Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what?

blackasta · 27th December 2019, 15:17

These look like some form of weevil larvae going by the size, but I am not a specialist.

Best option is carpet removal + steam cleaning + disinfectant treatment + fumigation of car interiors.

When the carpets are removed, do remove the seats as well and give them same / similar treatment.

Do you have someone who regularly has a snack in the car? a kid maybe? While it is not possible to entirely ban kids from snacking in the car, do please clean up after them, and if they are school goers, this is the perfect opportunity to teach them some hygiene factors.

BenjiRoss · 27th December 2019, 21:25

Thanks for all the suggestions. After the vinegar and some borax and a herbal disinfectant along with scrubbing and vacuuming most of the smell is gone. I also sunned the car with open door for a couple of hours this morning and drove with windows down. I have left the carpet without any floor mats today. I had to use the car for family trips and so couldn't give it to hyundai or 3m.

I couldn't find any visible maggots in the evening. There is smell of vinegar mainly and some dank smell residue.

Did a bit of reading and looking at other auto forums and reddit.

1. Boiling water will instantly kill maggots. Don't know if it is safe though

2. Removing the food source effectively starves them off. This is ok for food particles but this is not easy for milk residue.

3. Maggots will not multiple by themselves. The fly would have laid hundred(s) of eggs and they will hatch at different times. So unless the eggs are destroyed the problem will 'recur' for a few days. In a way, most maggot infestations are self limiting.

4. Borax is not the same as boric acid. It may not be effective and is not labelled an insecticide.

5. In the medical field we use turpentine and ether to chase the maggots out and hydrogen peroxide to kill them. Can i use hydrogen peroxide in a car?

6. Any solution or insecticide with permethrin will kill the maggots. Most louse treatment shampoos have this.

7. It looks like a thorough cleaning is warranted to remove residual food matter (milk residue most likely in my case) which will also get rid of the eggs and maggots. A change of carpet alone will not suffice if the eggs have been laid under the seats and other crevices. Flies generally lay eggs right at the source of food. The milk may have splashed elsewhere too. What spilt was just a small amount of milk when my daughter dropped her sippy cup. This may have seeped inbetween the carpet and the floor mat (which was not a snug fit - it's one of those noodle mats). This probably attracted some insect or flies - we were at Banerghetta for a day trip when this probably happened.

Also interesting to note that eggs hatch as early as a day or two after they are laid and maggots feed for another 5 days or so before they go to the next stage.

SS80 · 28th December 2019, 01:28

That's one big homework you have done on Maggots and I never knew that these tiny things can go this deep. When travelling with kids, its best to clean all the mats once the ride is over. Also specifically look out for eatables fallen in tricky spots like the handbrake area, under-seats etc.

BenjiRoss · 28th December 2019, 18:06

I couldn't take it to the service center today. I spoke to Hyundai service manager and he recommended going to 3M as they did a better job!

Today i used Lysol floor cleaner (Benzalkonium sodium) - sprayed and wiped after a few minutes followed by sun exposure. Also drove for half hour with windows down. Overall there is only faint smell of some vinegar and the lysol and i couldn't locate any maggots. I'm still waiting to see if any more hatch. I'll be back in Vellore tomorrow and and my give it to Hyundai for a complete clean. If i have to remove the carpets it's better to take 2 or 3 days and sun it out. Will keep updating this thread.

pravint · 29th December 2019, 19:52

No matter which cleaning u do, I'll advise you to keep car in sun for at least 3 hours for 3-4 days.

Keeping car in hot sun takes internal temperature around 50 degrees. No germs or their eggs can survive such heat.

The main reason behind such things is always parking in shadow. In such cases even little damp things can cause such issues.

sgm · 31st December 2019, 15:40

Get it cleaned a good service center as they clean wherever it is affected.

