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To clean vomit out of a car, lift off the solids, blot the liquid, cover the spot with baking soda, then treat it with an enzyme cleaner and dry it completely. Do it as soon as you can, because the longer vomit sits, the deeper it soaks into foam and carpet padding and the harder the smell is to shift.
The full process comes first, then what changes for leather, seat belts, child seats and messes that ran under a seat.
What to grab
- Disposable gloves
- Paper towels and a plastic trash bag
- A plastic scraper, spatula or old card
- Baking soda
- An enzyme cleaner labeled for upholstery or carpet
- Clean microfiber towels and a spray bottle of water
- A vacuum, ideally a wet/dry one
The sprays and cleaners page explains what to look for in an upholstery cleaner. You can also search enzyme upholstery cleaners.
The six steps
1. Open up and glove up
Open all the doors and put on gloves. The CDC’s advice on cleaning up vomit starts the same way: gloves, paper towels and a plastic trash bag for everything you wipe up.
2. Lift the solids
Scoop from the outside of the mess toward the middle so you don’t spread it. Lift rather than wipe. Tie the bag and get it out of the car.
3. Blot, don’t scrub
Press dry paper towels into the wet area and lift straight up. Repeat with fresh towels until very little comes away. Scrubbing only pushes the mess deeper into the fabric.
4. Cover it with baking soda
Pour on a thick layer and leave it. Baking soda draws out moisture and helps with odor. Once it has dried into a crust, vacuum it up.
5. Treat it with enzyme cleaner
Test a hidden spot first. Spray the area and give it the contact time on the label, because enzyme cleaners need time to break down what’s causing the smell. Blot, then repeat if you need to.
Keep the doors open, and wear gloves if the label says to. Never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners, and don’t pile a second product on top of the first.
6. Rinse and dry completely
Dampen a clean towel with plain water and blot the area to lift out the cleaner. Then dry it with a wet/dry vacuum, a fan and open doors.
Don’t rush this part. Wet padding shut inside a car can grow mold. If you find mold later, use a mask and ventilation, and call a professional for heavy growth.
What changes by surface
Cloth seats and carpet. The steps above were written for these. If a stain remains, move on to the cloth seat guide. Lift the floor mats too, since vomit often runs through to the carpet underneath. Clean the mats outside the car.
Leather. Move fast, because it can stain and seep into stitching and perforations. Wipe it up with a damp microfiber towel and skip the thick baking soda layer. Then use a leather-safe cleaner as the leather seat guide describes.
Plastic and vinyl. These are the easy surfaces. Wipe them with an interior cleaner, and use cotton swabs around vents and switches. Spray the towel, not the panel, to keep liquid out of electronics.
Seat belts. Belts are safety equipment. Clean them only the way your owner’s manual says, and don’t soak or bleach them.
Child car seats. Don’t treat these like regular upholstery. Clean the cover, harness straps and buckle only as the car seat maker’s manual says. The American Academy of Pediatrics says to follow the maker’s cleaning directions and warns that disinfectants may reduce the protection the seat and harness give.
Under a seat or in the seat rails. Slide the seat fully forward and back, then reach in with paper towels and a crevice tool. Don’t pull on wiring or poke at connectors under there, because seats can hold airbag and seatbelt sensors.
If the seat has to come out, read the seat removal guide first. Disconnect the battery, wait the time the owner’s manual gives, and never probe yellow connectors. Some cars should be left to a shop.
If it was a stomach bug
If someone had a bug like norovirus, cleaning up the smell isn’t the only job. The CDC’s home advice is to disinfect with a chlorine bleach solution or an EPA-registered product labeled for norovirus, following the label, then clean again with soap and hot water.
That advice doesn’t cover car seats or carpet, though, and bleach can discolor or damage them. Don’t pour it on your upholstery. On hard plastic, use a disinfectant whose label lists that surface. For soft surfaces, the CDC’s guidance for health care settings calls for prompt cleaning with a manufacturer-approved cleaner and suggests steam cleaning. A professional with steam equipment is worth considering here.
When you finish, wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. The CDC says hand sanitizer doesn’t work well against norovirus.
If the smell hangs around
A lingering smell usually means some of the mess is still there. Check under the mats, in the seat seams and down the sides of the seats, then repeat the enzyme step. Air freshener only covers it up.
If it’s still there once everything is dry, work through how to get rid of car smells. When it has soaked deep into the foam, or you’d just rather not deal with it, you can find a detailer in the directory.