Argh Squirrel Nest on top of my interior filtration

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PalmerWMD
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So my Xterra has been sitting for a couple months in a rural environment.
This past weekend I picked it up and drove it back to my new home state (Florida).
The drive was a bear but thats not important here.

I noticed this very unpleasant smell but figured it was from it sitting for a long time and maybe someone had used it ( my buddy had express permission to do so) and spilled something that never dried ( or so).

Also I thought the bad smell would be gone eventually because I had discovered a smelly package the day before and took it out....
however I also I noticed the air-conditioning was weak.
So I decided maybe the filters for the fans in the car are clogged also my eyes teared when I turned on the AC so I got even more suspicious.

Low and behold when I finally got to the interior filter I found a squirrel nest!
It smelled disgusting.
IMG_0406.JPG
IMG_0403.JPG
IMG_0405.JPG
After I took a bunch out still looked like this in there:
IMG_0399.JPG
I took all out ( barely keeping myself from vomiting, I absolutely hate that smell) then cleaned the inside of the filter box with shop towels drenched in chlorox, then wiped clean, then some more cholorx let a chlorox drenched show towel sit in it while I ran the engine+HVAC fan.

Put in the new filters.

Sadly I still smell the squirrel nest smell when I put the HVAC on now.
Hopefully it will go away eventually, at least my eyes arent tearing up anymore.


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VStar650CL
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If the smell won't go, Lysol-boil the interior. From the lack of edibles and the droppings in the filter, I'd say rats are more likely than squirrels. Spray the engine box with peppermint oil to make sure they've vacated the premises, rats often hunker in the wheel wells when a vehicle moves instead of abandoning ship.

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PalmerWMD
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VStar650CL wrote:
Mon May 31, 2021 10:41 am
If the smell won't go, Lysol-boil the interior. From the lack of edibles and the droppings in the filter, I'd say rats are more likely than squirrels. Spray the engine box with peppermint oil to make sure they've vacated the premises, rats often hunker in the wheel wells when a vehicle moves instead of abandoning ship.
Thanks!:)

I am really hoping what did this is gone.
Have no idea how they got in there, I mean INTO the space inside the HVA ducts.

I did have a couple of stops on the drive to FL.
Including one overnight at a dinky motel with lots of garbage around that would seem an incentive for rats to leave.

The interior itself doesnt smell but the HVAC ducts still do.

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VStar650CL
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Try some Lysol spray down the intake then, with the filters removed and the blower running. If that doesn't work, boiled Lysol gets into every nook and cranny, that's how we save upholstery in flood cars. Just takes a common crock-pot and a gallon of floor cleaner. Pine Sol works fine too if you like the smell better.

post6820025.htm

Peppermint oil is the stuff for all rodentia. If you want to be absolutely sure they're gone, that will do it.

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VStar650CL
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PalmerWMD wrote:
Mon May 31, 2021 10:44 am
Have no idea how they got in there, I mean INTO the space inside the HVA ducts.
PS - Check the grating in your cowl and the corners of the cowl, I bet you'll find some chewed holes. They usually enter from outside and not inside.

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AZhitman
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Also, rather than Lysol or Clorox, consider having the interior ozonized. Most dealerships and high-end detailers have ozonizers.

It's much more thorough than what you're doing (removes smoke stench, mold smell, even biological hazards).

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VStar650CL
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AZhitman wrote:
Mon May 31, 2021 11:07 am
Also, rather than Lysol or Clorox, consider having the interior ozonized. Most dealerships and high-end detailers have ozonizers.

It's much more thorough than what you're doing (removes smoke stench, mold smell, even biological hazards).
Beg to differ on that one, AZ. We routinely use boils on used cars that have already been through ionizing in the Detail Shop and still stink. Ionizing is great but it doesn't penetrate.

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AZhitman
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Good to know. I always thought it was kind of a one-and-done process.

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VStar650CL
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AZhitman wrote:
Mon May 31, 2021 11:26 am
Good to know. I always thought it was kind of a one-and-done process.
It is as long as the stink is from anything superficial, nicotine, baby puke, pet odor. Stuff like old mold that actually grows into the surfaces is a much tougher act. Misting every surface with creeping chemical reaches places that ionization won't.

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AZhitman
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Makes sense. When I restored that 97 Hardbody, I removed the interior down to the metal, scrubbed it with bleach, threw away all the porous material (seats, carpet, door panels, headliner) and all the hard plastic got bleached and left out in the sun for a week.

