Remove Cigarette Smell From Car

[John Keiser]

Bought a used car and now the wife notices a smoke smell.

Any suggestions on best products/method for removing the smoke smell?

Thanks..

-- Remove -NOSPAM- to contact me.

[Phisherman]

Run an ozone machine in the car for 24 hours.

[mark Ransley]

Take up smoking, or 10 lb of fish in the trunk for a week will help.

[jim]

how about a carpet steam cleaner.. also do the side and door linings.. you might also do the carpet in the trunk and the headlining..... i smoke in my car and the trunk really has a nicotine odor and i never smile in the trunk.......

[Joe]

I was told by an auto dealer to put rotten apples in a car for a few days and it would remove foul odors. He said they use them when a dead body had been in a car, and it works. I am not kidding or trying to pull one over on you. Try it! Report back to this group and tell if it worked for you.

[jmagerl]

Febreeze? If not, an auto parts store has spray on odor removers. When someone threw up in my car (talk about smell) I took it to an auto detailer for an inside cleaning. They took it right out. $25 from a turtlewax car wash center

[SteveB]

Febreeze is available at most markets. Works pretty good, but has a lingering odor that will dissipate and then disappear in a few days. Probably cheaper than renting an ozone generator. Unless you HAVE an ozone generator.

Steve

[mcameron]

put a tray of kitty litter under one of the seats

under the other seat put a tray of coffee, dry and fresh

also you might sprinkle a bunch over the carpets and leave the car shut up for a day or at least overnight

leave the trays under the seats for a few days

works

or go to a hotel/motel/restaurant supply store they sell a product that they use to remove the smoke smell from non-smoking rooms

[Stormin Mormonn]

1. Ozium. Sold at auto parts stores.

1. Clean all smooth surfaces with glass cleaner or Simple Green, and lots of paper towels.

2. Shampoo any fabric upholstery.

1. Don't ever, ever, take up smoking.

[Randy Calhoun]

Open the windows. Drive 70-80 mph down the freeway. Run into a wall at full speed. This isn't a home repair topic stupid.

[Terry]

Randy Calhoun wrote: "..... isn't a home repair topic ... "

OK. But it is typical type of question that practical minded, home repairing/family car owning style folks like to get advice about. Thanks to all who posted ideas. As usual I learnt some new ideas; rather than shutting my mind and calling someone names! Terry. PS. Picked up someone walking home from work today, as a favour. First thing he did when he got in was pull out a pack of cigarettes. Neither my son (24) or myself (70) or anyone else in our immediate family smoke. Told him to put them away until I dropped him off some ten minutes later!

[me]

Yup, just buy some cigarettes and start smoking. You wont smell it after that.

[Phisherman]

I passed up a house that I really wanted to buy due to the cigarette smell. I have heard about all kinds of cleaning methods, many do not work at all. Open windows and the sun are good for starters.

[Jimmy]

1. Clean the carpets with a steam cleaner.

Modify #2 to something meant for auto interior use and use lots of it. Simple green is OK but has a smell of its own. Get into every crack and crevice you can find, including up under the dash, under the seats, etc. Get some commercial A/C cleaner and use that too in all the vents and in the coil if you know how to get there.

Repeat step one every week for at least a year. Wait three weeks, do the whole cleaning cycle again, wait three weeks, do it again. Leave the windows open as much as possible. Do it again in six months.

[EL]

Febreeze, if applied to surfaces may be acceptable. I consider it to be a dangerous material to spray into the air where contaminants exist though if inhaled.

Boden

jmagerl wrote:

[Frogleg]

Not true. I quit smoking in *my* car because I couldn't stand the smell. There may be residual odor now that I'm insensitive to, but after a period of no new smoke and frequent open windows, I don't notice anything offensive. I also cleaned the plastic and glass areas, scrubbed the ashtray and put baking soda in it.

No-smoking time will probably get rid of the odor, but many tend to be 'princess & the pea' about cigarette smoke, so maybe a professional cleaning will satisfy the sensitive nose.

[Chemqueries]

What are the chemicals in Febreeze? Is it toxic? Is it a spray?

[Dave Allyn]

a used car salesman i know suggested a small container of coffee grounds under the driver's seat, and a couple of dryer sheets (like for static/smell) under the passenger seat. leave under for about a week and *almost all* of the smell will be gone. they do this with all cars that come in that have been smoked in and say it works wonders.

My wife keeps dryer sheets in the car (one in each door, and one in the trunk) just to freshen up things a bit....

email: dallyn_spam at yahoo dot com please respond in this NG so others can share your wisdom as well!

[F.H.]

Sensitivities vary don't they? If I bought a car formerly owned by you I would be posting a question about how to get rid of this sickening perfume smell.

Frank

[Terry Siegersma]