This year we had a similar bad experience with our older Corolla. The car was sent for servicing and it came back two days later. My father in law took the car as soon as the driver dropped it back at home, it fact he dropped the driver also on this way somewhere near the showroom and he came back very late after some work. The next day, a Friday, while I was rushing to office, he mentioned about a foul smell whenever he turns on the AC, so he was driving with the AC turned off, but I could not check as I was in a hurry. On Saturday I inspected the car and the smell was really bad. I informed the dealership about and they promised to pick the car on Monday. By Monday, maggots started falling from the dashboard into the foot well. A rat had entered the AC blower air intake area and it was dead in that area. I was sure this had happened in the service center as it came back with a very mild smell.

I didn't want to fight, so asked Nandi Toyota to do whatever was required to fix the smell. They took a few days to clean, wash and dry but it came back in a usable form without the smell.

saket77 · 31st December 2019, 16:19

Don't panic. I have faced a similar issue before. There were no 3Ms then, so to get rid of it, I first removed the carpet as much as I can, removed the rear seat and cleaned the entire rear floor pan area, vacuumed all dirty stuff out, and sprayed 'Hit' liberally and kept the car out in the sun for a day. A day later, washed the interiors & the carpet with Ezee or similar cleaner to get that hit smell out. Used a freshener for a few days following this incident and everything was good to go.

Regards,
Saket

BenjiRoss · 31st December 2019, 18:50

Thanks for the suggestions. The residual smell is only when i sniff close to the carpet area. I've sunned it and parked in the sun when possible. I used a carpet cleaner twice. No further maggots seen.
I'm still sceptical though and have requested Hyundai to do a complete internal clean - they can't do it today and will pick it up on 2nd November.
I've left a charcoal deodoriser in the car today.
I have a sneaking suspicion that the problem is not yet solved. I'll see how the next few days pan out.
On Sunday we did the 3 hour drive back to Vellore and no-one complained.

sagar.narasimha · 31st December 2019, 18:59

A generous spray of Dettol multipurpose disinfectant after I clean my interior and keep the doors open for a while post application. My son tends to dirty the car with eatables while travelling during long drives as it is very difficult to keep him occupied.

pganapathy · 31st December 2019, 19:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by BenjiRoss

Thanks for all the suggestions. After the

5. In the medical field we use turpentine and ether to chase the maggots out and hydrogen peroxide to kill them. Can i use hydrogen peroxide in a car?

stage.

Peroxide is a bad idea unless you use it strictly on the metal and wash it off properly. It will cause discolouration of any cloth material. After all, put it on your hair/face and it causes a change of colour.

BenjiRoss · 3rd January 2020, 12:56

After a few scrubs with Abro cleaner, i still had the slight smell from the affected carpet section. I didn't have the time to do a full carpet scrub. So I've given it to the cleaners. Vellore is a small place and I've given it to a local car spa called Hotwheelz as recommended by friends. They will do a thorough cleaning of the full interior and concentrate on the affected portion more. They also do some ozone treatment for disinfection and odour removal. They will also dry the car interior completely.
If this doesn't sort out the issue I'll remove and clean or change the carpet.
I haven't seen any new maggots after that. So i think the present set of eggs are dealt with. But with any residual milk stains there is a chance that some insects may come and restart the problem.

BenjiRoss · 16th January 2020, 12:46

About 10 days after the cleaning, there are definitely no maggots seen. I'm a little paranoid about the milk stain smell though. I still feel that if I get down on my knees and smell the carpet in that region, the smell is there. This is probably a bit of the milk that has seeped under the carpet. Nobody feels that there is any smell when just sitting inside the car. Milk residue smell takes ages to go away. I'll probably need to keep scrubbing that area every week and air / sun the car whenever possible.

27th December 2019, 15:17	#16
blackasta Senior - BHPian Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: WB 26 Posts: 3,408 Thanked: 2,928 Times View My Garage	Re: Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what? These look like some form of weevil larvae going by the size, but I am not a specialist. Best option is carpet removal + steam cleaning + disinfectant treatment + fumigation of car interiors. When the carpets are removed, do remove the seats as well and give them same / similar treatment. Do you have someone who regularly has a snack in the car? a kid maybe? While it is not possible to entirely ban kids from snacking in the car, do please clean up after them, and if they are school goers, this is the perfect opportunity to teach them some hygiene factors.
	(8) Thanks

