I would start with some simple ideas first like airing the car out by leaving the windows open; rubbing the seatbelt with a scented dryer sheet; and/or spraying the car with air freshener.

Douse a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and go over the seatbelt with it.

Use woolite for furniture. It’s foam in a spray can. Follow directions on the can.

Thanks! So far, I wiped it with a Clorox disinfecting wipe, and have the windows open. I can still smell it so I’ll move on to the other ideas. And never allow her to sit in the front passenger seat again. Even when I’m not with them.

I was going to suggest the rubbing alcohol as well.

“Even when I’m not with them.” Some of the responses here are ridiculously funny sometimes.

Or you were serious?

So you will just tie her to the roof or....?

Backseat? ^ Most cars have one!

Febreze?

Fresh Wave?

Some are very sensitive to offensive perfumes that linger. My ex MIL used to wear an Armani fragrance that sent me to bed with a migraine each time she visited, but I was too young and dumb to ask her not to stink up my home. I don't blame hhireno one bit for her thoughts.

Someone in my workplace has started running an electric essential oil diffuser at her desk. Last week it smelled like a burning trash heap. We're soon going to have to have a discussion methinks.

White vinegar should zap the lingering fragrance. Dab it on, keep the windows open. (You may crave a fresh salad for a few days.j

We just had someone get sick in the car recently. We took it to a car detailing place and asked them to just clean that area, it was very inexpensive and they had the proper equipment and now there is no more issue and we didn't have to deal w/ anything and the whole thing took 20 minutes. Well worth it not to have to deal w/ it ourselves. Perhaps an idea worth considering?

I am a control freak when it comes to scented products in my house! Very few scents that don't give me a headache and make my eyes/nose water. Last place I would ever enter is a Yankee Candle store!

I have a constant battle with DH, who likes to keep trying different bath soaps. He'll buy a few that are ok, but instead of staying with those, he'll keep experimenting. Yuck!

Maybe try the Natures Miracle pet cleaning products. I would also soak, not just dab, the affected area. Rinse well with clean water and air dry.

You guys are great, thanks for the additional ideas. I’ll have to trade cars with him this week so I can try a few of these. We have a car trip, in his car, coming up soon so I need to get this solved. I appreciate your help.

If you want to trade one strong odor for another mrs. Meyers works quite well as does cinnamon essential oil. They are both definitely strong scents.

hhireno, I so sympathize with you! Please, if you find something that works, share it with us. And I hope that you can tell your SIL about your migraines.

Like IdaClair, my late MIL used to douse herself with Shalimar and sit in the front seat while I sat in the back with the kids. I had to wash that seat belt with alcohol before I could get into the front passenger seat, or the car, again.

I think it’s especially rude in restaurants. We went out to dinner last week with friends and a lady near had on perfume so strong I felt like getting sick.

White vinegar is my go-to for orders. Spray it on. Repeat.

Well now, to her credit, she normally doesn’t reek of the perfume, thank goodness. I wasn’t in the car with them so I don’t know the situation that day. Maybe it was freshly applied?The shoulder strap must have been resting against her skin and absorbed the smell.

I have seen women apply perfume liberally by spray. She probably got massive amounts on her clothes and then got in the car.

I can empathize. I am sensitive to odors and many perfumes really turn me off.

FWIW, I have a Febreze that's unscented, and there are similar products by other manufacturers as well.

Case in point, I just recently bought some toothpaste with "Mintessence" flavor that reminds of a mouthful of minty baby oil every time I brush - blecchhh!

I would try Resolve Pet spray (red bottle). It has oxy in it, and is formulated to remove pet urine. I would have a personal preference toward wanting to remove the scent, and not cover it up.

I haven't read the replies but I know this works on a warm day. Leave the car in the sun all day, with windows down.

Charcoal also removes odor so you could put a little container of it next to the seat belt.

Some here may not be aware that the chemical molecules that comprise perfumes, either natural or artificial, are physically absorbed into fabrics, some of which are more porous than others. This means that to remove the scent, those molecules have to be physically removed or neutralized in some manner.

Most manufactured scents contain stabilizers to make them last longer, stick better, and actually adhere to surfaces. The vast majority of these chemicals are parabens or phthalates, the toxic ingredients also responsible for headaches, asthma attacks and many other side effects. It's not the scent itself that causes so many problems, but those universal chemical additives....and they cannot be 'covered up' or removed by opening a window.

Just chiming in to say that I’m on the no scent train. My little province has gone really in for scent free public spaces and it’s heavenly. I am currently at a big academic conference and there are many attendees from different places and cultures and even just a lot of older women. So much perfume! It’s giving me headaches. I find it almost nauseating.

Robo, hopefully they have a review/suggestions sheet you can fill in after the conference and you can mention the scent overload. For me, it is just as bad as the days when everyone would smoke.

Anyone else notice that clothing at places like Macy's also now has a strong perfume scent? It didn't used to be that way. I sometimes have to wash new clothes twice and air them out too.

