I've smoked in my car several times though I'm not a habitual smoker . Best way to get rid of the smoke smell is to sit in your car in 100 degree temp. Should smell like balls after
I know this is an old comment, but YAS! I smoked after hitting around age 21, and quit smoking cigs exactly 4 years ago this summer. I'm 32 btw, but I am honestly disgusted in myself for smoking. I've washed my clothes enough and bought more that my things don't smell anymore, but.. I had to move into my mom's old house after she passed to take care of my dad and they only quit smoking a year after I did, mostly because of my daughter, which is why I quit too. But MAN. their house was in total disarray and the smoke smell was ATROCIOUS! In the car, in the house, and especially in my mom's room since she never worked, only my dad did. So I've been working on taking the smell out of the house and cars. It's been a very, very overwhelming process.
@@zoeytudovic5424 yeah dude, I gave my truck to a mechanic to fix and spent $2000 for him to fix the engine... -_- I got it back two months later and I can’t even get into my truck, it smells so bad. I hope the resale value of my truck hasn’t diminished... I have had it for 14 years and only now has it been in this condition... I’m so pissed
Thanks for making this video. I bought an ozone generator and it worked like a charm! My two year old Hyundai now has no detectable odors. With my asthma, I did not want to mask the odors with perfumes. This is a great solution!
I agree with the use of 0 Odor, I have had success with it. I think what you did with the HVAC system is fine, but I would like to add one extra step. On many modern cars the blower fan is easily accessible: usually mounted to the duct work and located under the dash (right side, in the vicinity of the glove box. Usually there are a few screws holding it in and 1 or 2 wire connectors. So this is easily removable. Removed one from a Mustang in less than 5 minutes. This allows you to clean the blower fan thoroughly. You can reach in to the duct work and clean the smoke residue. This area of the duct work seems to collect the most residue. Any spray cleaner will do. I followed up with spraying some 0 Odor.
ZEP SMOKE ODOR REMOVER works amazing. Bought a Silverado last year that smelled like smoke. Looked it up and went to home Depot and bought some ZEP. Sprayed it all over in the truck, locked the door, left it for 12 hours. Do this 2-3 times, smoke odor completely gone, for almost a year now.
@@Alan-zz3st Never tried it my friend. Bought a Silverado that was smoked it but ended up selling it and buying a different one. Figure it would be worth a try. Please let me know if it does if I ever encounter a smoked-in vehicle in the future! Thanks!
I just sprayed that in my intake under the passenger side dash. I did it about 3 times ran ac and heater. And cant smell it now. Was hoping it would last a long time. But wasnt sure
@Sydney Kenney "You can steam leather car seats, but don't do it too frequently. Excess moisture and heat can shrink leather over time (5).May 1, 2021" Oh So Spotless · Autoblog Wasn't sure, did a quick search. Looks like you can. I know with headliners you do have to be a bit careful with the adhesive.
Long ago I was advised by a service manager that a large part of the problem is due to people smoking in their vehicles with the A/C and recirculation on. With the recirc off, the smoke exits out of the rear vents of the vehicle. But if recirc is on, then the smoke gets drawn into the ventilation system and deposits in the evaporator and less so on the ventilation tubes. Once the system is poisoned with enough smoke, every time the A/C is turned on the air picks up the awful smoke smell from the smoke deposits in the evaporator, even if recirc is off. So in addition of Mr. Samcrac's cleaning techniques you will have to replace the evaporator and maybe take apart the dash and clean the ventilation tubes. Ozone reacts with the smoke residue trying to reduce its odor, but it won't compare to complete removal by cleaning. I suspect that smoke deposits on the heater core play a role in this too.
Also smoking with their windows up or only cracked. That's probably the BIGGEST cause. I always drive with my driver window open more than a crack, even in winter. When I smoke my windows goes down at least half way, all the way at red lights, arm out the window. In summer, I turn off recirc while I'm smoking. And I spray either Lysol or smoke odor spray under the passenger deck with recirc on, both in summer and winter and let it run for a out 15 mins. It really keeps the smoke odor away. I also try to get leather seats so the ashes as smoke aren't soaking into the fabric. Changing the cabin air filter once a year is a huge help too.
@@amylathrop8329you may think your car does not smell like smoke but chances are it smells of cigarettes. Smoking cigarettes damages sense of smell, creates inflammation and mutagenic with carcinogenic effects while destructive to the sensory systems. Smokers essentially destroy their olfactory.
I took your advice and bought the ozone machine you linked from amazon and I gotta say: THANK YOU! I bought a car that smelled like a cigar on wheels and after scrubbing down the interior, changing the cabin filter and using the machine.. the smell is GONE. Thank you for the content, I really do appreciate you!
