[Old Blue 66]

Anyone have a secret they would like to share? Ive tried spraying everything in the car with everything I can use including the headliner and nothing works.

Suggestions?

[John V.]

Never had to rid a car of cigarette smoke. You didn't say what kind of car.

But I would try putting my wife's Bissell Little Green Machine to work on it.

Should handle the carpets, probably pull the seats out and do them outside the car to gain more access to the floor.

I'd do the headliner with it also but be careful, make sure the headliner isn't gonna come unglued while water cleaning it.

Door panels, really anywhere I could gain access to., I would clean with a soapy solution.

Change the cabin filter for sure if it has one.

Use Invisible Glass (way better than Windex IMO) and clean the windows, surely has a smoke film clinging to them.

If you can get into the ducting, I'd use soap and water to scrub them up as much as I could. If I could disassemble them into pieces, might run them thru the dishwasher.

Might try this product, but I'd thoroughly clean beforehand to have best shot at success. Note, one guy said it ruined his leather interior so use with caution!

http://www.amazon.com/Dakota-Odor-Bo...ews/B001UOYNK8

[Deadhead]

If it was a HEAVY smoker Simple Green may be required. I washed a house I bought like that that had paneling. The buckets looked like they had pure nicotine in them, but the stuff cut it and removed it.

[Old Blue 66]

This is a 2006 Ford ranger I just bought as a work truck. It shows no signs of cigarette smoke. The lighter was never used nor was the ash tray. It was detailed before I got to it.

Ill see if theres a cabin filter. Didn't think of that. What can I do to the headliner and not ruin it?

[455Grandville]

Arm & Hammer Baking Soda.

They also have some small machine (cannot think of the name of it) that real estate people use to clear out stale smells and they have them for cars as well; they hang on the window like a drive thru speaker. Usually it's an overnight job.

Usually mobile guys that fix pre owned cars cosmetic issues for dealers have them.

[jmt455]

Use an ozone generator.

A friend of mine owns a high-end restoration shop.
They use their ozone generator for the worst odor issues (smoke damage, cigar and cigarette odors, mold, etc).

Check out professional contractors in your area or rent one. The rental units are generally not as powerful as the units used by the pros.

Follow all the safety instructions!
Ozone in elevated concentrations is dangerous.

[Redpiston]

I agree on the ozone generator. We would strip all the fire damage on a house and then bring in the machine. It was an amazing tool for us.

[Old Blue 66]

Ill look for a detailer with an ozone generator. I knew they could do it but I didn't know what machine. I just have to make sure they use one. Thanks

[salem1912]

Also spray some Lysol into the HVAC system while it's running. We do this on the routine a/c service.

[stevep]

I got a Camry for my son that smelled like a tobacco factory. I sprayed it with pine scented Ozium liberally 3 times a day and the smell was GONE!

I rescued a 55 DeSoto 2 years ago that animals had used as a rest room. It was so bad that you would gag if you stood near it and someone opened the door. I went on Amazon and bought a small ozone converter for $30.00. I plugged it in and ran an extension cord into it and left it running for some time. It cured the problem.

[Deadhead]

Ozium! Forgot about that stuff. Works great. Found in every Dr. office.

[nashcar]

I was told by a professional cleaner that the ozone generator will make plastic brittle. Something you may want to check into before using it.

[Tfisher15]

Chlorine Dioxide works. There are two solutions on the market. One is by Biocide Systems and the other Starbrite. You may have to use two treatments. The CLO2 actually destroys the odor causing molecules permanently and it is not bad for the environment like Ozone.

My wife started a company using a new proprietary formulation of CLO2 but the lab licensing the product backed out of the deal. She actually conducted tests with several used car dealers who said they would buy the product since it worked well. We tried it on a rental car and it worked to eliminate the smoke odor.

P.S. - I don't have interest in the two companies mentioned.

[mklinger]

+1 Ozone generator, it just plain works. You can rent them or build one pretty cheap. I had fabbed up a small one for clearing the smell out of some rental property. There are a few videos on YouTube for reference, search 'DIY Ozone Generator'

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by Deadhead

Ozium! Forgot about that stuff. Works great. Found in every Dr. office.

Ok, I'll give this a shot. It's cheap enough. Which product?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...um%2Caps%2C203

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by Tfisher15

Chlorine Dioxide works. There are two solutions on the market. One is by Biocide Systems and the other Starbrite. You may have to use two treatments. The CLO2 actually destroys the odor causing molecules permanently and it is not bad for the environment like Ozone.

My wife started a company using a new proprietary formulation of CLO2 but the lab licensing the product backed out of the deal. She actually conducted tests with several used car dealers who said they would buy the product since it worked well. We tried it on a rental car and it worked to eliminate the smoke odor.

P.S. - I don't have interest in the two companies mentioned.

Is the stuff your wife developed for sale?

[Deadhead]

Originally Posted by Old Blue 66

Ok, I'll give this a shot. It's cheap enough. Which product?

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...um%2Caps%2C203

Use the tall aerosol. It goes a pretty long way. Do not get vanilla. It is worse than the cigs. Try the original.

[Old Blue 66]

Originally Posted by Deadhead

Use the tall aerosol. It goes a pretty long way. Do not get vanilla. It is worse than the cigs. Try the original.

I ordered it. Thanks.

[Tfisher15]

No, sorry. When the lab canceled the license they could not sell any more.

[rexs73gto]

The best we found to use that was cheap ,, because the dealer I worked for was a cheap ass, we used bleach in water about 25/75 with a little bit of car soap , warm water, & wash good. That usually got it out to. The bleach will smell for a little while but will be gone in a day or so. Just leave the windows down. Also get rid of the cabin filter in the truck & replace it with a new one , spray it with fabreeze before you put it back in.