After driving about for about 20 minutes on a 90 degree day with the
AC on about half-max, I started hearing a hissing noise in my '97
Honda CRV and a smell I can only describe as smelling like house/
carpet cleaner: it's a sweet smell but not blatantly noxious like
radiator fluid. Neither the hissing nor the smell could be detected
from outside looking under the hood. The hissing noise is loudest near
the pedals (or under the dashboard on the driver's side). Both the
hissing and smell decreased with time (in minutes) after I turned the
car off.

Any idea what the problem could be?

I apologize in advance if this is an inappropriate question for this
forum. I couldn't find any similar issue at other forums or websites.

Thanks for you time and help,
Hos