[E92_335]

hey guys,

so I thought a couple people on here might know the answer to this question. my friend bought a used car recently and the previous owner smoked cigarettes but my friend doesn't and I was wondering if you guys have any tips for getting rid of the smell in the car.

thanks!

[jayely1]

I honestly don't think its possible?? But here..
http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/un...mell-in-a-car/

[E92_335]

Originally Posted by jayely1

I honestly don't think its possible?? But here..
http://www.howtogetridofstuff.com/un...mell-in-a-car/

yeah i saw that article but wanted to get the forum's input on what has worked for different people and if they recommend anything else. thank you though!

[bmwfan75]

You need to ozone your car using an ozone generator like what Delta Sonic provides. See their list of services here, http://deltasoniccarwash.com/detailshop/index.htm . Scroll to the bottom and you'll see ozone treatment as part of the deluxe service. But you can get just the ozone treatment itself. I don't remember how much it was, I believe it was $69. I experienced the same thing. When I purchased my 2006 in the middle of the winter, the smell wasn't there until the day I picked it up. I turned on the heat and all the cigarette smell came out! You need to do it like 3 or 4 times until all smell is gone. The first time I got it done, I thought all smell was gone, but it came back shortly after. So I went back, complained and got 2 more treatments for free. Eventually all cigarette smells dissipated. Make sure they turn on all the vents at full blast while the ozone generator is running.

[folgrz]

found this somewhere online

1. Shampoo the car's interior, including carpets, upholstery and floor mats with an odor eliminating shampoo, available at hardware or home improvement stores.
2. Clean all washable interior surfaces with the same shampoo. Put a small amount directly on a damp sponge, work in and wipe down.
3. Clean all the windows inside with a glass cleaner. Repeat if necessary.
4. Sprinkle baking soda on dry carpet, working it in with your hands. Wait a week and then vacuum.
5. Clean leather upholstery with a commercial leather cleaner/deodorizer, available at your dealership or at home improvement stores.
6. Vacuum ashtrays to remove residual ash. Place a small amount of baking soda or kitty litter into the ashtrays to absorb odors.

Overall Tips:
To freshen the car, keep dryer sheets under the seats, or place a little activated charcoal in a no-spill container (such as a jar with small air holes in the top) and place in car.
Whenever possible, keep windows open when smoking in a car.
You may need to replace the car's headliner (or "ceiling") if you can't remove the smoke odor from it.

Overall Warnings:
Cigarette smoke can be extremely difficult to remove. If you are unsuccessful, consider taking the car to a professional detailer.
Air fresheners may disguise the smell of smoke but they won't remove it.

[RUS0628]

Have the windows rolled down a little over night. Spray some Armani blackcode.

[shoes]

My girlfriends car was previously owned by a smoker.
She got the smell out by Febreze-ing all the non-leather surfaces every time she got in the car and always driving with the windows down. At first it just kind of masked the smell, but over time the smoke smell dissipated and is now completely gone.

Probably not the most effective way but it did work.

The headliner typically holds most of the smell so concentrate on that.

[bmwfan75]

Febreezing, putting coffee or baking soda in the car, rolling down the windows over night. None of those work fast. I tried it all. Wiping all hard surfaces of the interior does help. I wiped down all leather seats also with leather conditioner. Don't forget places like the arm rest. But that ozone treatment will help the most because it gets inside the vents and areas where you can't wipe.

damn the smokers.

[sneaks]

The headliner is probably the biggest culprit. Its a big sponge and is delicate, so you cant really reef on it to clean it.
Also, the dealer can deodorize the hvac system for about $100 which can help eliminate the blast of old smoke smell in your face.

[tony20009]

I am a smoker and I only smoke in the car with the drivers window halfway down and the ventilation system completely off, which creates a suction to pull the smoke and the ashes out of the car. I never smoke in it just before getting out and closing up the car. Religiously adhering to these practices has so far kept the smell from getting in the car to begin with. Even when the a/c is on, I don't use the recirculating air feature.

I will off that one day, a passenger did light up before I turned off the ventilation and the smell did get in. It took about two months of just adhering to the practices noted above to get the smell to go away. Time does heal all wounds.

[EDM92]

Time and patience...good luck with that lol.

