Cleaning Mice Infested Interior?

[pontiac6269]

What has anybody done to clean cloth seats, carpet and the rest of interior of a car that has been sitting for 13 years with mice and maybe other critters living in it? Is it possible? The carpet, headliner and seat covers were all replaced around 16 years ago so they were nice but faded. This is for a 78 Cutlass Supreme. I plan on doing this in the spring when it gets nicer out but before it gets real warm. I will be wearing gloves and a dust mask and stripping the whole interior out of the car.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[81Regal]

Its possible to get most of the smell out of the seats but there will always be some odor left. Easy to replace parts like the carpet I would pitch it and put new in, headliner shouldn't have any issues. I would also pull the dash and clean the ductwork, mice love to live in the defroster vents.

 

[Evan11]

Take the seats, carpet out & take them to a car wash. Clean them inside & out. Go to the store & get some smell good baking soda & sprinkle that on there as they dry outside. When they dry, put more on & let it sit a while. Then vacuum the seats & spray with febreeze & antibacterial. I'd find a different headliner board & recover it. You may think I'm crazy but I did this back in the day because I found a set of seats for my car for $35. When I went to pick them up they were infested.

 

[seawolf18]

If you find a bunch of mouse turds n the car, make sure you wear a mask when cleaning. Mice can carry hantavirus in their poop. If you contract it, mortality rate is around 60%.

 

[Trevor87]

I had to do an auto detail for the GM dealership I used to work at. 2003 Infinity mouse car. gutted the entire thing, brushed everything down all the panels and the leather seats. pressure washed and scrubbed the carpet. found the nest in the rear dash and replaced all the trunk interior. after 5 days of working on it we still never fully got the smell out. also, you might want to bait a few traps in and around the car because you never know whose still living there. we caught ours in the engine bay on a trap we set on the engine and left over night. good luck to you!

 

[pontiac6269]

I planned on wearing a mask and gloves, also put two boxes of mouse poison in it, one in the trunk and one in the interior. Both boxes were empty the next day. Thanks.