TheMG
Premium Member
join:2007-09-04
Canada MikroTik RB450G
Cisco DPC3008
Cisco SPA112
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TheMG
Premium Member
2011-Oct-17 8:19 pm
Removing smoke smell from a carI bought a used car a little over a year ago, and needless to say, the dealership I bought it from did a good job of masking (temporarily) the smoke smell.
So now I have this lingering cigarette smoke smell that just doesn't seem to go away.
Some days I can't smell it at all, and other days it can get pretty smelly. I think it depends on the temperature and humidity.
Anyways, searching online I see A TON of different "remedies", but it's hard to sort out what methods work and what doesn't.
Does anyone know of a method that works, that doesn't involve selling the car or spending lots of money? |
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ke4pym
Premium Member
join:2004-07-24
Charlotte, NC |
ke4pym
Premium Member
2011-Oct-17 8:50 pm
I bought a truck many years ago that was a smoker's truck.
Lots of Fabreeze, vacuuming (seats, roof, floor), wiping down all plastic surfaces with a good cleaner and spraying Ozium into the cowling with the a/c set to non-max has worked wonders.
Took about 3 years for the smell to go completely away.
I'll never buy another car that a smoker owned. |
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 BKayrac
Premium Member
join:2001-09-29 |
to TheMG
dryer sheets, placed strategically throughout the car will help, they tend to start smelling themselves aswell, so just replace them when they do |
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 SteimesI make internets
Premium Member
join:2002-01-08
Belle Vernon, PA ·Verizon FiOS
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Steimes
Premium Member
2011-Oct-18 8:21 am
Clean it with fire. Seriously though, I recommend taking it to a detailer. As others have said it will cost a bit more, but they have to tools to get the job done. |
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 beck
MVM
join:2002-01-29
On The Road ·Sparklight
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to TheMG
Shampoo the carpets, seats and inside roof. Anything that is cloth and exposed. Use a good pet odor blocker shampoo. This is with a machine that extracts the stuff, not a spray on. Then wash all the plastic stuff. Use some good odor blocker spray and put the car into recirculate with the heater and air. Let it circulate for half an hour. |
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SteimesI make internets
Premium Member
join:2002-01-08
Belle Vernon, PA |
Steimes
Premium Member
2011-Oct-18 9:41 am
Also replace any cabin air filters. |
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to TheMG
All good advice here, but the trick is to REMOVE the seats from the vehicle, and THEN clean everything. We had a detailer in the last dealership I worked at that did this on every used car that came in, and I can tell you it makes a huge difference. There is plenty of carpet under those seats that soaks up every smell the rest of the car does, so you need to expose it and clean it. It really works.
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 Jim Gurd
Premium Member
join:2000-07-08
Livonia, MI |
to TheMG
Buy an activated charcoal air freshener. It's a cheap and effective solution. It may take a few weeks to notice, but it will work if left in place over time. Any auto parts store should sell them. » shop.innofresh.com/Autom ··· s_c4.htm |
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fixrmanFrom a broken heart to a hole in the sky
Premium Member
join:2003-02-10
Hatboro, PA ·Verizon FiOS
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to TheMG
You can thoroughly clean the interior, which includes shampooing the carpet, then place six containers of coffee in the car on a warm, sunny day. Use about a cup in each of six regular paper plates, spreading the coffee across the plate a bit. Leave one on each side of the front floor, one under each front seat and one each side in the rear floor pan. Leave the windows open about 1/8" and let the car sit that way for a day or so.
If you don't like the smell of coffee, I am out of advice. This one works. |
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TheMG
Premium Member
join:2007-09-04
Canada MikroTik RB450G
Cisco DPC3008
Cisco SPA112
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TheMG
Premium Member
2011-Oct-20 8:22 pm
Plastic surfaces already been cleaned, carpet and seats shampoo'd. I do this about twice a year (like to keep my car clean).
I have not removed the seats though. Don't know if I'll eventually get the time to do that. Maybe next summer if the smell still lingers.
As for the cabin air filter, I have replaced it.
First time I've heard someone mention coffee. Doesn't that just cover up the smell though, rather than actually neutralizing it?
