What to do when little/no scent is wanted?

[falcaineer]

I have a new customer requesting an interior detail (F150 Lariat w/leather, for reference), but is saying she's adverse to smells and wants as little used as possible. What should I do? If you've run into this, what Adam's products do you offer? Do I let her smell them first? I have a new steamer which should help a lot, but haven't used it yet. Any help is appreciated!

Edited January 28, 2019 by falcaineer

[shane@detailedreflections]

1 hour ago, falcaineer said:

I have a new customer requesting an interior detail (F150 Lariat w/leather, for reference), but is saying she's adverse to smells and wants as little used as possible. What should I do? If you've run into this, what Adam's products do you offer? Do I let her smell them first? I have a new steamer which should help a lot, but haven't used it yet. Any help is appreciated!

 

You have the answer already. The power of steam. One of the big benefits to steam (besides it being awesome with heat and all that) is that you don’t need so much (if any) chemical. Maybe a little diluted APC (the steam will make it stronger so it can be cut pretty far) and steam it out and you’re good to go. Our steamer we can mix chemical right into the steamer. We use diluted APC in ours. So very diluted APC, steam and a microfiber towel. Your client will be happy and you’ll have one of the cleanest panels you’ve ever done. 

 

43 minutes ago, RayS said:

My wife is also sensitive to the smells and she's found that the St. Patties day interior detail spray does not bother her, but the other do including Odor Neutralizer.  I also leave the windows down and make sure the windows are the last thing I do since the glass cleaner does not have a lingering smell.

 

@Rich I'm going to have to try the Leather Conditioner as a final step since I use it on the Dash and Door Panels anyway. She is always around my leather jackets and such and they never both her.

 

Leather conditioner is a great dressing for things other than leather. We use it frequently on dashes and door panels. It streamlines the work since it’s usually already out with an applicator. 

[Rich]

My wife is super susceptible to odors.  Lately, every cleaning product has Gain smell in it, and that can land her in bed for two days with headaches.  But the Leather Conditioner doesn't bother her.   

[Parad0x]

I have not used it in many years, but I remember Griots interior cleaner being a capable interior cleaner with no added scent.  I always thought it worked very well even on carpet stains for not having a chemical odor to it.

 

I’ve not tried the Adam’s foaming interior cleaner but the almond scent sounds good, at least to me, though I know it wouldn’t work in your situation.

 

My my go to interior cleaner for the past few years has been Blackfire interior cleaner. It too doesn’t have a strong odor at all and cleans very well.  After cleaning, I followed up with Optimum’s Leather Protectant.  It’s supposed to clean as well as ‘restore and protect’ but I always liked to first clean separately and then follow up with the protection.  The Optimum leather protectant has a smell to it but to me, it is far from overpowering.  It’s a bit like leather but quite mild, not overly leather scented like some others I’ve used over the years.  

 

I’ve still got a very little bit left of both but since the fall I’ve just been using Adam’s interior cleaner and have been pretty happy with it, but of course, being Adam’s they’re all scented lol.

 

Edit: Oops, I see you edited only asking about Adam’s products.  I’ll leave my post but if the mods see fit to remove it, by all means, not a problem.

Edited January 28, 2019 by Parad0x

[RayS]

My wife is also sensitive to the smells and she's found that the St. Patties day interior detail spray does not bother her, but the other do including Odor Neutralizer.  I also leave the windows down and make sure the windows are the last thing I do since the glass cleaner does not have a lingering smell.

 

@Rich I'm going to have to try the Leather Conditioner as a final step since I use it on the Dash and Door Panels anyway. She is always around my leather jackets and such and they never both her.

[DaleH]

12 hours ago, shane@detailedreflections said:

 

You have the answer already. The power of steam. One of the big benefits to steam (besides it being awesome with heat and all that) is that you don’t need so much (if any) chemical. Maybe a little diluted APC (the steam will make it stronger so it can be cut pretty far) and steam it out and you’re good to go. Our steamer we can mix chemical right into the steamer. We use diluted APC in ours. So very diluted APC, steam and a microfiber towel. Your client will be happy and you’ll have one of the cleanest panels you’ve ever done. 

 

 

Leather conditioner is a great dressing for things other than leather. We use it frequently on dashes and door panels. It streamlines the work since it’s usually already out with an applicator. 

All this for sure.

 

I also use an ozone generator. Not sure if it's just hype or confirmation bias but it seems to knockout every other scent. I forgot to take my wife's favorite air freshener out before the last treatment and it almost neutralized that.

 

X2 on the 'gain' smell. There is something in there that is vile. Our washing machine broke mid batch so we finished laundry at a friends house. We had to re-wash our clothes three times to get the gain out.

Edited January 28, 2019 by DaleH

[Rich]

Odor Neutralizer (original) is not good for her.  Pepper.  Bleach can land her in the hospital.   Even perfume, so she can't wear it. We're good with the little vanilla scented Adam's air fresheners that plug into the car vents. 

[shane@detailedreflections]

6 hours ago, DaleH said:

All this for sure.

 

I also use an ozone generator. Not sure if it's just hype or confirmation bias but it seems to knockout every other scent. I forgot take my wife's favorite air freshener out before the last treatment and it almost neutralized that.

 

X2 on the 'gain' smell. There is something in there that is vile. Our washing machine broke mid batch so we finished laundry at a friends house. We had to re-wash our clothes three times to get the gain out.

 

We offer odor elimination via use of an ozone generator. But keep in mind that if you use ozone, you need to let the vehicle air out for a long time before returning it to your client. 

 

Ozone for us is a separate service and is never included in a base price of service. Our ozone machine didn’t come for free, and it’s a piece of equipment not everyone has so it comes with a price. 

 

Ozone does work to eliminate odors. It’s not hype, it actually works on a molecular level to destroy odors. @pirahnah3 provided a great explanation at one point about how they work here on another thread of mine.

 

The answer in this case I still feel is steam. Lots of it. And if you already have a steamer, you should be using it. 

[falcaineer]

Thanks for all the inputs, so far. Assumed the steamer would be my best bet, just didn't know about it making the scent stronger. I'll keep that in mind with diluting my APC. I'd love to use the LC, too, but will need her input, first.

 

Any further thoughts still welcome...