Getting Smoke Smells out of Vehicles

[Beeman99]

I've got about 12 vehicles on the farm and my parents smoke, and some of my crew smoke, and I'm sick of hoping in those vehicles and getting a headache from the smell in them. I've tried Febreeze, leaving the windows open outside for weeks, etc, and nothings worked to get rid of it. Other than selling the vehicles and buying new ones, how the fuck do I get the smell out??

[B54]

I haven't tried this with smoke, but I have had people vomit in my car. Put a bowl of white vinegar in the car and leave it over night. It got completely rid of it. It should work with cigarette smoke. I have heard it can get rid of most odors.

However, it was kind of a bad idea to spray Febreeze. You only added more chemicals into the air of the car. And since the air in a car circulates, it just adds to the problem.

[PCLoadLetter]

Febreze has always worked fine for me. Do they smoke with the windows closed?

[Beeman99]

Febreze has always worked fine for me. Do they smoke with the windows closed?

Unfortunetly they do. In my personal vehicles I don't let anybody smoke, but the company vehicles and their two two cars they do. When you have a fleet like this, it gets to be a problem.

http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/1875/dscn0901vr2.jpg

I will try the vinegar trick, the febreeze I'm trying not too use anymore as they are saying the chemicals in it are horrible

[PCLoadLetter]

Well the Febreze thing has worked fine in every vehicle I have tried it in, but none of them were smoked in with the windows closed. That seems to be the death knell for smoke smell... Well, that and anyone who is foolish enough to use the "recirc" function on their car while smoking, especially when the A/C is on. That odor gets into the A/C system and NEVER gets out.

Now... Which horrible chemicals is Febreze being accused of assaulting us with?

[PCLoadLetter]

I tried the white vinegar route once in an airplane that had been vomited in... And it was no more effective than the commercial service we used to get rid of the smell. Not saying it's not effective under other circumstances, but it didn't work in a velour interior in a small (4-seat) plane. After two cleanings, a shot of Febreze and then the vinegar thing, the smell in there STILL made me retch. *bleah*

[novalia]

i once had a valet park my car.. i got it back and it smelled awful.. i had it professionally cleaned two times but the smell wouldnt go away.. the smell even followed me around.. and this girl i knew who rode with me in the car.. well her hair smelled like the car.. it was crazy.. i ended up handing the keys to some thug in the street.. i swear it could have been a seinfeld episode.

[PCLoadLetter]

It sure SOUNDS like a Seinfeld episode!

[Hudson]

Try some powder baking soda sprinkled all over, left overnight with some of those dryer fabric softener sheets....then vacuum it up..worked great after I inherited my grandad's car which he had for 15 + years and smoked like a chimney in.

[bobimpact]

I've done the White Vinegar trick and it worked well.

[NJisSexiest]

this thread has perfect timing.

earlier today i was thinking the same question.

i need to get the smoke smell out of my car due to the fact i will be driving with my father from vancouver, canada to the jersey shore in less then one month and like the crazy teen i am, my parent do not know i smoke. and since he doesnt smoke he will pick up very quickly the scent in my car.

all the ideas were very helpful to me as well.

thank you

[Rob]

why bother if they are still going to smoke in the vehicles?

[DonTheTrucker]

Kill everyone who smokes.

[Myhairygrundle]

Any spray with ozone in it. Seriously, I deal with smoke damage to houses all the time at work and it will get the smell out. It might take a few treatments, but will work.. Good luck bro.

http://www.janilink.com/catalognew/product_info.php?products_id=237

http://www.janilink.com/catalognew/product_info.php?products_id=1392




..

[Beeman99]

why bother if they are still going to smoke in the vehicles?


Most of the trucks are only smoke in for 3 months of the year at most, and I have to take the one truck on a trip next month and the last thing I want to smell is that shit all the way

[THE FEZ MAN]

if you can stand it just try to cover it up with some "pine" trees of your choice for a short term remedy. the smell will stay in the head liner and the AC evap for ever unless you completely remove them. if the truck has vinal seats and a mat a good scrubbing with Spray 9 on all the hard surfaces will get the "tar" off of them. if you have rugs and cloth seats mix coffie grounds and bakeing soda and sprinkle it on the seats and rugs. let it sit for a few days and vac it out. your realy fucked. that smell never comes out. the only thing worse it death. another choice is the Ozone spray bombs that you can buy from a Professial cleaning supply house or some stuff called natures miracle that kind of works but i think your fucked. on a nice hot 100% humity day your still going to smell it comeing out of the AC

[kid afrika]

I may be crazy, but how about cleaning the interiors?