27th December 2019, 21:25	#17
BenjiRoss Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tamilnadu Posts: 1,070 Thanked: 1,335 Times	Re: Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what? Thanks for all the suggestions. After the vinegar and some borax and a herbal disinfectant along with scrubbing and vacuuming most of the smell is gone. I also sunned the car with open door for a couple of hours this morning and drove with windows down. I have left the carpet without any floor mats today. I had to use the car for family trips and so couldn't give it to hyundai or 3m. I couldn't find any visible maggots in the evening. There is smell of vinegar mainly and some dank smell residue. Did a bit of reading and looking at other auto forums and reddit. 1. Boiling water will instantly kill maggots. Don't know if it is safe though 2. Removing the food source effectively starves them off. This is ok for food particles but this is not easy for milk residue. 3. Maggots will not multiple by themselves. The fly would have laid hundred(s) of eggs and they will hatch at different times. So unless the eggs are destroyed the problem will 'recur' for a few days. In a way, most maggot infestations are self limiting. 4. Borax is not the same as boric acid. It may not be effective and is not labelled an insecticide. 5. In the medical field we use turpentine and ether to chase the maggots out and hydrogen peroxide to kill them. Can i use hydrogen peroxide in a car? 6. Any solution or insecticide with permethrin will kill the maggots. Most louse treatment shampoos have this. 7. It looks like a thorough cleaning is warranted to remove residual food matter (milk residue most likely in my case) which will also get rid of the eggs and maggots. A change of carpet alone will not suffice if the eggs have been laid under the seats and other crevices. Flies generally lay eggs right at the source of food. The milk may have splashed elsewhere too. What spilt was just a small amount of milk when my daughter dropped her sippy cup. This may have seeped inbetween the carpet and the floor mat (which was not a snug fit - it's one of those noodle mats). This probably attracted some insect or flies - we were at Banerghetta for a day trip when this probably happened. Also interesting to note that eggs hatch as early as a day or two after they are laid and maggots feed for another 5 days or so before they go to the next stage. Last edited by suhaas307 : 31st December 2019 at 15:55. Reason: Spacing
	(8) Thanks

28th December 2019, 01:28	#18
SS80 BHPian Join Date: Apr 2019 Location: Bangalore Posts: 264 Thanked: 991 Times	Re: Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what? That's one big homework you have done on Maggots and I never knew that these tiny things can go this deep. When travelling with kids, its best to clean all the mats once the ride is over. Also specifically look out for eatables fallen in tricky spots like the handbrake area, under-seats etc.
	(1) Thanks

28th December 2019, 18:06	#19
BenjiRoss Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tamilnadu Posts: 1,070 Thanked: 1,335 Times	Re: Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what? I couldn't take it to the service center today. I spoke to Hyundai service manager and he recommended going to 3M as they did a better job! Today i used Lysol floor cleaner (Benzalkonium sodium) - sprayed and wiped after a few minutes followed by sun exposure. Also drove for half hour with windows down. Overall there is only faint smell of some vinegar and the lysol and i couldn't locate any maggots. I'm still waiting to see if any more hatch. I'll be back in Vellore tomorrow and and my give it to Hyundai for a complete clean. If i have to remove the carpets it's better to take 2 or 3 days and sun it out. Will keep updating this thread. Last edited by suhaas307 : 31st December 2019 at 15:56. Reason: Spacing
	(3) Thanks

29th December 2019, 19:52	#20
pravint BHPian Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Namma Bengaluru Posts: 139 Thanked: 437 Times	Re: Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what? No matter which cleaning u do, I'll advise you to keep car in sun for at least 3 hours for 3-4 days. Keeping car in hot sun takes internal temperature around 50 degrees. No germs or their eggs can survive such heat. The main reason behind such things is always parking in shadow. In such cases even little damp things can cause such issues. Last edited by suhaas307 : 31st December 2019 at 15:56. Reason: Spacing
	(2) Thanks