@@s7337 I bought a generic interior spray foam from autozone that’s came with a brush head nozzle. And when I used the ozone machine I just followed the instructions. I did run the machine a few more times a day later just to double tap. But the smell was gone!
@@deriegle I ran the machine a few times as a safekeep and the smell didn’t come back for me. It’s been almost 2 years now and I can’t smell the cigar/cigarette smell anymore
One thing I did to do more than just get rid of the odors: I stripped the interior. The headliner will have ash and other stains on it. So will the visors, the seats, the carpet... etc. Removing the seats is easy. I took the seats out, the carpet out, I shampooed the carpet completely, sprayed on odor neutralizer (similar to Febreze but not even $10/gal at Lowes). Then let it sit out in the sun for a day to dry. The headliner, I cleaned with my Bissel hand-held carpet shampooer. It was filthy and stunk so it was either getting ripped out or cleaned - it WORKED and looks like new! Same thing with the sun visors. With the seats, I actually took the covers off and SOAKED THE SEAT FOAM with odor neutralizer, then used the Bissel to suck it up, then let them dry in the sun. The covers, I turned inside out and hosed down, then sprayed odor neutralizer on. Then again, a day in the sun to dry. The leather was no worse for the wear.
I'm guessing that it is the UV rays from the sun that's helping deodorize. An old dry cleaner's trick (I learned it from an old dry cleaner) is to put Hydrogen Peroxide on a stain and set it in the sun. The extra oxygen atom in ozone oxidizes the resins that smell bad in smoke residue, or sort of burns it. Who knows? Maybe Hydrogen Peroxide could eliminate odors.
@@garylangley4502 Hydrogen Peroxide works in the same way a ozone generator would. H2O2 -> H2O + O , while O3 -> O2 + O . In both cases, an oxygen molecule is released and oxidizes the smoke byproducts.
I've been a detailer for 18 years and you are spot-on Sam this is the only way to get cigarette smoke out and even then sometimes it doesn't work depending on how bad the car is
Cabin filters need to be replaced too.. I did a burnout with my car and it smelled like burnt rubber for months till I replaced the cabin filter.. people forget about theses
Funny. I did a lot of burnouts in my first FWD car and the smell never stuck more than 30 min. On the other hand, I never even tried changing the filter, so it might be, there wasn't even one
It might help but certainly doesnt eliminate the cigarette smoke, my car still has that smell after about 4 weeks, I think just time and airing the car with windows down periodically is the only way it will get rid of the smell
Hi, I have a couple things to say: Commercial Odor Eliminators work much better than traditional store bought ones. The key is that they need to make wet contact. So you need to get wet every spot that cigarette smoke has bonded too. Professionals use a ULV fogger to accomplish this, which makes very small sized particles of whatever you are fogging. The product you mention with a packet that you slide into a sponge, that is CLO2. It is the same principle as O3, different chemical as the oxidizer. It is actually a much faster oxidizer and therefore will work more quickly, and is a smaller molecule also. The promo product you showed is long duration, low volume product, not suitable for odor elimination quickly. Using Ozone (or Chlorine Dioxide, CLO2) there is NO benefit to leaving a window cracked. It will also be much more effective doing it overnight, or in a dark garage as the suns UV rays break down the particles much faster, before they can totally fill the space. You never touched on Thermal fogging which is arguable the most effective (and expensive) way of eliminating odor. An oil based deodorizer is heated and vaporized, and will penetrate anywhere smoke smell will.
@@macknumber9 a lot of times that “old” smell has a lot of cigarette smell to it. Remove your console and interior plastics and you’ll find dust,ashes, dead skin, etc
The fogger hurts my chest… my Honda dealership just popped a fogger after they told me they would use ozone. I told them NO CHEMICALS!!! They totally lied. I can’t drive this thing and my chest feels tight. It’s a certified 2020 Honda CRV with 20K miles… like wtf
Parsons Ammonia. I wouldn't use the sudsy, but just the normal. Mix the recommended amount with water. Clean everything in the car with it. The headliner would be the hard part. I guess the easiest way would be to spray it on and pull it back out with a shop vac. Same with the carpet, but you can wet the carpet and vacuum it good. I would suggest pulling the seats out of the car, so you can get to the carpet under them and the foam on the bottoms of the seats. That will also make cleaning the rest of the interior easier as well. About 20 years ago, a good friend lost his home to a fire. All of the children's clothes were ruined by the smoke and water damage, but were still in good shape otherwise. We loaded them all up in the back of the truck and brought them to my house and piled them up on the porch. They smelled awful. While they were trying to find another place to live and dealing with their problems, I washed all of the kids' clothes with Parsons Ammonia. I followed up with a normal washing and drying. I had my doubts that it would work, but the smoke smell was completely gone. The mother was so pleased that I had managed to save thousands of dollars worth of clothes and they did not have to spend time shopping for them when they had so many other things to take care of.
