Hi all, i've got a problem that hopefully some of you car nuts could help me with. This involves a '99 Explorer that currently belongs to my "in-laws" and will soon become my parents vehicle. And no, NO ONE smokes in the MINI, so i've not had to deal with this problem yet. Anyway, the "in-laws" smoke, my parents do not. I'm going to detail the Explorer before i hand it over, but do any of you have any suggestions for getting rid of the cigarrette odor? I'm not a fan AT ALL of air freshners, i'm not looking to cover up the smell, but hopefully eliminate it. Thanks for any help!!

 

If the car has cloth seats, you can use Febreeze on them. Other than that, I guess a good cleaning and airing the car out.

 

A wet dog in the car will take care of the smoke smell. Clean out the ashtrays, vacuum the car, and just let it air out. I think that should work.

ps, this is probably horrible advice.

 

The biggest cause of a stinky smoky car is the ASHTRAY!

I am guilty of smoking in my MINI, but I use an old coke can as an ashtray and never let the butts or ashes sit in the car for any extended period of time.

My MINI does not stink of smoke, and I'm sure it is this trick that keeps it that way.

Febreze is also very good. spray a LOT of it and then just wait and let it air out.

citrus oil based air fresheners are good too, just avoid spraying on plastics. . .

 

Check with your local used car dealer and ask if they have a smoke smell eliminator. Most of them do I believe. Ask him how much to have him do your vehicle.

Earl

 

...tap out some Arm & Hammer carpet deodorizer onto the seat (if seats are all cloth) and carpet surfaces as evenly as possible. Do not tamp or grind it in. After about 30 to 45 min. take your vacuum and remove the powder. Then use Febreeze, and then let the car air out... at least overnight. This should take care of most of the issue of the smoke smell. Use the A&H that comes with a neutral scent. That is all...

 

Not smoking in the car could work... . Seriously, i dont allow skoking in the car, but if i were to go for a guess, clean out the ashtray and get out the febreeze.

 

Moving this topic from Off Topic to the Detailing Forum, as it may be of interest to preparing MINIs for resale.

 

Dealers use the "ionic" smoke remover. It's similar to the one you see advertised. They put it in the car turn it on and leave it over night.......you might try buying one from Target and see if it works.

 

THis stuff works great. I always keep a bottle on hand. Cheap, too!

 

Forget Freebreeze...that stuff smells awful. If you really want a "close to" new car smell...for cloth interior areas, use the water repellant spray for leather/cloth - boots/shoes (not the camping spray). This won't hurt the fabric interior, headliner, cloth seats, etc. and really removes smells.

I still swear by MacGuires rubber/plastic for the rest of the interior. It won't leave a shine and leaves a like new interior smell...still using this after 2 years and never a problem.

 

I like the Febreez and baking soda ideas above. Don't forget to do the floor mats, the area under the floor mats, the headliner (if cloth) and the visors (if covered in cloth).

I'd then move on to the hard surfaces... vinyl, plastic, glass. You are going to have to wipe down each and every hard surface with a fairly strong cleaner and follow up with a plastic dressing to moisturize and prevent future UV dammage.

I've got one of those Sharper Image ionizing air cleaners (one without the fan). I've had very good luck with other odors by running the air cleaner in the closed car for several days at a time. These ionic cleaners generate Ozone in small quantities... It's that sharp smell when you get right infront of the unit. Being in the small space of a car for several days in the row builds up a high concentration of Ozone and it does a great job of neutralizing odors. Just don't do it at the same time that your Febreze is drying.

 

Get them to quit...for the future

 

A dealer friend suggested this: slice up an apple and place the wedges throughout the car; let them sit overnight (at least). I tried it once, on a mildly stinky example, and it worked!

 

Here's another one: put one of those clothes dryer sheets under each seat for a couple days and it seems to do the trick. I've done this with several rental cars in the past with great results.

 

After you clean out all the places that cigarettes may have hidden, ashtrays and such.

I went to the an auto detailing place and picked up a small (like 8oz) can of Fire Smell Eliminator from them. They told me they use it on cars that are insurance jobs to get rid of the smoke smell in the interior.



You don't use much of this stuff, you turn the cap over and use the cap as a "trumpet" to spread the vapor out in a big area, a couple of blasts and close it up for the rest of the day....WOW, what a difference. Now this particular car was NASTY the people must of not been able to afford lighters so they kept a cigarette lit all the time (even people in the back seat) with about three treatments it smells like...well, it smells like nothing, it just doesn't smell. This was my work car and I just sold it to a young girl that doesn't smoke with no complaints from her. My "new" 02 MC will be my new work ride so I'll see when I pick it up next week (got it on eBay) if I have to do the treatment to it.

 

There are some house hold spray air fresheners designed to eliminate tabacco oders.

step 1 - clean car interior. Once satisfied.
step 2 - spray everything!! headliner inparticular.
step 3 - seal up car - close windows , sunroof, ect...
step 4 - let sit over night.
step 5 - open everything up, take it for drive and air out.
step 6 - find a #@%&* non-smoker, place in car with windows up and wait to see if the #@%&* non-smoker complains.

repeat steps 1 thru 5 as necessary.

 

Not to be the thread pessimist, but I bought a used Mazda MX-6 once that had belonged to a smoker. I tried everything under the sun to get rid of the stench. Ultimately I minimized it, but never eliminated it. It always smelled like a cheap motel room every time I hopped in. Cigarette smoke has a special way of permeating every fiber and every absorbent molecule in a car. I got it out of the seat fabric (mostly), but the headliner was a challenge, and after all that, every time I'd kick on the A/C or heat, the foul odor would belch its way out the vents. You'd probably have to tear out the entire interior and hose down every individual part with industrial-strength Lysol to completely kill that demonic smell.

I'll never buy a smoker's car again. The experience left me bitter - can you tell? Actually, I'll probably never buy a used car again. I'm just not a fan of dealing with other people's stains and smells.

 

Excellent advice: non-smoker in car = canary in mineshaft.

 

Get dryer sheets and put in vengts of ac, run for about 30mins with windows up and febreeze:smoke eliminator and try goodluck, and they make a thing by Wisp i think it is, it lets a puff of scent every 30 secs maybe put in your car overnight goodluck!