What Is the Grossest Mess You've Found While Cleaning a Car?

A wet-dry vac is a great tool—and a bad sign. Photo: Alan Thornton (Getty Images)

Whether you merely commute in your car, eat in your car or just drive grubby-handed kids around in your car, you’re probably used to having to do a periodic deep clean. Some messes are worse than others. We’re looking for your war stories and ask, what is the grossest thing you’ve ever come across while cleaning out a car?

I just assisted my sister in getting her tiny Nissan Versa Note ready for sale after she avoided cleaning it for about a year. While this would be a painful task no matter what, the addition of my three-and-a-half year old niece’s presence in the back seat made it absolutely nightmarish. Do you know what a forgotten pouch of squeeze yogurt does in a car after six months of sitting smashed open under a floor mat? It’s not pretty. It certainly doesn’t smell pretty.

In my own car, my puppy once soaked the back seat after chugging too much water after a hot day at the park. The little absorbent puppy pad I put back there did absolutely nothing. That was a nightmare mess to clean up and included a wet-dry vac, two boxes of baking soda and several days in the garage with all the doors open with big fans running to dry it out. Even then, it took another box of baking soda to rid the musty smell from the car.

Those are bad, but I bet you guys have something worse: Let here it. Gross us out as much as you can in the comments.