Alright, I had to come back and thank you. I bought a 2007 Corvette with an absolutely heinous cigarette smoke smell. As bad as it gets. I tried baking soda and all the chemicals which didn't even touch it. Followed your directions to the letter. Bought the Ozone generator you linked on sale for $60. Unreal. Worked spectacularly.
All you need is ammonia it is cheap. I first used it in the first house my hubby and I bought after we married! We cleaned carpet and every surface of the house and it made no difference. I was told about ammonia. It said to put it in a bowl and sit it in the middle of the room I did this for weeks as we didn’t live in the house until 2 months after we bought it! I spilled the bowl by tripping on it so I just got some old mugs and filled them 1/2 way and put them in window sills all over the house. It worked! My hubby was lucky as I said there was no way I was living in That house with the smoke smell! Then we bought a used car that had belonged to a chain smoker it was a company car! So we got it cheaper than advertised as it smelled so bad!!! We knew we could clean it and use the ammonia and it would be fine. So we used the mug trick with ammonia again. This time I put mug in cup holder when driving and when car was still I sat them on floor mats in from seat and back seats and in cargo area. Wasn’t long say a week with sun and ammonia working together that the smell went away! A bottle of ammonia is very cheap! No cost of expensive products or a ozone machine! If the smell is too strong for you while driving, put ammonia containers in your house when using the car ! It’s magic!
I’ve tried this all as well. The ozone machine works for 3-4 days, but that’s it. The smell still comes back. The only way to not have a smoker car, is to avoid it like the plaque. I ended up selling mine after 2 months of ownership. The stuffy nose and red eyes everyday because of this filthy habit was ridiculous.
I absolutely agree with your assessment of the ozone generator. I bought a great Jeep Patriot but it had belonged to a smoker. I purchased an ozone generator and had to use it 3 times along with replacing the ac filter (with activated carbon added) and the result was spectacular, like a new car. I also use it in my RV in the spring for getting rid of that musty smell from over wintering. Great video thanks for posting.
@@kooperkessler6387 I use the generator every spring to freshen the interior of the Jeep and the RV. I also use it on a home made Ozone sterilizer that I keep in the garage. It cleans everything that comes into the house during the Pandemic. We clean groceries to incoming mail (everything) before it enters the house. Just don't breath the Ozone it kills anything organic including the lining of your lungs in high enough doses.
Ozone machines weaken fabrics, but not immediately. So over time, your seat fabric and carpet will be more prone to holes and ripping. I would try other options first if you have them. And not overuse the ozone machines.
30 years in the biz and you are100% correct. I've done it all. One other method i tried in a cigar bomb car was 2 bags of hickory charcoal. Split the bags open one in front and one in the rear. Put it in the hot sun and shut it up completely for 2 days. 80% works. Then use the machine w 2 applications for a total of 2 hours. Great video Sammy!
How ozone works.. is an oxidizer three oxygen atoms together .. Oxygen dislikes threesoms. so when it finds a bad smell , one of the oxygen atoms hops off and oxidizes the chemicals causing the smell, breaking them down.. putting them out of commission. Good tip with the ozone generator :)
We used The Alpine Room Freshener. It has an adjustable ozone level feature. We used it on several vehicles, and it indeed did give satisfactory results. We used it in the house to remove heavy cooking odors. try to schedule a long day out, either away or overnight for running the Alpine unit. Then upon return, open all the doors and windows for several hours, with the A/C runningon high setting for persistent odors. WARNING, O3 will cause severe headaches for some people. If that occurs, go outside for relief. This was a good video presentation, Thanks.
Bought a car used. It smelled okay for a bit(dealership cleaned it okay) but a few weeks it smelled like cigs! Only think that truly helped was using a hot water extractor on all carpets, floorboards and seats in the car. The new cabin filter helped, and cheap odor absorbing gel containers, as well. But the extractor helped immensely.
Years ago, my dad bought a pickup truck from an old man. The guy smoked in it, and it took years for the smell to get out of it. He says that on a very hot and moist day, you can still smell cigarette smoke.
i've never smoked..you never get that smell out...you can mask it for a time and to some degree but it permeates fabric,heat/ac ducts..when i buy a used vehicle its the first thing that eliminates it
Great video! I love the take up smoking comment - brilliant. In the late 80's my dad purchased an old 73 Lincoln that someone had been smoking cigars in (remember those giant ash trays) and it took years for that smell to die down on it's own.
Tech tip for AC cleaning. First krank the heat up on max. Re-circulation. It will dry the evap core and kill off a lot of the bacteria and other funky smells. I do it a few times every summer when I use Max AC regularly. Stops the growth and smell. Then after its dry, Id spray almost as much as you would like of that disinfectant into that AC intake.
