Holy mouse smell hell!

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DENALI

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SO I bought a 03 superduty for parts that had been parked in a barn for 4 years because it just stopped running and they didn't want to mess with it. Long story short, I want to save the truck as its low miles and the only thing that was wrong with it was a pressure sensor. Runs and drives perfect! However there is a really bad mouse smell, I mean like the worst ever. I cleaned everything out of the truck pulled all the interior, power washed the carpet, pulled all the crap out from behind the dash and blew out all the vents scrubbed the leather seats and all plastic interior pieces. Of course there is still a strong mouse piss smell. Whats out there that I can use to soak/dip/spray/clean/fog/prayers/whatever to get the mouse smell to go away! Thanks for your help!
 
I had an obs 97 F350 with a similar issue. Smelled it intermittently for a couple of years, especially in hot weather. Turned out the mice had made a nest down in a passageway under the metal cowl piece between the windshield and hood (basically under the a pillars at the firewall) and I believe outside air was drawn in through there. I’m not sure how that area of the Super Duty body is constructed but you might want to check that.

Sometimes they get into the heater boxes and similar components that cannot be easily removed/taken apart.
 
Keep pulling it apart till u find it.. I had an awfull smell in the ft room of my house pulled up the rug found nothing so I started pulling off the sheet rock and found a 5 ft high bees nest. You will find it just keep going.
 
You want to rehydrate the entire offending area(s) and then treat/clean/scrub/treat again with an enzyme cleaner. There are many gallon sized products sold in many places for around $35-50/gallon. They are typically marketed as carpet cleaner for pet smells. Rehydration of the urine is the key. If the urine has already crystallized, it's difficult for the enzyme cleaner to bond to it and start eating away at it. That is the ONLY thing that is going to get urine out of carpet and upholstery. You may find that's it's cheaper to replace the factory carpet with a nice aftermarket solution for a couple hundred dollars.

If it's in the seats and they're cloth, good luck. It gets into the foam and unless you take the seats apart and try to clean the foam, that smell with never come out. If you could get the covers clean, a good upholstery shop should be able to remake the foam for a reasonable price.

Good luck to you.
 
Have you looked in the ac/heat vents. Not just the ones in the dash but possibly the ones that run to the back or under the seats. Maybe a carcass or 2 in there.
 
I had, have a similar problem with our Range Rover. It had been sitting for 7 years after a minor accident. It only had 15,000 miles on it so I took a chance. Rats took up residency. When we bought it we found 8 dead rats and pounds of rat poop. They really liked the areas behind the dash and under the center console......they also like to chew wires.........we had to fix about 20 wires, they really like yellow wires for some reason. I replaced the carpet, stripped the interior completely, including the dash. Washed all surfaces and seats with pet stain remover, used an ozone machine, put eucalyptus leaves in it for two weeks, used Simple Green, you name it. It is hardly noticeable now. Usually when it has been closed up, or when the weather is hot, there is a hint but it isn't foul, most people wouldn't notice it, but I do. Like mentioned above, I think that is has permeated the seat foam. Short of swapping out the seats, it is here to stay. I spray some deodorizer once a month or so and have tried with moderate success a smell masker, like the Chemical Guys "leather" or "new car" smells. Neither is very leathery or new carish.........Regularly applying leather conditioner helps a lot, it is much more pleasant smelling than the smell maskers. Good Luck. Phil
 
Don't know where the smell is coming from? Do you have access to a cat? Turn it loose inside the cabin, trunk, and under the hood then watch it. If it starts scratching at something, that's a good clue.
 
What you might have to do is use an enzyme cleaner on anything carpeted, and then put a lot of baking soda on everthing and leave it in there for a day, then vacuum it out.
 
I had mice make a home in one of my pickups over the winter, several years ago. I didn't think I'd ever get rid of the stink! One day, my heater core started leaking, so I had to pull that entire heater distribution box assembly apart to get to the core. Well, the mice had made a nice little nest in there. Once the nest was eliminated, and the air distribution assembly was cleaned - not even any special cleaning. Just hot water and bleach - no more mouse stink.

So, I guess my opinion is to take apart all, and I do mean ALL, air ducting and find the nest. Until you do, enjoy your mouse stink. Or, get a male cat and let him spray all over the inside. That should cover up the mouse smell, too.
 
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