Smoke odor in car

[AlDente67 563]

As a former smoker, I am now noticing the smells I missed for the last 25 years.  What is the best way to deodorize the inside of a newish vehicle?  I would imagine the detail shops have their tricks, but I want to save costs and treat itt myself.

[Krdshrk 3,877]

Febreeze the s**t out of everything?

 

Getting rid of the smell can take months. The fastest way to get rid of it, is to replace it completely.

 

Have the car professionally detailed to start.  The Minute details of the cleaning are key - you need to hit EVERYTHING.

 

Keep some baking soda in the car and an air freshener. Spray the seats down with Febreeze every couple of days. If your seats are cloth, you're in for a much more difficult struggle.

 

Cleaning every nook and cranny is essential.  If you can wash the floor mats with Downy do so.

 

The problem is mostly going to be the foam cushioning in the seats. Your going to have to work on those for weeks and weeks.

[T Bill 649]

Dakota Odor Bomb

[gun nut 35]

(DampRid) i use this in my safe creates fresher cleaner air moisture absorber you can buy it at shoprite.

[NickySantoro 211]

I bought a used car that had been parked in a very damp, partially below grade garage for over 20 years. The musty smell was very noticeable. Wiped down all the non-porous surfaces with ArmorAll then sprinkled baking soda all over the seats and carpet. Rubbed it in with a brush and let it sit overnight. Vacuumed it the next day. Big improvement, but it took driving with windows open as much as possible and a few more vacuumings to really clear it out.

[oneshot 45]

I quit smoking myself . I dont think that you can ever  get rid of that smell completely.  I dont mind the smell of a cig burning but i do dislike the smell

of smoke on people.. i finally realize what all the fuss was about..

[bhunted 887]

A good protein fart injected directly into the cushions will over ride any smells. [emoji12]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mrs. Peel 7,157]

Ditto on the thorough cleaning (particularly around/behind the ash trays) and the baking soda. You can even just set out a container of baking soda on a floor mat to help absorb orders.

 

Another tip: you don't need chemicals... the heck with Febreeze. Nothing freshens like fresh air itself. Assuming you have a safe place to park the car outside, on the first DRY, WINDY day, just roll down the windows and open the doors and leave it for several hours. Mother Nature will do her thing. Repeat several times if you need to. (It's the equivalent of hanging your smoky coat outside after a night out clubbing). 

 

Personally, I think my idea is superior to the one immediately above. But, admittedly, I don't always appreciate the finer points of male humor.

[silverado427 10,708]

try a ozone machine.

[Brownie^HP 6]

 Also if the car has a cabin air filter. Try one with activated charcoal and set your ventilation switch to recirculate if you can when driving. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/ATP-RA-31-Carbon-Activated-Premium/dp/B004A6JA2O#Ask

[1LtCAP 4,262]

i bought my expedition from a chain-smoker. it was pretty disgusting, even though i could tell the guy made efforts to keep it clean.

 

 i spent a good 6 to 8 hours cleaning it. everything. scrubbing anything plastic. getting inside the vents. underneath the dash. scrubbing/vacumming the carpets. glass. removed ash trays and cleaned in there. pretty much everywhere you can. then sprayed hvac deoderizer into the hvac intake outside the vehicle while the fans were on high.

[Newtonian 453]

 But, admittedly, I don't always appreciate the finer points of male humor.

Gracious no!!

[tattooo 220]

Detail shops use ozone machines, same as hotels use. Not sure if you can rent one but there is nothing better to kill not mask odors.

[Malsua 1,422]

try a ozone machine.

 

This is your answer.   Cleaning will help but this will finish the job.

[gleninjersey 2,141]

Go on YouTube. Someone out there has done it before and shared how they accomplished the task.

 

Short of that, go to auto parts store. Ask them what cleaners to use for materials in your vehicle (cloth, leather, carpets, etc). Clean it vigorously. Open windows and doors to air out. Spray with Febreeze or sprinkle with baking powder and vaccum. Repeat if necessary.

 

I would check YouTube first. Sure you'll find several ideas on there. Good luck. Please share your methodology and if it worked satisfactorily.

[Zeke 5,504]

Open container of coffee grinds.

I prolly wouldn't use it after, for brewing.

[Fred2 367]

Sell it.

 

The stuff permeates into the fabric of the car, and if you have a nose like a bloodhound, it will never be gone.

[siderman 1,137]

[Smokin .50 1,907]

WARNING FOR MRS. PEEL:  Male adolescent humor ahead, lol!

 

Best thing to do is come go for a nice, long ride in my jalopy w/ 186K miles of cigar smoke embedded into it.  Then go drive your "new-ish car" and breathe DEEP!  I guarantee you'll outright ENJOY your cars "almost new smell", lol! 

 

-----OR-----

 

Get a coupla boxes of Irish Spring soap and cut several slits into each box.  Throw 2-3 "sliced" boxes under the front seats.  Do this after shampooing seats & carpet.  Ride with air flow throughout vehicle and let soap boxes do their thing.  Get up on yer Soap Box and scream to the world that you're an Irishman and ya can PROVE IT!  (taught to me by a 78 yr old Sicilian!)

