I inherited an excellent condition 1993 Camry XLE w/ leather seats. Car has only 103K and the interior is in mint condition.... with one problem. I cant get rid of this 'off' smell that I'm 95% sure is coming from ALL of the seats. Its not a smell like sour milk and is maybe similar to body odor, but not really. I've tried numerous odor-removing sprays including those intended for pet smells and totally soaked all fabrics and accessible foam. The smell always returns. If I leave the car in the sun and lower the windows, you can smell it by walking past the car. I have tried numerous creams on the leather - no change. This weekend in desperation, I started in the trunk and removed all trim up to and including the rear seats. The trunk has the off smell and I cleaned the mat with a rug cleaner (like new!) and sprayed all of the trunk trim (front and back) with a pet spray intended for organic smells. Smelled great for a day - and I was hopeful - now its coming back. I removed the rear seat bottom and was trying to tell whether it was the leather or the foam by smelling both .... I think its the foam though there is no visible mold/mildew/degradation.

I have also tried leaving a dehumidifier in the car overnight to remove all moisture. I have left a tray of baking soda under a seat for a month. Fabreze is the only thing that kind of helps, but you get sick of its fragrance after a while.

I am completely stumped and frustrated because everything else about this car is mint and my wife wants to get rid of it because of this problem. Has anyone had this odor problem??? Please help!!

 

When you turn on the HVAC blower, does the fresh air diminish the odor? Sometimes the vents and ducts and build up some nasty stuff and stink.
Carpet padding might also have gotten saturated at one point, window left down during rain, spilled drink, etc. If that's the case then stuff will grow and fester down there.
My AC drain hose got stuffed back inside the car and I had water issues bad. I spent a lot of time drying stuff out and I got lucky.

 

The A/C smell is separate problem which I hope to solve with Lysol spray. When the A/C turns on, there is that funky smell for awhile and then subsides. Also blasting the heat through the vents clears it out.

I've had my nose to the carpet and I don't believe that is the problem - it doesn't seem to be the source or it would have been more obvious. I have extensively cleaned the carpet (with a carpet machine) and dried it - but did not look underneath. I did remove the rear seat bottom and put my nose to it and from the back, the foam has that smell. I don't know if the foam is the source or it just absorbed odor from elsewhere, however, there is more seat foam in the car than any other material. You can literally smell it when walking up to the car when the windows are down. If you sit in the car for long enough, your clothes will smell like it.

I think I will try a test and remove the rear seat and put it in a room in my house and see if the smell follows.

A lot of people on here have 1993-ish Camrys so I was hoping that someone might have encountered this also. This is really bumming me out.

 

All seats can removed in an 1 hour. Suggest removing all seats and determine if the car smell goes with them. When the seats are out, check under them for mold, mildew, dead critters, etc.

If it is the seats, the cushioning might be able to be replaced, dealing with the leather may be another issue. Leather can start to break down and smell.

Car odors are common and extend beyond Camry. A consult with a car detailer whom while have encountered this issue before may help.

Others including Camry owners have encountered this for leather seats. The fix (if possible) depends on what the problem is, seat or cushion.

It could the car sat too long and mice, mold and mildew were allowed to roam. This can leave a bad smell the sticks to your cloths.

 

I also think you should do the Lysol thing, it cant hurt. Who knows, maybe that is the root of the smell and it has infected everything else.