I'm currently sitting in my office with the door closed, deciding how to address this very issue with a new employee at our office. She literally sits on the other side of the room and I can still smell her. Our Director has sent out generic 'scent free workplace' emails, but this gal doesn't seem to realize they apply to her.

smhinnb, I believe I'd print out that email, highlight every reference to the scent free portion and leave it on her desk.

..........then again, maybe that's a little to passive aggressive....

Some situations in life call for being a little bit passive aggressive!

smhinhb, I think that many people think that those generic messages are for others, can't possibly be for them. My husband's ENT office had to put up signs as well as letters to all of the patients regarding this serious issue. Patients were warned, politely, that they would be asked to leave if they came in overly scented. And they followed through.

A truly lovely woman in my husband's building was a toxic mess with her cigarette fumes emanating from her skin, hair, and clothes....which she tried (unsuccessfully) to camouflage with generous applications of strong and lingering cologne. It took a closed door meeting with the director for her to get the message that she was making people sick.

And then there are the people who think that their own personal rights are in jeopardy by being asked to hold off on the fragrances.

Timely topic for me because my checkup is on Thursday. I also hate strong scents and I wear a lightly floral cologne. No matter where I go, including the doctor's office, I put one spray on my chest, below the neckline. Only because I have this fear if I didn't and no matter how clean I am, I may not smell good if someone stands next to me.

I'm going to ask the doctor if she can smell the cologne and if I need to stop wearing it or cut it back some. She and I talk about hair and fashion all the time so knowing her she'll say "Noooo, you're fine!" Love her!

I think some people don’t realize “don’t wear fragrance” memos apply to them because they’re not wearing perfume. The fragrance could be wafting from their clothes from those horrible laundry unstoppables, that brag about the stench, I mean fragrance, lasting 12 weeks! Or it is their products like shampoo or skin lotion or deodorant.

I haven’t been able to switch cars with my husband yet, so no update on the seat belt.

Scenty things are like hot peppers. The more you do, the less you can smell/taste how strong/hot it is. I live in an area where lots of people ladle perfume on, but they can't smell it themselves at all. And the older you get, the less you can smell to begin with.

Carolb, sorry, but febreze is pretty evil stuff, scented or not. I know a lot of people who begin sneezing uncontrollably around any fabric treated with febreze. I've seen it myself--they had no idea anyone had used it but two people out of five couldn't stop sneezing when they came near the material in question.

I have a similar problem with one of my harp students who is normally a very earth mother yoga-teacher kind of person, but every once in a while comes in so perfumed that the students after her complain about how the harp smells, just from having been in contact with her shoulder and knee.

Another recent cause for lingering smell is those new roller essential oil perfumes. Those last forever, too, especially the synthetic ones.

Hmm, the ingredients listed on the unscented Febreze I have (and shown above) are listed as water, alcohol and "odor eliminator derived from corn" - that's it. Similar to pet odor eliminators, I believe, though many of those do have fragrance added.

Apparently, the chemical used in Febreze is beta-cyclodextrin & here's an explanation of how it works:

https://www.thoughtco.com/how-febreze-works-facts-and-chemistry-606149

Things that list "fragrance" as an ingredient are the ones I avoid, when it comes to odor eliminators.

And yes! I too was going to add that antiperspirants/deodorants, laundry products and skincare and hair products can have very strong (and IMO yucky) smells, and some people may not realize they count as perfumes. Most men's "colognes" these days are really perfumes as well, but might not sell as well if they were labelled as such.

Oh my word! My husband just mentioned that when he took employees to lunch today, a female sat in the front seat. Oh how I hope she’s not a perfume wearer.

I hope you’re able to get it out.

I‘ve had success with Zero spray though I will be honest I’m not sure how safe it really is.

I think sunlight and fresh air is the ultimate scent remover. Too bad you can’t unhook the seatbelt and leave it outside.

Well, some perfume is alcohol based...but skin has oils. Or she might use fragrance oil rather than alcohol based perfume.

I would do a scrub with a dawn and water combo. You can make a foam and use that if you're particular and don't want to soak the seat belt.

You can buy covers for seat belts..

An update:

We weren’t able to switch cars so I only had the chance to use a Clorox wipe (no reduction in smell) and a vinegar soak (laughing to myself about craving a salad; it did help reduce the smell but not totally eliminate it). For the car trip, I wrapped and pinned a wash cloth around the stinky part of the seat belt and it worked fine in blocking the faint existing smell.

I hope any lingering odor will continue to fade BUT I just found out he’s taking her somewhere next week. Would it be out of line for me to email her and ask her not to wear any fragrance that day? How would you take it if you were asked that? Do you agree that the request should come from me, since it’s my issue?

No, your DH should tell his family member that you are sensitive to smells and since you sit in the passenger seat too, he would appreciate if SIL did not use any products. Can your DH smell it? He should tell her he does, even if he doesn't!

"Oh my word! My husband just mentioned that when he took employees to
lunch today, a female sat in the front seat. Oh how I hope she’s not a
perfume wearer."

I would buy one of those seat belt protectors (a cover for the belt that attaches with velcro) and keep it on the belt all the time. Perfumes will transfer to the cover rather than the belt and you can remove it to launder.