Smoke Infested Interior

Hi all,
I bought a used truck that has a cigarette smoke smell to it.

Does anyone know how to get that out or help lessen the smell?

 

steam cleaning helped with my truck...I cleaned the carpet and seats and most of the smell was gone. I didnt clean the headliner but majority of the smell was in the seat covers and carpet. also if you leave the windows open a lot of the smell goes away.

 

professional detailer method, all three steps


[of course replace cabin air filter !!!!]

1) steam clean interior, everything fabric

2) simple green (or other favorite cleaner) all hard surfaces

3) ozone machine

will get rid of it for good

anything less, smell will linger (non-smoker will be able to tell)

 

x2 I removed seats (to ensure a thorough cleaning of underneath) from a previous vehicle and had Stanley Steamer come do a full on steam clean. $100 well spent. I have also heard that a fair amount of film from the smoke collects on the windows. They make a product specifically for cleaning windows with smoke smell/film. May want to switch out the cabin air filter while you're at it.

Hopefully the previous owner didn't run his A/C on Max while smoking. I've also heard that if smokers do that, it's nearly impossible to get rid of the smell.

 

autogeek.com has a product that works rather well. Otherwise time. I bought my truck at a steal because it was a smoker vehicle. I never steamed the interior but the only time I get any hint of smell is when the humidity is high. Me living in AZ its not a problem.

Good Luck

 

Ozone Generator. Not cheap, but the best way to get smells out of your truck. Some places rent these.

http://www.odorfreemachines.com/hot...a1_rL5rTT2zND58Ze7nwc5M6dhzuVnblMNBoCUqHw_wcB

 

Mine isn't horrible.
Was Stanley steemer that good? When I called they were pretty up front and said it was a 50/50 chance of it working.

 

TSP i think its called is good for smoke removal on interior house walls. You might be able to mix some up and steam clean your interior...just be wary on colorfastness.

 

Hmm that might not be a bad idea.

 

I was planning on getting clazzios.
Should I just focus on the headliner, carpet and plastics then?

 

50/50 may not be worth it for you for smell alone, but the truck I was working with was a few years (and a lot more miles) older than yours. So, I had the added benefit of taking care of some stains as well. I did notice a difference in the smell for sure though...

 

I used clorox 2 color safe liquid mixed in the steam cleaner. It worked good for my truck, as it smelled like an ashtray when I first got it. Also dont forget the ashtray...clean it out as well. Many people forget about it.

 

Seats seem to be main source. Ozone machine was temporary. I ended up replacing upholstery in my Highlander. That plus new cabin air filter fixed it for good.
In my experience anyway...

 

Copious amounts of Windex on all the interior windows to remove the caked on nicotine & tar

rinse repeated 6x

 

I bought a heavily smoked-in truck.

I removed the entire interior down to the metal and scrubbed every hard surface and hit the carpet (while it was out of the truck), seats, and every cloth surface with a carpet cleaner. There wasn't much I could do about the insulation/carpet padding so I just let it be and pressed on.

I reassembled everything and rented an Ozone generator and left it in for a couple hours with the HVAC running on recirc. I ran it in every possible combo, floor, vent, defrost, heat and AC, to make sure ozone got into all the vents.

The above steps got rid of about 80% of the smell.

I then set a couple bars of soap in the rear cupholders and let it sit with the windows up in the hot hot Sacramento sun. I'd let it bake all day, then about 5 PM roll down all the windows and drive it to flush out all that volatilized smell. I repeated this every day for weeks and the rest of the smell mostly dissipated. That was over a year ago. I no longer notice the smell at all and neither do my passengers. Sometimes I'll focus real hard and try to pick up on it and will barely be able to pick it up. I'd say the smell is 99% gone, but since I no longer notice it might as well be 100%.

Forget Windex, CRL 1973 is the good stuff. And yes you need to clean that interior glass like you're trying to save your own life. Imagine that crap coating the inside of your lungs while you're at it, gross.

I probably got about $3-4k off market value of the truck because of the smell, I'd say that was well worth it.

 

I like the soap idea I will defiantly try that!

 

Dryer sheets work well also. Regular old white vinegar will clean hard surfaces (especially Windows) and cut oder. Of course it stinks too, but will go away in a day or so.

 

http://www.walmart.com/ip/DampRid-FG69H-Odor-Genie-Wild-Berry-8-oz./15033115

These would probably do the trick. I live in a damp apartment and have one of these in each room. Works great! They are back in "Automotive" in the RV section.