[Zeke 5,504]

This! And model glue. Good memories.

[AlexTheSane 236]

I like Ozium.

[Darrenf 422]

You can get a real ozone generator for a little over $100. Be careful using it, that stuff can mess you up.

[fishnut 2,358]

Wrap a dead fish in plastic wrap and place it under the driver seat and never roll the windows down..........lol no really if you can't get the smell out with deep cleaning and the smell bothers you that much replace the headliner. I've taken the heaviness out of smokers cars before and you can see the brown stains on the back side of the really bad ones. Replace it with a new one and you get rid of the bad smell and replaced it with the new car smell.

[Displaced Texan 11,737]

Lol@ dead fish.

 

We threw minnows down the car hvac vents of a guy we hated in high school. I don't think he ever figured out where that smell came from.

[raz-0 1,259]

Your car stinks of smoke because you have the remnants of smoking in it. This pretty much applies to any stink, not just cigarettes. The only real fix is to get rid of the thing that stinks or to wait for it to cease being stinky. 

 

1) Get a good glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth designed for cleaning glass. This will help with getting the tar off the windows, especially if you put osme muscle into it. 

2) Get a good vinyl/interior cleaner and a microfiber cloth designed for cleaning glass. This will help with getting the tar off the other surfaces. 

3) Vacuum out the car. Hit every nook and cranny. Hit up youtube and see if removing the vent inserts in your vehicle is easy. If so pop them out and vac in there too. If not, you may want to build your own attachment using some of the pipeline sized straws you can get at McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, etc. This gets rid of the ash and other dry particulates of smoking. 

4) Get a "dry" carpet/upholstery shampoo. The brand I went with last time I did this isn't around anymore, but hit up your favorite search engines and see what's for sale. As always, test on inconspicuous areas first. The carpet will be fine, but upholstery isn't carpet and YMMV. Use it as directed and vacuum out. The goal of this is to get the stickier bits of tobacco smoking (i.e. tar) out of the upholstery and stuck to the crap you vacuum up. 

5) If you have a cabin air filter, REPLACE IT. It's full of that nasty shit. If your setup gives you access to more of the duct work, vac it or scrub it, pretty much anything you can do to clean stuff in there is a plus. If you are feeling bold, or you just know how to do it and it isn't hard, You can pull the fan for some decent access to the HVAC system in a lot of cars. 

6) HEAT. This is less smoking specific, but more of a general de-funking thing. Lots of stinky things break down with heat. Take advantage of summer park that sucker in direct sunlight and bake the shit out of it. Even better, leave it running for a bit with the heater on if you can to make it worse. 

7) Commence with re-stinking the vehicle. I've had good luck with leave in carpet deodorizers. I personally like the carpet fresh no vac foam called "super pet". It's a pretty amenable "clean" smell.  I've even used it in the vents. I've also used the febreze "new car" scented stuff. Which works too, but I suspect that shit impairs your sense of smell rather than magically making odors go poof and too much can give me headaches. 

[fishnut 2,358]

+1 for replacing the cabin air vent

[Purple Patrick 638]

Wrap a dead fish in plastic wrap and place it under the driver seat and never roll the windows down..........lol no really if you can't get the smell out with deep cleaning and the smell bothers you that much replace the headliner. I've taken the heaviness out of smokers cars before and you can see the brown stains on the back side of the really bad ones. Replace it with a new one and you get rid of the bad smell and replaced it with the new car smell.

the house across the street from me was abandoned and so i decided to walk over and see if i could get in, it was unlocked. whole house was stripped except a chest freezer in the basement FULL OF FUCKING ROTTING NASTY ASS CLAMS. i ran out of there so fast. worst. smell. ever. 

[Persona non grata 113]

A combination of almost every suggestion is what I did on my previous car. I bought it used and thought the smell wouldn't be so bad...lol.

First, replace your cabin air filter. Next, clean ALL plastic/vinyl/rubber/leather surfaces with something that can remove the tar. If it feels sticky, you need to clean the crap out of it. Then, use a TON of Febreze (they make one specific for car upholstery). Finally, leave your windows open on nice days, and drive with the windows down as much as possible.

One more suggestion. Once you get your car smelling right, make sure that anyone who might even think of smoking in your car knows what you're capable of. 

[areacode201 4]

Try Vamoose spray.

 

http://www.vamooseproducts.com/

 

I can personally attest that it works.  I have recommended it to others who have also had success using it to get the smoke smell out of their vehicles.  I recommend spraying the inside of your car heavily when you know you can avoid driving the car for a day or two.  Vamoose initially smells like a weird mixture between vinegar and Febreeze when you first spray it, but after a few days it goes away along with the smoke smell.  The smell is strong at first which is why I advise using it when you aren't going to be using the car and can let it sit.  Good luck!

[mustang69 505]

When you clean the interior be sure to also do the headliner. Amazing how many times that gets missed.