Drink Can Froze and Broke Open

LiveTrash · Feb 19, 2022

As indicated by the title, after grocery shopping one day, a drink can had rolled under the front passenger seat and went unnoticed by me for a number of weeks, despite the "fruity scent" I kept noticing. I had no idea what it could have been and never even thought to check under the seat. The can had broken open once it froze and about 3/4 of the can spilled under the seat.

Everything works, no electrical issues and the spilled remains are still frozen under there, so the fruity smell is gone. However, once things warm up, I assume the smell will return. What would you guys suggest is my best course of action? The seat moves back fairly far, but I'd like to really get in there and clean this up without having to just reach under the seat.

Is removing the seat, even to just tilt it back (not necessarily taking it right out of the vehicle), a pain in the ass, or relatively simple? A few videos online hint that older models have at least 4 bolts that need to come off of the floor to get it out.

Thanks in advance.

Cruising68 · Feb 19, 2022

You will have two problems. The gummy substance the soda will turn into and the smell.

For the smell, once it is dry you can use an ozone generator to kill the stink. For the gooey, the only real option is to pull the seat out and clean everything. With a full soda it likely soaked right through to the floor. Almost every car I have seen has 4 bolts with a variety of electrical connections. I was able to tilt the seat back on my wife's GLE350 by removing the front bolts and loosening the rear bolts. Then a tie down to pull and hold the seat tilted back.

Good luck!

Cdubya · Feb 19, 2022

Second the ozone generator after you clean it up. That said, a fruity smell doesn't compare to kid vomit.

Cruising68 · Feb 19, 2022

I dropped a milk shake on my cloth passenger seat many years ago. Cleaned it like crazy but every time it got hot and humid the stench was out of control. Ozone generators work on pretty much anything organic including smoke as it is an oxidyzer and breaks down the molecules. Paid $70 for one on Amazon and it has more than paid for itself.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JAP7388/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

TMac · Feb 19, 2022

My girlfriend once took my Audi TT on a trip to New Mexico to visit her friend. A week later I started smelling what I thought was anti-freeze. After searching in vain for a leak, I found she had forgotten the gift of 3 lbs of grilled frozen Hatch chilies that were left in the floorboard of the back seat. They were no longer frozen.

Autoworker · Feb 23, 2022

A woman I used to work with was preparing to go on vacation. She sent their teen age daughter to the market to pick up some groceries in her Geo Metro. She returned home removing all of the groceries except a gallon of milk. The milk exploded in the car after a week of 90 degree heat. They had to gut and replace the interior to rid the Metro of the smell...

bender953 · Feb 23, 2022

I worked at a dealership and these things work like a miracle on all kinds of smells. You add water to the cup then set it in the car and close the car up. Fogs the inside of the car. After a couple of hours just open car and smells gone. Works great for cigarette smoke, mildew and sour milk smells
Auto Shocker ClO2 car interior odor eliminator on Amazon

KNTRDR · Feb 23, 2022

I can’t imagine the seat is more than a few bolts and a few wiring harnesses to detach. Soaking the spill with a good carpet/upholstery cleaner, agitating it with a good brush, and then using some kind of extractor to suck it all out of the rug would probably take care of most of the problem I would think,

Forgive me, I’ve been watching a lot of Detail Geek lately. This is what I mean. He cleans some nasty shit out of car rugs and upholstery.

Sign Up! To view all forums and unlock additional cool features

Drink Can Froze and Broke Open

LiveTrash

Member

Cruising68

1000 Post Club

Cdubya

1000 Post Club

Cruising68

1000 Post Club

TMac

1000 Post Club

Autoworker

1000 Post Club

bender953

Member

KNTRDR

Member

Explorer ST Posts