cigarette smell in car

[coffeemama]

Hey all-Not chicken related at all, but does anyone have good tips for removing cigarette odor from a car? We have found the car we want, but it smells like smoke, and I'm an asthmatic. That means no perfumes to just cover it up. I need to try and remove it, and can't buy the car unless I think I might be able to. Thanks!

 

[miss_thenorth]

Put vinegar in a spray bottle and spray away. Sprinkle baking soda on dry upholsetery and carpets, let sit and vacuum up. If that does not work, You could probably get it detailed where you are buying it --that seems to work quite well.

 

[BJ]

My mother always told me to set a cup of pure ammonia out in the room where people were smoking and it would remove the odor...not sure if it REALLY works to completely remove the odor.

What about Febreze?

 

[rooster-red]

The root of the smell is inside the air conditioning system.

Smoke is drawn in and forms deposits on the evaporator core, it will also grow mold in the core on some cars.

There is a spray product you can buy at some auto parts stores that wil cut most of it, but the only way to make sure its all gone is to have a shop diassemble the A/C and clean the core.

As for the smell in the rest of the car, place some charcoal in a pan under the seats to absorb the odor. Buy the plain stuff, not the stuff that is made to light easy (it has lighter fluid in it)

 

[jnjross]

yeah most cars have a "cabin air filter" that filters the a/c. find and discard it. google the car model to find out if that car has one and where it's located


charcoal from the pet-fish dept works best and is cheap

 

[coffeemama]

Well I lucked out-dh works for a tire company and knows a guy at a detail shop. They have some crazy thing they do to the cars, and he's going to do ours for cheap. I sure hope it works, we're buying it tomorrow. Thanks all!

 

[BJ]

Let us know what the secret deoderizer is...and if it works!

 

[lurky]

I just heard last week about a car bomb that dealerships use to remove odors from cars. I was told by someone who used it that it really worked. I bet it is what coffeegirl is getting. He said it is kinda like a flea bomb in how it is used. So i guess you could call a dealership and ask them. I was told they cost about $15.

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

At this point in time my car smells permanently of horse manure. Febreeze isnt cutting it.
When it stops raining I am detailing it.. in and out.

 

[seismic wonder2]

Go to Starbucks and get one of those little sample packets of coffee. Dark roast---darker the better. Open it and place it in the cup holder for a week or so.
Coffee grounds works wonders for odor. I use it in my freezer to combat that weired funky smell that happens when I freeze chopped onions. I think it's better than Baking Soda IMHO.

If you have dark carpets and a REAL good vaccuum sprinkle some of it in the carpet like a rug cleaner.

As for the Air Conditioner. Every time you start it roll down the windows for about five minutes. This will give time for any spores or dust etc to blow out of the system and out the windows keeping your asthma from flairing up.
It also allows the cooling unit to dry out a little each time keeping any mold from forming in the first place.