20 years of a chain smoking landscaper hotboxing that thing really lingered.

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PalmerWMD
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VStar650CL wrote:
Mon May 31, 2021 11:05 am
PalmerWMD wrote:
Mon May 31, 2021 10:44 am
Have no idea how they got in there, I mean INTO the space inside the HVA ducts.
PS - Check the grating in your cowl and the corners of the cowl, I bet you'll find some chewed holes. They usually enter from outside and not inside.
Where are those locations exactly?

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VStar650CL
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The cowl is the plastic piece across the base of the windshield when you open the hood.

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VStar650CL
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Xterra Cowl.png

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PalmerWMD
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VStar650CL wrote:
Mon May 31, 2021 12:45 pm
Xterra Cowl.png
All that that is intact. No holes of any kind.

I also put Peppermint oil into the intakes and have been running the HVAC so the Peppermint oil smell is inside the HVAC now hopefully deterring more of the same.

Still not sure were they got in.
may have to go to a shop to put it on a lift tomorrow.

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AZhitman
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Not surprising at all. The ducting into the interior (possibly the cowl drain vents) isn't impossible for rodents to enter. A vehicle isn't an impenetrable fortress to a critter that can squeeze through tiny openings.

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PalmerWMD
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I also placed a peppermint oil soaked rag under the hoods of both my vehicles now.
Last edited by PalmerWMD on Mon May 31, 2021 4:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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AZhitman
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Dryer sheets, Irish Spring soap bars, and mothballs all work as well... depends on the critters.

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PalmerWMD
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AZhitman wrote:
Mon May 31, 2021 4:27 pm
Dryer sheets, Irish Spring soap bars, and mothballs all work as well... depends on the critters.
Any of those also work well on Rodents like squirrels of rats?
I had a d!ck of a time finding peppermint oil.

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AZhitman
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You mean you can't find one basic Linda who doesn't run an essential oils pyramid scheme business? Look for a sticker on her back window that says, "Living my best life."

Yep, rodents hate all those scents.

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VStar650CL
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AZhitman wrote:
Mon May 31, 2021 5:18 pm
You mean you can't find one basic Linda who doesn't run an essential oils pyramid scheme business? Look for a sticker on her back window that says, "Living my best life."
:rotfl :rotfl :rotfl :rotfl :rotfl

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PalmerWMD
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PS: Correction: the censor program "corrected" my harmless phrase of american english into something objectionable .. :whistle:
Last edited by PalmerWMD on Mon May 31, 2021 6:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PalmerWMD
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AZhitman wrote:
Mon May 31, 2021 5:18 pm
You mean you can't find one basic Linda who doesn't run an essential oils pyramid scheme business? Look for a sticker on her back window that says, "Living my best life."

Yep, rodents hate all those scents.
I did find it at Wally in the end... but not in a spray bottle :crazy:

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VStar650CL
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The censor in here definitely has some issues. Ever try to submit the word that starts with "k" and is where you cook food?

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AZhitman
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Kitchen?

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AZhitman
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WTF. I'll fix that. Weird.

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VStar650CL
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AZhitman wrote:
Mon May 31, 2021 7:43 pm
WTF. I'll fix that. Weird.
Yep, told ya. Thank you.

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PapaSmurf2k3
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Man that's nasty. So where did you end up finding the peppermint oil?

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PalmerWMD
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PapaSmurf2k3 wrote:
Tue Jun 01, 2021 7:31 am
Man that's nasty. So where did you end up finding the peppermint oil?
Walmart, just as a bottle though not as a spray.

Also took me a couple of tries but I finally found a duct fogger at O Reilly's too, since the smell was not all gone.
I ran it through the system with filters removed.

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You've got me hyper-sensitive smelling mine now. I hardly ever run my HVAC (I'm a windows down kinda guy), but I ran it today and I feel like I'm smelling something. Not terrible, but something haha.

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PapaSmurf2k3 wrote:
Tue Jun 01, 2021 12:18 pm
You've got me hyper-sensitive smelling mine now. I hardly ever run my HVAC (I'm a windows down kinda guy), but I ran it today and I feel like I'm smelling something. Not terrible, but something haha.
Paranoia strikes deep, but so does mold. Shoot some Lysol or duct fogger down there, better safe than moldy.


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