This is a necessary skill that we all have to learn the hard way.
I have a dog who gets sick in the car when conditions are less than perfect. I have to refuse her food if we are in the car for more than fifteen minutes, and reassure her that I won’t abandon her. She does throw up though, and I usually clean her up, so I thought I was an expert in this area. However, when my daughter suffered heat stroke after her first soccer practice and threw up a bunch of water (and a single slice of cheese) in an awkward spot in the minivan, I realized I had to do better. So I did some research and tried several different methods: Here’s the ultimate way to get rid of vomit in the car.
What to do if someone vomits in the car?
If you don’t have plastic-covered seats, you need to clean up as soon as possible if you want to avoid problems with fluid absorption. Stop the car or drive home as soon as possible. Open all windows until you can stop and blow out the fans. You don’t want to vomit out of pity, so you need as much air circulation as possible.
Once you’re home and/or parked, keep all exits open to allow air to circulate, and use baby wipes, paper towels, shovels, scoops, dog poop bags, or whatever you have on hand to get all the “solids” (sorry) out of the way, and then put something absorbent on any surfaces that have liquid on them.
Ideally, you’ll have disposable towels in the car, but if you’re on the road, you may need to use your child’s sweatshirt or the towel you took to the beach. Dry it off, don’t wipe it down, and try not to push too hard, as this will push things further into the car seat or upholstery.
What to do after the initial emergency?
Once you are home and have put the culprit to bed or handed them off to another adult, you should check your resources. Depending on which interiors of your car are affected, you will need different remedies. While there are several products on the market to combat stains and odors, the best solution is a combination of vinegar, baking soda and dishwashing liquid, depending on the surfaces.
Make sure you’ve gotten rid of the “solids” (again, my apologies) and that the liquids have been cleaned and absorbed as best as possible. Sprinkle baking soda on the affected soft surface and let it sit there for thirty minutes. (Your vacuum will never be the same.) If it’s the car seat, remove it, pull off the cover and follow the washing machine instructions. (You may never put the cover back on.) Then prepare an eight-part solution of baking soda.
Next, prepare a solution of eight parts warm water, one part white vinegar and a pinch of dishwashing detergent for all surfaces (except leather). Spray it on the affected area, let it sit for a while, and then wipe it off with water and a damp cloth. For leather, make a paste of three parts baking soda and one part warm water; apply the paste and gently dab the seats with a damp cloth. Try to dry everything and keep the air moving as long as possible to help the process.
This wasn’t in my research, but I did one last round with bleach cloths. Maybe it was a holdover from the early COVID days, but it just felt right.
Once it’s too late…
In my case, I thought I had a handle on it, although I hadn’t done the gentle stroking or baking soda part because I hadn’t dealt with it yet. The next morning, when I took the kids to carpool, I was bluntly told that the car still smelled bad. We pulled onto the highway with the windows down and I repeated the step with the vinegar.
I left the car in the driveway all day with the windows down and watched diligently with my ring camera to make sure no one came and stole my catalytic converter. When I picked it up from school, I was greeted by the pleasant, mild smell of dry vinegar, but the odor of vomit was gone.
If the smell persists, you can invest in air fresheners or put dryer sheets in the car to mask the smell. If you’ve really tried everything and the car still smells like digested cheese because you missed a spot or the smell has permeated the interior of the car, you should invest in a professional car wash with seat and floor shampoo. To offset the cost, you should convince your editor to let you write an article on how to clean vomit from your car.
