Interior smoke-smell. Help!

[KatieGirl]

I bought my car from a woman who smoked-yuck! I have tried deorderizers, shampoos, and hanging air fresheners but I'm never pleased with the smell. Needless to say I have learned my lesson. But in the mean time, what are some ways to permanently kill the smell?

Any help would be appreciated!

[blick05SS]

The only thing ive ever had luck with after a few treatments is febreeze but there is plenty of knowledgeable people on this site im sure many of them have dealt with this as well

[LFairbanks]

Not sure how any of this would work. But here it is.

 

Easy Ways to Get Rid of the Smell of Cigarette Smoke in a Car - Yahoo! Voices - voices.yahoo.com

 

How to Remove Cigarette Odors from a Car | eHow.com

 

Getting Cigarette Smoke Smell Out Of The Car

[mc2hill]

I have used an 'odor bomb' type product before, and the same company makes a product that eliminates the tobacco smoke odor.

Also here are a few threads on this subject:

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http://www.adamsforums.com/forums/interior-cleaning-detailing/18402.htm

http://www.adamsforums.com/forums/tips-tricks/12876.htm

http://www.adamsforums.com/forums/general-detailing-discussion-questions/14374.htm

[crowvet]

I agree with the Febreeze treatments.. I also have heard, (never tried) charcoal briquettes in open plastic bags under the seats. Or you could simply take up smoking:lol:

[Chris@Adams]

Does your car have a cabin filter? If so change it.

[RSCamaro]

Alas, I have dealt with this monster before...granted my smoke smell only came from a night out at the bar thus it wasn't too bad, but much research was done to try to combat the mighty odor!

 

Smoke smell has this oh so lovely tendancy to hide in every single spot know to man. A thorough cleaning of all upholstry (including the seatbelts!) don't forgot to clean the headliner, back of the seats, door pannels, dash, as far under the seats as you can reach, etc.

 

Replacing the cabin filter is a great suggestion. Also, I would try to clean out the air vents as best as possible.

 

Dylan once gave me an option of last resort, it's a little pricey but I'm sure it would get the job done...and that is to just use an ozone generator. From what I hear they can be found for rent which is the route I would go!

 

Hope something in there helps and I wish you the best of luck, smoke smell is a heinous beast!

[Dv3andrs]

The ozone thing works decent, we were looking at a used Honda van that was horrible, they ran the machine for a few hours and then we came back a few days later. The scent was mostly gone, but you can tell it would have been way better had they actually cleaned the whole thing as well. I think the advice of cleaning the interior, as in pull as much of it apart as you can and clean it all really well, and then you can try the charcoal thing, headliner and seat belts are going to be a big one. It's a hard battle though. Good luck!

[TK427]

As a guy that detail's at least two dirty action bought car's a day, and has dealt with this issue many times, this is my advice.

 

Every thing mention are good idea's but only cover up the problem.

 

Frebreeze never worked for us

Charcoal never worked for us

Ionic breeze was pretty close ( if left running in car over the whole weekend )

 

Renting a professional ozone machine from a detailer supply ware house for a day, was the best.

That's just my experience!!!

 

P.S. replace cabin filter, or if N/A their are companys that can clean out your air vents!

Edited October 7, 2012 by TK427

[dipolley]

All great advice. Here is how I go about it in my shop. It isn't about what is done but more about the order and how we go about doing it.

 

1) Remove the cabin air filter(s).

2) Clean all hard surfaces with Adam's Leather and Interior Cleaner (under the seats, under the dash, in the vents, everywhere).

3) Remove the seats from teh vehicle and clean undeneath with Adam's Leather and Interior Cleaner.

4) With a light mist, treat the carpet and seats with Adam's Carpet and Upholstry Cleaner in spray mode on the sprayer, agetate, and let set for 5 to 10 minutes.

5) Use an extractor with Adam's Carpet and Upholstry Cleaner added to the hot water and clean the carpets and seats. (do not us an extractor on the head liner)

6) Pull up the carpet up, where you can, and clean the underside and clean the floor pan with Adam's Leather and Interior Cleaner.

7) Treat the headliner with Adam's Carpet and Upholstry Cleaner as directed on the bottle.

8) When everything has dried, treat the interior with a an odor elimintaor designed to encapsulate odor molecules (something like Ozium). Spray the underside of the carpets, under the seats, the headliner, in the air vents, under the dash, EVERYWHERE. Be liberal.

9) Reinstall the seats following manufacturer recomendations for bolt torque specifications.

10) Start the vehicle, roll up the windows, turn on the A/C, and set to recirculate. Spray the odor eliminator liberally (you may want to use an odor "bomb") and let the car run for about 10 minutes with doors shut and you NOT in the car. This will allow the odor eliminator to get the smell out of the ventilation system.

11) Replace the cabin air filter with a new filter.

12) Treat the interior with Adam's Leather conditioner (you can use this on all hard interior panels, it is not just for leather).

13) Clean or replace your floor mats. Contact Adam's for Weathertech Floor Mats.

 

 

Hope this helps.

Edited October 7, 2012 by dipolley

[KatieGirl]

Thank you! Iv tried everything except an order bomb. And the floor mats have also been replaced. I'm just a clean freak. I'll try the two shop ideas thanks guys.

[LFairbanks]

If you bought this car I would say get rid of it....:lol:

 

http://www.adamsforums.com/forums/interior-cleaning-detailing/17805.htm

[rj's]

The ozone generator works pretty well, if you enjoy the lingering smell of ozone. Find a detailer in your area that is using the DrivePur system. It will eliminate the smoke odor and also sanitize the vehicle.

[Vink70]

This is what I used on my truck. Killed it first treatment, first time and never had an issue. I would recommend it to anyone else who is having a smoke smelling car. Took 30ish minutes and was phenomenal. Couldnt believe how well it worked.

 

[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Auto-Shocker-ClO2-interior-eliminator/dp/B001H8VLFC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1352956523&sr=8-1&keywords=auto+vaccine]Amazon.com: Auto Shocker ClO2 car interior odor eliminator: Automotive[/ame]

[rj's]

I have been using the DrivePur system for the last 6 months or so. Have eliminated dead mouse odors, vomit, etc., along with the smoke. It is sort of expensive to purchase the fogger and the chemicals, but it is a pretty good profit generating add-on service.

[rj's]

Should have looked at the other product before I posted. The chlorine dioxide products work well, but in the past there was an issue with them self-igniting and burning up the vehicle they were being used in. The formula was changed, and they seemed to not be as effective as before. That is when I went to the ozone generator, then to DrivePur.

[Team Adam's]

An ozone generator is THE ONLY way you will 100% rid a car of cigarette smoke smell.

 

Follow dipoleys process above, then finish by renting an ozone generator to finish it off. Anything short of that will just be a partial solution. The smell will continue to come back anytime the interior is warmed up or sealed for a bit.

[rj's]

From dipoley.......the ozone generator is NOT the only way to permanently get rid of smoke odor. The DrivePur treatment works just as well if not better than the ozone generator. The DrivePur treatment for extreme odor elimination can be completed in a couple of hours. You get finished and leave. The ozone generator can take 24 hours or longer. You have to go back and get your machine when it is finished. The ozone generator leaves a lingering odor that is offensive to a lot of people. The DrivePur does not. DrivePur works in high humidity; the ozone generator will not. I paid $600 for my ozone generator and $1200 for the DrivePur fogger and one gallon of each of the chemicals that are used. I charge $65 for the ozone treatment and I charge up to $175 for the DrivePur treatment. Both methods work very well.