[bob.g]

yeah an ozone machine is the way to go. plus all the obvious stuff (shampooing carpets, wiping down surfaces/seats, cleaning the headliner)

[BMWinNorthdakota]

It will always linger... Youll get used to it after a while, but It wont ever fully dissipate IMO.

Love the smokers that say it goes away... they live in the shit smell, do you think they would know the difference? I have a really sensitive nose.. plenty of people have claimed that their car doesnt/no longer smells of smoke when it clearly does..

[snowboarder21]

get a new cabin air filter and use febreze

[tony20009]

Originally Posted by BMWinNorthdakota

... they live in the shit smell...

Excuse me!!! I don't even smoke inside my own house; my dry cleaning bills would be astronomical if I did.

[BayMoWe335]

LOL at smokers saying they mitigate smoking smell by doing a few things like rolling down the windows.

IT STILL SMELLS and ANY non-smoker will smell it.

Way to ruin a $50,000 car.

[blacknbean]

i bought a smoker car before..its took lots of fabreeze and 6mo later it was *almost* gone lol...mostly just takes time

[ABSAUTOBODY]

pour baking soda in a HUGEST BUCKET YOU CAN GET YOUR HANDS ON then PUT IT IN YOUR CAR FOR A WHOLE WEEK IT WILL BE GONE GUARANTEED

[E92_335]

Originally Posted by BayMoWe335

LOL at smokers saying they mitigate smoking smell by doing a few things like rolling down the windows.

IT STILL SMELLS and ANY non-smoker will smell it.

Way to ruin a $50,000 car.

I couldn't agree more with you. Cigarette smokers in general

[E92_335]

Originally Posted by blacknbean

i bought a smoker car before..its took lots of fabreeze and 6mo later it was *almost* gone lol...mostly just takes time

it sucks =/ he had no idea it was a smokers car either until he had already bought it. so lame

[E92_335]

Originally Posted by bmwfan75

You need to ozone your car using an ozone generator like what Delta Sonic provides. See their list of services here, http://deltasoniccarwash.com/detailshop/index.htm . Scroll to the bottom and you'll see ozone treatment as part of the deluxe service. But you can get just the ozone treatment itself. I don't remember how much it was, I believe it was $69. I experienced the same thing. When I purchased my 2006 in the middle of the winter, the smell wasn't there until the day I picked it up. I turned on the heat and all the cigarette smell came out! You need to do it like 3 or 4 times until all smell is gone. The first time I got it done, I thought all smell was gone, but it came back shortly after. So I went back, complained and got 2 more treatments for free. Eventually all cigarette smells dissipated. Make sure they turn on all the vents at full blast while the ozone generator is running.

Originally Posted by folgrz

found this somewhere online

1. Shampoo the car's interior, including carpets, upholstery and floor mats with an odor eliminating shampoo, available at hardware or home improvement stores.
2. Clean all washable interior surfaces with the same shampoo. Put a small amount directly on a damp sponge, work in and wipe down.
3. Clean all the windows inside with a glass cleaner. Repeat if necessary.
4. Sprinkle baking soda on dry carpet, working it in with your hands. Wait a week and then vacuum.
5. Clean leather upholstery with a commercial leather cleaner/deodorizer, available at your dealership or at home improvement stores.
6. Vacuum ashtrays to remove residual ash. Place a small amount of baking soda or kitty litter into the ashtrays to absorb odors.

Overall Tips:
To freshen the car, keep dryer sheets under the seats, or place a little activated charcoal in a no-spill container (such as a jar with small air holes in the top) and place in car.
Whenever possible, keep windows open when smoking in a car.
You may need to replace the car's headliner (or "ceiling") if you can't remove the smoke odor from it.

Overall Warnings:
Cigarette smoke can be extremely difficult to remove. If you are unsuccessful, consider taking the car to a professional detailer.
Air fresheners may disguise the smell of smoke but they won't remove it.

Thank you SO much! We are taking the car tomorrow to get it fully detailed.

[khalid215]

go about a buck135 with all the windows open including the sunroof. oh and use febreez on the carpets. worked for me and havnt smoked in my lady since. it took about 5-6 tries of me doing that but trust me it worked. i hate the smell of cigs in a car.