I'll probably give all the other inexpensive tricks a try, such as the baking soda sprinkling, chemical smell remover, etc.
Don't know about the ozone machine though. I've heard it can be bad for some plastics and rubbers. Brittle plastic + cold winters do not mix. |
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to TheMG
To truly get rid of the smell, you'd need to clean every nooks -- not really a possibility unless you do a complete restoration, a full paint job, etc. I'd just use air fresheners, etc., to cover up the smell, and keep the air circulating as much as possible. Alternatively, there's this: » Man pressure washes his mercedez CLS 350 CDI though you probably want to put a dishwashing liquid or some other surfactant into the water.  |
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07599821 (banned)I think I'm gonna
join:2010-05-16 |
to Steimes
said by Steimes:Also replace any cabin air filters.
^^This. I bought a car and it was 2 years old. I think the original cabin air filter was what I pulled. Much like the OP the dealership did a great job of masking the odors for a while, then a horrible funk showed up. I did some research on the car and it was owned in cattle country, resulting in some pretty horrid odors until the filter was removed. If all else fails, just get those little air freshener clips that you put in the vents. Gnat_X |
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 M A R S
Premium Member
join:2001-06-15
Long Island |
to TheMG
At least you did not have my problem... » [Help] Got a new, well used car today and it Stinks of WEED!On second thought, i would rather deal with weed than cig smoke. |
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TheMG
Premium Member
join:2007-09-04
Canada MikroTik RB450G
Cisco DPC3008
Cisco SPA112
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TheMG
Premium Member
2011-Oct-23 7:30 pm
said by M A R S:On second thought, i would rather deal with weed than cig smoke.
I find weed smoke smell much less bothersome than cigarette smoke. I find old weed smoke actually has kind of a "sweet" smell, as opposed to old cigarette smoke which has a much harsher smell. I'm really beginning to like the coffee idea though. I like the smell of coffee. In fact, most people do like the smell of coffee, including many people who are intolerant of fragrance smells (ie: air fresheners). The cigarette odor isn't very strong so it wouldn't take much coffee smell to cover it up. |
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 BonezXBasement Dweller
Premium Member
join:2004-04-13
Canada |
BonezX
Premium Member
2011-Oct-23 8:57 pm
said by TheMG:said by M A R S:On second thought, i would rather deal with weed than cig smoke.
I find weed smoke smell much less bothersome than cigarette smoke. I find old weed smoke actually has kind of a "sweet" smell, as opposed to old cigarette smoke which has a much harsher smell. I'm really beginning to like the coffee idea though. I like the smell of coffee. In fact, most people do like the smell of coffee, including many people who are intolerant of fragrance smells (ie: air fresheners). The cigarette odor isn't very strong so it wouldn't take much coffee smell to cover it up. work as a cleaner at a hospital for a while, you will loathe the smell of coffee. |
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 darkwishFree Knight
Premium Member
join:2003-09-12
Fairfax, VA |
to TheMG
Rent an ozone generator, should clear out the smell. |
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anotherone to TheMG
Anon
2011-Nov-18 1:15 pm
to TheMG
in place of the coffee, you can also use vanilla extract in a butter dish with a few holes in the butter lid to keep the vanilla from sloshing out and leave the container under your seat until the smell is gone. When I cleaned cars at a dealership, we had one that the owners let their dogs live in the back seat and this worked after about 10 days sitting in the summer sun. |
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 OZZY7Born Again Atheist
Premium Member
join:2011-06-11 |
to TheMG
Well then... Just smoke a lot of weed in the car. [In your driveway of course.]  |
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tcope
Premium Member
join:2003-05-07
Sandy, UT |
to TheMG
I'd sprinkle baking soda over all of the fabric, let it sit overnight and then vacuum it out. As mentioned, clean all of the plastic very well. But you need to get the BS over all of the fabric which would mean removing the seats. Also, try rubbing some into the roof liner as this is where a lot of odor is going to be.
They do make commercial products that do a good job but you'd probably need to order these online. Call a small dealer in your area that buys cars at auction and ask what they use. |
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said by tcope:But you need to get the BS over all of the fabric which would mean removing the seats.
Do you have fond memories of a dairy farm or something? |
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