You’re driving along and you spill a cup of coffee all over yourself and your car’s carpet and you can’t seem to get the smell to go away. We’ve all been there before, and it’s one of the reasons why it’s so important to know how to get coffee smell out of car carpet quickly and easily.
The key to getting the smell out of the carpet is to first remove the stain using white vinegar and water. After this, the area can be left to dry and then baking soda is added to deodorise the carpet – removing the smell of coffee.
There are two slightly different methods, however, depending on whether the coffee has recently been spilt or if it has been left for multiple hours and dried out, so let’s jump into these methods right away.
1. Fresh Coffee Stains
If you have recently spilt coffee and the stain is still wet then it will be easier to remove from your car’s carpet and prevent a long-lasting coffee smell.
Follow the steps below to easily remove a coffee spill from your car’s carpet to avoid the smell of coffee every time you get into your car.
Blot The Area
The sooner you get to the spill the more coffee you will be able to remove right away, which means the likelihood of a smell being left behind is minimal.
Grab a paper towel or old rag and blot the coffee as soon as possible to remove excess liquid. Don’t apply much pressure, as this will press the coffee deep into the fibers of your carpet.
Apply Water And Distilled White Vinegar
Distilled white vinegar works incredibly well to remove coffee stains due to the acid content within it.
For this application mix, one-part of water with one part of distilled white vinegar as required for the amount of coffee to be cleaned. Use a spray bottle or dishcloth to apply this solution evenly all over the area where the coffee was spilt and leave it for 5 to 10 minutes.
Scrub and Rinse
Once the solution has been left to work for a while you can take another dishcloth or non-abrasive brush to scrub the area.
Rinse regularly with fresh water and continue until the brown coffee color stops appearing.
Leave To Dry
Once the coffee stain has been removed leave the area to dry for a few hours until completely dry.
Sprinkle Baking Soda And Leave Overnight
Whilst most of the coffee smell will be gone at this point, there is an extra step you can take to ensure all of it gets removed – using baking soda.
Baking soda works wonders for removing odors and is something that we recommend on multiple cleaning guides. To apply it, simply sprinkle baking soda generously over the entire area and leave it overnight.
Baking soda is a natural odor neutralizer that will completely remove the coffee smell from your car’s carpet.
Vacuum
In the morning simply vacuum the baking soda away and the coffee smell will be entirely gone.
You can then spray some of your favorite car air freshener and carry on with your day.
2. Old Coffee Stains
With coffee stains that have been allowed to settle for more than a few hours, a slightly different method is required. This is simply because you can’t blot any excess coffee if it has already dried out.
The benefit of this method is that it has fewer steps, but you will need to take extra care when scrubbing to remove all of the coffee.
Apply Water, Dish Soap And Distilled White Vinegar
Since there is no liquid to blot, you can start straight away by applying the cleaning solution.
This time, mix one-part water with one-part distilled white vinegar but also add a few drops of dish soap as well. Apply the solution using a non-abrasive scrubber generously and scrub the affected area thoroughly.
The addition of dish soap compliments the vinegar and improves the cleaning capabilities, which is needed for an older stain.
Rinse With Water
Take a clean dishcloth and wring it out with water and wipe away the residue from scrubbing.
Repeat this by rinsing the dish cloth regularly until all of the residues have been removed.
Dry And Apply Baking Soda
Allow the area to fully dry out and then sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda over the entire area to leave overnight.
After the time is up, simply vacuum it away and the coffee smell should be gone completely.
Doesn’t The Smell Go Away On Its Own?
Coffee stains tend to smell like coffee for a long time, although they will become less noticeable after a week or so.
You should always try to clean them up though, not only to get rid of the smell but also to keep your car’s carpet in good condition. Coffees with milk, such as lattes or cappuccinos, can also become moldy due to the milk content which creates an even worse smell – so cleaning up should be a priority.
Final Thoughts
We hope you have a good idea of how to get coffee smell out of car carpet from reading this article.
You should always clean up after a coffee spill in a car, and the sooner you can get to cleaning it up the easier it will be.