How to get rid of new car smell?

[pearlgreen]

My new Prius is fun, but I can't stand the strong new car odor. Do any of you have advice on how I can speed up the process of getting rid of this smell? It give me a headache.

thanks

[fatale]

Buy a dog.

[theorist]

Keep the climate control set to pull in fresh air with the fan. Enjoy the season and drive with windows open.

Add perfume or your choice of scents. For the strongest or fastest effect, apply it to the interior air filter.

Leave some smelly food in it. The effect increases with time and temperature.

Load your dirty laundry into the hatch.

Leave the windows open and hope a cat uses it as a litter box.

[Bill Merchant]

The others want to mask the smell. Try this: Go to the Home Improvement Superstore and get a Honeywell activated charcoal "pre-filter" for their indoor air filters. Take out your cabin air filter (look in the manual, it's behind the glove box) and cut a square of the carbon filter to match the size of your cabin filter. Put it on top and slide it all back in. The new-car smell (plasticizers and formaldehyde) will get absorbed. Don't be afraid to change the carbon filter. A well spent $10.

[tideland_raj]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(pearlgreen @ Jul 31 2006, 11:26 PM) [snapback]295505[/snapback]</div>

My new Prius is fun, but I can't stand the strong new car odor. Do any of you have advice on how I can speed up the process of getting rid of this smell? It give me a headache.

thanks
[/b]

You want to *get rid* of that wonderful smell?
/snark.

Ok, yeah so did we... and it is nice and full of VOC's, so your headache is probably not psychosomatic.

After purchasing our 2k6 in January, I put up with the smell for 3 months of infrequent driving (I travel a lot, so not home as often these days), then my wife just started cracking the windows (to avoid the greenhouse effect that turns the car into an oven during hot days)... the smell started rapidly disappearing after that. I just make sure to leave the windows cracked open during the night.

[theorist]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Aug 1 2006, 01:19 AM) [snapback]295561[/snapback]</div>

The others want to mask the smell. Try this: Go to the Home Improvement Superstore and get a Honeywell activated charcoal "pre-filter" for their indoor air filters. ...
[/b]

Would this work better than simply setting the climate control to blow fresh air instead of recirculated air? Would the outside air contain more of the new car smell than the carbon filtered recirculated air?

[Bill Merchant]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(theorist @ Jul 31 2006, 11:36 PM) [snapback]295578[/snapback]</div>

Would this work better than simply setting the climate control to blow fresh air instead of recirculated air? Would the outside air contain more of the new car smell than the carbon filtered recirculated air?[/b]

Around here, that fresh outside air contains the smell of the Ford F150 and the bus. Choose your poison. Stick your nose in a lemon. Ah, Lemony Fresh!

[daronspicher]

Just start eating wendy's chili, anything from taco bell, and when possible, large amounts of broccoli in a sitting. Loads of fresh fruit for breakfast can also help.



Pretty soon, no more 'new car smell'

[john1701a]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Merchant @ Aug 1 2006, 12:19 AM) [snapback]295561[/snapback]</div>

get a Honeywell activated charcoal "pre-filter" for their indoor air filters. Take out your cabin air filter (look in the manual...
[/b]

Yes, that will work great.

Photos of how to access the filter are here.

[cagemo]

Like bill m and raj explained, the smell is off-gassing voc's from the pvc and other carcinogenic stuff that goes into every new mass-production car built. Some Japanese auto co's are working on the problem, as explained in the article below. (Unfortunately, the American auto industry isn't even acknowledging the issue.) I've worked with a few materials development co's that are prototyping natural materials that eventually will replace a lot of the insulation and other toxic stuff in car interiors.

The best thing to do is air out your car each time you use it. Immediately open all the windows and drive with them open at least until you clear the accumulated fumes. It will take six months or more for the apparent odor to dissipate, but the materials will continue to off-gas for years. Don't know where you in live in NY, but if you can leave your windows cracked, the fumes won't accumulate as much. That should help reduce your headaches.

