent damage (urine/feces) and mothballs. You can only imagine the smell…

Being the loving and supportive father I am, I always let him use any of my tools and supplies, so he sprayed it down with an enzyme prespray (Esteam Attack) and extracted with an oxidizing emulsifier (Esteam Performance CBS), then soaked it with Odorcide Fresh Scent at 2 opg. Long story made short, it still stinks. Mostly of mothballs.

Other than replacing the interior, which I know he won’t do, what would you guys do to handle the mothball smell?

 

[Willy P]

How do you get their little legs apart to castrate them? Do you use a magnifying glass or a microscope? Stitching after the surgery?

 

[AlienAgent]

How do you get their little legs apart to castrate them? Do you use a magnifying glass or a microscope? Stitching after the surgery?

I’m not sure how they do it on an industrial scale, but down here in southwest Ohio we just lube up a pair of tweezers, start pinching’ and pullin’ and hope for the best.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

So my son brought (towed…) yet another ancient Ford work truck to fix up. Early 80’s F250 4x4 Lariat extended cab with a 460. $600.

This thing has sat in a barn for a decade with rodent damage (urine/feces) and mothballs. You can only imagine the smell…

Being the loving and supportive father I am, I always let him use any of my tools and supplies, so he sprayed it down with an enzyme prespray (Esteam Attack) and extracted with an oxidizing emulsifier (Esteam Performance CBS), then soaked it with Odorcide Fresh Scent at 2 opg. Long story made short, it still stinks. Mostly of mothballs.

Other than replacing the interior, which I know he won’t do, what would you guys do to handle the mothball smell?

If you own a thermal fogger, use Thermo 55 Citrus.

If you don't, wipe it down with Space Spray Citrus or 9D9.

All of the above are from Legend Brands, and while extremely effective, they are also extremely expensive.

This MIGHT work:

Take a D-limonene based booster (any brand that suits your fancy), and mix it with an alkaline hard surface cleaner. Use enough that it turns into an emulsion and the mixture turns white.

Wipe the interior down with that, and if the seats are fabric, hot water extract as hot and alkaline as is safe for synthetic textiles.

That and a lot of ventilation afterward might do the trick.

 

[AlienAgent]

If you own a thermal fogger, use Thermo 55 Citrus.

If you don't, wipe it down with Space Spray Citrus or 9D9.

All of the above are from Legend Brands, and while extremely effective, they are also extremely expensive.

This MIGHT work:

Take a D-limonene based booster (any brand that suits your fancy), and mix it with an alkaline hard surface cleaner. Use enough that it turns into an emulsion and the mixture turns white.

Wipe the interior down with that, and if the seats are fabric, hot water extract as hot and alkaline as is safe for synthetic textiles.

That and a lot of ventilation afterward might do the trick.

Thank you Jim! While I don’t have a fogger, I might be able to borrow one from a friend if the D- limolene and hard surface extraction tip doesn’t cut it.

 

[Jim Pemberton]

Thank you Jim! While I don’t have a fogger, I might be able to borrow one from a friend if the D- limolene and hard surface extraction tip doesn’t cut it.

Great

Send me a message here if you need more details on what to do.

 

[Jimmy L]

Will ozone kill the odor?

 

[Cleanworks]

Will ozone kill the odor?

No, never use ozone for moth balls.

 

[Jimmy L]

Too late

 

[The Great Oz]

Once clean it still might take some time for the mothball smell to fade. My concern would be mostly inside the seats and under dash areas where you can't clean.

I've heard charcoal can help absorb the smell, but that doesn't help with the source.

Paradichlorobenzene odors can take a stronger set if heated, so try and keep the truck out of the sun until it smells better.

 

[Dolly Llama]

after all the cleaning, fogging and spraying and it still stinks...

I'd park it outside with both doors open every day it's not raining all summer

..L.T.A.

 

[BIG WOOD]

With the age of that truck, pull the carpet out and re-upholster the seats

 

[FredC]

has he tried welding the roof/drip rail?

 

[AlienAgent]

With the age of that truck, pull the carpet out and re-upholster the seats

That’s what I told him, but he won’t listen until he finds out the hard way.

 

[AlienAgent]

has he tried welding the roof/drip rail?

No.

Why and how would that help?

 

[Jimmy L]

My wife is complaining about old ass smell in my subaru.
How can I get rid of it?
Get rid of her?

 

[Cleanworks]

No.

Why and how would that help?

The seats might catch on fire and the smoke smell will displace the mothball smell.