Defroster musty smell

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dinosaur1

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05 Highlander
08 Rav4

While running the defroster during the winter or even during summer I get a musty smell that comes out which goes away after some time. I change both of my air filters/cabin filters as needed.

The drain tube isn't plugged.

What is the best way to get rid of this smell?
 
Turn on the ac high,take half a can of Lysol and spray on the intake outside the car ,this will kill the bacteria that causes the odor
 
Mike lambert said:
Turn on the ac high,take half a can of Lysol and spray on the intake outside the car ,this will kill the bacteria that causes the odor
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Any can of Lysol?
How often does this have to happen?
Is this the same as white vinegar or hvac cleaners?
 
What happens, from what I've been told, is that while using the AC moisture will build up in the air exhaust tubing and vents so before you stop your car you should turn the AC off and let outside air flow thru your vents to dry up the moisture otherwise it will milldew.
 
photoadjuster said:
inject steam in the vents for 10 minutes.
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Have you had any problems with the extreme heat? I am concerned about melting the plastic vents. My steamer is putting out 192c. (378 F.) and I wonder if10 minutes at that temp is safe. What steamer are you using?
 
In addition to the feedback provided by others you probably should check out the car's A/C drain lines and ensure they are not clogged.
 
Robert8194 said:
Have you had any problems with the extreme heat? I am concerned about melting the plastic vents. My steamer is putting out 192c. (378 F.) and I wonder if10 minutes at that temp is safe. What steamer are you using?
Click to expand...
Dang, that's like 13 atm of steamy delight! I wouldn't let that beast touch anything less than high temperature plastics. Like silicone or nylon kitchen cookware. Just sayin'
 
There is a product called Ozium it's available at wally world around 4 bucks.

Spray into vents let sit for about 30mins.....then fire up the vehical let blower run wide open
bout 15mins per setting on the heat control and a/c settings order will be gone.

leave windows open some while doing this.

It works for me.....used this stuff for many years with great success.
 
I had not thought about the steam hurting the plastic. I use my VX 5000 with the small head inserted past the vent grill into the center of the ducts. I have used it 3 or 4 times on problem vehicles. I am not a detailer.

A friend ownes a Toyota Prius Hybrid. The cabin air filter is mounted in a way that allows mice to gain access to the outside of the filter. The mice tear a hole in the filter and move in to deliver their babies. They piss in their bed.

After trying over 2 dozen odor removal chemicals with no joy, we steamed it and ended the problem.

I have also used it several times to remove the cigar smoke, damp musty smell from the vents from other vehicles.

How hot do the ducts get from the heat of the heater?
 
dad07 said:
There is a product called Ozium it's available at wally world around 4 bucks.

Spray into vents let sit for about 30mins.....then fire up the vehical let blower run wide open
bout 15mins per setting on the heat control and a/c settings order will be gone.

leave windows open some while doing this.

It works for me.....used this stuff for many years with great success.
Click to expand...

Man this is some powerful and concentrated stuff. One needs to be careful with Ozium; can nearly take your breath away.
 
Rix6 said:
Dang, that's like 13 atm of steamy delight! I wouldn't let that beast touch anything less than high temperature plastics. Like silicone or nylon kitchen cookware. Just sayin'
Click to expand...

It's the Dupray Hill Injection and it is one mean steamer. I used the VX 5000 and it took the coating off of some plastic. Got me gun shy.
 
photoadjuster said:
I had not thought about the steam hurting the plastic. I use my VX 5000 with the small head inserted past the vent grill into the center of the ducts. I have used it 3 or 4 times on problem vehicles. I am not a detailer.

A friend ownes a Toyota Prius Hybrid. The cabin air filter is mounted in a way that allows mice to gain access to the outside of the filter. The mice tear a hole in the filter and move in to deliver their babies. They piss in their bed.

After trying over 2 dozen odor removal chemicals with no joy, we steamed it and ended the problem.

I have also used it several times to remove the cigar smoke, damp musty smell from the vents from other vehicles.

How hot do the ducts get from the heat of the heater?
Click to expand...
I have used the VX 5000 and put some steam in so it came out the other vents. The problem is that I'm not sure how hot the steam has to be to kill the bacteria in the vents that cause the odor vs. the heat the plastic can withstand. Mice? Good grief! I may try inserting the nozzle past the plastic. Great idea.
 
mwoolfso said:
Man this is some powerful and concentrated stuff. One needs to be careful with Ozium; can nearly take your breath away.
Click to expand...

HA! your not supposed to huff it!!!! Altho I use it quite often so I guess i've become somewhat immuned to it!
 
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