Check the air setting on your Prius too. It often defaults to "recirculate", and you want to change it to keep fresh air coming into the car.

Link to original article here.

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TOKYO (Sept. 26) - Anyone who's pulled away from the dealer's lot in a shiny, new sedan knows the seductive scent of fresh plastic, paint and upholstery that evokes a rush of pride and consumer satisfaction.

But that unmistakable new-car smell may soon be heading the way of the rumble seat: Recent research linking it to a toxic cocktail of harmful chemicals is spurring efforts by Japanese automakers to tone down the fumes.

Japanese manufacturers, including Toyota Motor Corp, have become the first to set an industrywide goal of reducing cabin concentrations to within government guidelines. The push could spur similar action by U.S. and European rivals, making interior air quality an emerging auto safety issue.

"The industry in Japan as a whole has recognized the need for this and is coordinating efforts," Toyota spokesman Paul Nolasco said. "Cutting down on the things that lead to these smells is only something that can be better for you."

The new-car smell emanates largely from chemicals known as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, that leach from glues, paints, vinyls and plastics in the passenger compartment. The fumes can trigger headaches, sore throats, nausea and drowsiness. Prolonged exposure to some of the chemicals can lead to cancer, though there's no evidence linking that to concentrations in cars.

Critics liken the problem to so-called sick-building syndrome, which traces some illnesses to similar agents seeping from the walls, carpets and fixtures of new buildings.

Just sitting in a new car can subject riders to toxic emissions several times the limits deemed safe for homes or offices by some health authorities, though the problem tends to dissipate after about six months, according to a 2001 study by Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization.

Just sitting in a new car can subject riders to toxic emissions several times the limits deemed safe for homes or offices by some health authorities.

"We find new car interiors have much higher VOC levels than any building we've researched," research leader Steve Brown said. "Ultimately, what we need are cars with interior materials that produce lower emissions."

Japanese automakers are now trying to do just that.

Earlier this year, they agreed to cut cabin levels of 13 of the compounds, including possible cancer-causing agents styrene and formaldehyde, by 2007 to match Japanese Health Ministry guidelines for air quality in homes.

The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association initiated the drive after tests found some models made by three of the nation's top carmakers failed to meet government recommendations.

The industry group refused to identify which companies or models were evaluated.

Automakers worldwide have been trying to reduce volatile organic compounds for years. But the Japanese effort marks the first time the industry has adopted government guidelines, JAMA's Tatsuya Ota said.

Most of Japan's top five makers - Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mitsubishi and Mazda - are already rolling out cars in compliance and touting the lower volatile organic compound levels as a key selling point, a move that is likely to catch on globally.

"There is good potential for the Japanese to take the lead in this field," said Koji Endo, an auto analyst with Credit Suisse First Boston in Tokyo. "People are starting to feel that VOCs are an issue, and the new efforts are one advantage that they (Japanese manufacturers) can claim."

Brown says he does not know of any government with volatile organic compound guidelines for car interiors, but says matching building levels is a good start. Japan's recommendations were adopted in 2002 to combat sick-building syndrome.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets no guidelines for volatile organic compounds in non-industrial settings, though formaldehyde is regulated as a carcinogen by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The Washington-based Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, which represents nine carmakers including General Motors Corp, Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler AG, says it does not follow the issue of volatile organic compounds. DaimlerChrysler said it has no initiatives on the volatile organic compound-induced new-car fumes.

Toyota, Japan's largest automaker, currently has six models on the road that meet the new standards, while Nissan has four. Honda's new Civic, unveiled this month, is that company's first, while Mitsubishi will begin its lineup with the "i" next year.

All say they are on track to have all new models pass muster from 2007.

While some customers complain about the new-car smell, others cherish it enough to have spawned a cottage industry in aerosol "new-car sprays" to keep their rides smelling fresh from the factory.

"Some people are annoyed by the smell and some people love it," Honda spokesman Takayuki Fuji said. "This is not just for Honda users, but for all users."