31st December 2019, 15:40	#21
sgm BHPian Join Date: Nov 2019 Location: KA 03 / KL 27 Posts: 253 Thanked: 607 Times	Re: Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what? Get it cleaned a good service center as they clean wherever it is affected. This year we had a similar bad experience with our older Corolla. The car was sent for servicing and it came back two days later. My father in law took the car as soon as the driver dropped it back at home, it fact he dropped the driver also on this way somewhere near the showroom and he came back very late after some work. The next day, a Friday, while I was rushing to office, he mentioned about a foul smell whenever he turns on the AC, so he was driving with the AC turned off, but I could not check as I was in a hurry. On Saturday I inspected the car and the smell was really bad. I informed the dealership about and they promised to pick the car on Monday. By Monday, maggots started falling from the dashboard into the foot well. A rat had entered the AC blower air intake area and it was dead in that area. I was sure this had happened in the service center as it came back with a very mild smell. I didn't want to fight, so asked Nandi Toyota to do whatever was required to fix the smell. They took a few days to clean, wash and dry but it came back in a usable form without the smell. Last edited by suhaas307 : 31st December 2019 at 15:57. Reason: Spacing
	() Thanks

31st December 2019, 16:19	#22
saket77 Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2012 Location: India Posts: 4,834 Thanked: 14,683 Times	Re: Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what? Don't panic. I have faced a similar issue before. There were no 3Ms then, so to get rid of it, I first removed the carpet as much as I can, removed the rear seat and cleaned the entire rear floor pan area, vacuumed all dirty stuff out, and sprayed 'Hit' liberally and kept the car out in the sun for a day. A day later, washed the interiors & the carpet with Ezee or similar cleaner to get that hit smell out. Used a freshener for a few days following this incident and everything was good to go. Regards, Saket
	(8) Thanks

31st December 2019, 18:50	#23
BenjiRoss Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tamilnadu Posts: 1,070 Thanked: 1,335 Times	Re: Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what? Thanks for the suggestions. The residual smell is only when i sniff close to the carpet area. I've sunned it and parked in the sun when possible. I used a carpet cleaner twice. No further maggots seen. I'm still sceptical though and have requested Hyundai to do a complete internal clean - they can't do it today and will pick it up on 2nd November. I've left a charcoal deodoriser in the car today. I have a sneaking suspicion that the problem is not yet solved. I'll see how the next few days pan out. On Sunday we did the 3 hour drive back to Vellore and no-one complained.
	(1) Thanks

31st December 2019, 18:59	#24
sagar.narasimha Newbie Join Date: Jan 2017 Location: Bangalore Posts: 19 Thanked: 9 Times	Re: Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what? A generous spray of Dettol multipurpose disinfectant after I clean my interior and keep the doors open for a while post application. My son tends to dirty the car with eatables while travelling during long drives as it is very difficult to keep him occupied.
	(1) Thanks

3rd January 2020, 12:56	#26
BenjiRoss Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tamilnadu Posts: 1,070 Thanked: 1,335 Times	Re: Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what? After a few scrubs with Abro cleaner, i still had the slight smell from the affected carpet section. I didn't have the time to do a full carpet scrub. So I've given it to the cleaners. Vellore is a small place and I've given it to a local car spa called Hotwheelz as recommended by friends. They will do a thorough cleaning of the full interior and concentrate on the affected portion more. They also do some ozone treatment for disinfection and odour removal. They will also dry the car interior completely. If this doesn't sort out the issue I'll remove and clean or change the carpet. I haven't seen any new maggots after that. So i think the present set of eggs are dealt with. But with any residual milk stains there is a chance that some insects may come and restart the problem.
	(1) Thanks

16th January 2020, 12:46	#27
BenjiRoss Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Tamilnadu Posts: 1,070 Thanked: 1,335 Times	Re: Maggots in my car's carpet - Now what? About 10 days after the cleaning, there are definitely no maggots seen. I'm a little paranoid about the milk stain smell though. I still feel that if I get down on my knees and smell the carpet in that region, the smell is there. This is probably a bit of the milk that has seeped under the carpet. Nobody feels that there is any smell when just sitting inside the car. Milk residue smell takes ages to go away. I'll probably need to keep scrubbing that area every week and air / sun the car whenever possible.
	() Thanks