Smoke sticks to everything, not just fabric. Clean every surface thoroughly with a good cleaner and then let the vehicle air out for as long as you can.

I would use febreeze on the fabric, but then I don't buy into the whole chemicals in febreeze story.

[targetpractice]

put coffee grounds(fresh) under the front seats for a while(couple weeks)

[Turtle]

Wash the tires with baby oil.

[Ballbuster1]

I may be crazy, but how about cleaning the interiors?

Smoke sticks to everything, not just fabric. Clean every surface thoroughly with a good cleaner and then let the vehicle air out for as long as you can.

I would use febreeze on the fabric, but then I don't buy into the whole chemicals in febreeze story.
Febreeze does work well with the fabrics, but as you said, every
surface needs cleaning. Windex the glass and Armorall on the plastic
parts. A total cleaning and airing out should kill the smell.
A nice spray-on air freshener when the job is done won't hurt either.

[DonTheTrucker]

Get new seats?

[GLENN_THE_TOOL]

i once had a valet park my car.. i got it back and it smelled awful.. i had it professionally cleaned two times but the smell wouldnt go away.. the smell even followed me around.. and this girl i knew who rode with me in the car.. well her hair smelled like the car.. it was crazy.. i ended up handing the keys to some thug in the street.. i swear it could have been a seinfeld episode.

http://www.preshing.com/kramer/parents.jpg

"That's gold, Jerry. Gold!"

[WhiteHonkyDevil]

One of my exes is a dry-cleaner, and she hooked me up with some shit that was called "Exit"..some weird industrial dry-cleaning strength odor killer.

I'm sure that was just a crappy brand name, but it worked wonders. Call a dry-cleaner and see what they use.

We managed to clear the downstairs of my house out with less than a quarter can, after two months of some serious chain smoking.

[SteveSteele]

You have to clean the entire interior to get rid of the smoke smell. Start off with baking soda the night before. Sprinkle some on the carpets and the seats (cloth only leather is different) and leave the rest of the box wide open in the vehicle overnight. Clean the interior glass, preferably with a glass cleaner that contains ammonia. After you think the glass is clean, clean it again. Clean dash and other interior surfaces with some sort of citrus degreaser. Like with the glass, clean again. Armour All (or comperable) the dash to protect it. Vacuum the entire interior. If there is a leather interior, clean the leather with a good saddle soap. Finally, run the car with the air conditioning on recirculate. Spray the interior with Ozium heavily. Let the air in the car recirculate for a few minutes. Repeat the Ozium process a few times (the car should smell like lemon Pledge).

I'm a smoker, and I have gotten the smoke smell out of many a vehicle using this entire process.

[kid afrika]

You have to clean the entire interior to get rid of the smoke smell. Start off with baking soda the night before. Sprinkle some on the carpets and the seats (cloth only leather is different) and leave the rest of the box wide open in the vehicle overnight. Clean the interior glass, preferably with a glass cleaner that contains ammonia. After you think the glass is clean, clean it again. Clean dash and other interior surfaces with some sort of citrus degreaser. Like with the glass, clean again. Armour All (or comperable) the dash to protect it. Vacuum the entire interior. If there is a leather interior, clean the leather with a good saddle soap. Finally, run the car with the air conditioning on recirculate. Spray the interior with Ozium heavily. Let the air in the car recirculate for a few minutes. Repeat the Ozium process a few times (the car should smell like lemon Pledge).

I'm a smoker, and I have gotten the smoke smell out of many a vehicle using this entire process.

If you have tinted windows (aftermarket film) do not use an ammonia-based window cleaner. It will fuck up your tint.

[SteveSteele]

If you have tinted windows (aftermarket film) do not use an ammonia-based window cleaner. It will fuck up your tint.

Good point...good point. I only said ammonia based because it will remove nicotine stains well and remove the smell.

[Tennessee Jed]

make sure the ashtrays are empty. when I smoked, i didn't use my ashtrays, and left my windows open, and my car never smelled like smoke.