Smelly screen wash water - wrangler_rover
Rover 600, 6 years old. I was driving it at the weekend on a motorway with the aircon off & fan off, when I used the screen wash, a few seconds afterwards, a horrible smell of stagnant water came into the car.
I put this down to the screen wash bottle.
What is recommended for removing the smell, I've thought about adding some Milton sterilising fluid or some steradent denture cleaning tablets to the water bottle, leaving it to soak for a while & spraying the screen wash until empty to flush it out. (I wondered about adding a dilute solution of bleach but am worried that this may damage the paintwork or window seals) Then hosing the car thoroughly to wash anything nasty off the car.
Does anybody have any experience of this and suitable fluids to use?
Smelly screen wash water - frostbite
I always add a few drops (abt. 5ml/teaspoonful) of ordinary household disinfectant to a full water bottle.

Keeps all smells and pipe clogging grot away.

There are some who claim this could damage the paintwork, but I believe the huge dilution makes this irrelevant.
Smelly screen wash water - JamZ
I know it's a radical suggestion, but you could always add a proportion of some screenwash fluid...
Smelly screen wash water - Truckosaurus
Halford's Apple flavour (seriously!) screenwash has a nice aroma to it.
Smelly screen wash water - frazerjp
Halford's lemon screenwash is good too! it flows through the vents!
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Its not what you drive, its how you drive it! :-)
Smelly screen wash water - rory
If its a practical proposition, can you simply put a hose into the washer bottle and keep it running until its clear, using the washers occasionally to help flush through ?
Smelly screen wash water - frostbite
I know it's a radical suggestion, but you could always add
a proportion of some screenwash fluid...

>>

Some screenwashes seem to actively promote the growth of algae!
Smelly screen wash water - Bromptonaut
How did it get like that?

Bruclens (chlorine based sterliser for home brewing) or similar products are quite good for this sort of thing. Morrisons sell it. Less agressive than Milton if you get it on clothing etc.

If the bottle is accessible I'd remove it and clean off the car by soaking and scrubbing. Then pump some steri solution up into the pipework and let it stand there for a while.

Smelly screen wash water - Altea Ego
Yes agree with the others, It needs to be sterilised first, its probably growing quatermass's 5th experiment.
Smelly screen wash water - David Horn
Sonax high concentrate screenwash additive - just stick a squirt in and it does a great job of getting traffic film off the windscreen, and has a nice lemony smell to boot.
Smelly screen wash water - Andy P
Last time I had this problem, I disconnected one of the washer jets and attached a piece of tubing into a bucket. Clamped the other jet off and filled the washer bottle with hot water with a touch of disinfectant. Pull the fuse out to stop the wipers and ran the washer until the bottle was empty. Repeated twice followed by several flushes with clean water. No smell since.


Andy
Smelly screen wash water - Victorbox
Halfords own brand pre-mixed screenwash (buy one get one free)is so perfumed your car will smell lovely!
Smelly screen wash water - Altea Ego
Pink or Blue? my local branch has both types.
Smelly screen wash water - ihpj
VWs 'lemon scented' washer fluid is nice ;)

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Im not plain stupid, just a special kind of stoopid.