Great information Sam. Just to add: I have use ozone treatment for my car and warn folks that ozone does react to certain plastics and if left on too long to ruin your trim. Also too much ozone can leave an ozone smell in the cabin and this is not what you want. It took me several days of leaving the car in the sun to break down the O3. But all smell eventual was gone! Also they are not cheap. My Alpine was close to $500. But I also use it for my home. Some places may rent these machines.
I've ran these things for hours in cars with all types of trims and upholstery and have never once seen any damage. I would make not I'm not running a massive unit that would be more suitable for a house, but when it comes to these small toaster sized generators I think it's pretty safe.
@@SamcracI have run an ozonater in my garage to get rid of the smell from a trash can. The ozone caused cracks in the tires of my two bikes, those tires were new a month prior. The cracks were so bad I had to replace the tires. I also noticed that the tires on my car were not damaged by the ozone at all which made sense, otherwise they would deteriorate in sunlight.
All you need is a cookie sheet with an edge on it. Create a large surface area. Put ammonia on it. Shut the doors overnight or longer. Kills dead body smell too. Today ppl have forgotten how things get done
I tried everything to get rid of dead bosy snell ,when i worked for my moms cuzzin. Nothing worked. The smelk woukd come back.the onky thing ya can do. Is bury the shell body of the vehicle deep underground. I tried soaking the body of a 1979 trans am t top.yes one if the smoky and the bandit cars.some dbag stole it,overdosed in it. Apparently 6 months he was in that car smellin up the baddest car ive seen in movies. Human smell is the worst
Will this actually stop the car from smelling bad, or will it just make the car smell like ammonia? I don't have much experience cleaning with ammonia, I normally use bleach for the really heavy jobs and isopropanol for everything else.
I love all these people who say that "it's my car and I'll smoke in it if I want to!" I believe dealerships should knock a good chunk of money off trade in value for smoked in vehicles because not a lot of people want to buy vehicles that reek of that deadly toxic residue.
How about just not buying a car that someone smoked in, that way the smokers can smoke in their car that they paid for, and the non-smokers that are shopping for cars just don’t buy a car that smell like smoke. See how easy that is, both the smoker and non smoker don’t tell each other how to live.
When i worked at the detail shop, the best thing you could ever do is just shampoo everything fabric. Thatll give you your best results. And the best chemical to use is deluted degreaser at 1 part dg and 3 parts water, but with that you need to find a spot out of the way that youll never see and test the cleaner to make sure you want pull the color out if your seats have been dyed
I like to put a carpet drying fan in the car too. This essentially creates a hurricane inside the car, there are no dead zones where the ozone just did not reach. Putting it in the rear footwell so it forces air under the seat really helps if a seat is particularly odiferous.
*i smoked for 25 years and when i quit i immediately could NOT stand the smell of cigarette smoking. the best thing i found for getting smoke smell out is the in cabin air filter change and steam cleaning Ozum seems to help some too and your ionizer my as well i never really tried that to be honest but the steam cleaning goes a long way toward cleaning the smell out of cars. mostly because it's mostly the surfaces the smoke gathered on that makes the car smell. get rid of that, you get rid of the smell. the ozum and ionizer helps with the smoke smell in the vents too though*
@3:20 (chloride) this will rust the inside of you car faster than anything I can think of. I'd be curious to hear if anyone noticed rust under their seats or on anything metal after using this. Try to get rid of the smoke smell and end up with a car that looks like it's been flooded. Awesome video thanks for the help.
I used to have a cat. I took him in the car several times being really careful to put something waterproof underneath his basket. He never pissed in the car until I forgot the waterproof sheet. The car smelt of cat piss until I sold the car a year later.
most local hardware stores have keys for a fraction of the price. sadly unless its a key that's programed in the vehicle you need very expensive tools to program them.
Very good video; you point out that you must first clean everything in the vehicle then change the a/c filter and spray disinfectant in the a/c ducts while running the vehicle before using the ozone generator. Some vehicles have cabin filters too.
Spraying into the ducts doesn't do anything except temporarily make the air coming out smell like the spray. On most cars, the air recirculation intake is under the glove box. Roll up the windows, ac on high(but doesn't have to be on the coolest setting) spray the disinfectant under the glove box. Let it run about 15 minutes.
Thanks for the info. Great vid. Ozone is not itself carcinogenic. It displaces oxygen like CO but more accurately it changes the existing O2 (which our cells use) to O3. You can suffocate while respirating normally in those conditions like you mentioned. I restore derelict homes and have access to an ozone generator. I will use it my car having seen your thoughtful video.
I bought a car and it smelled like coffee. It just about made me sick to be in it. Ended up letting a friend that smokes drive it for 2 weeks now its fine. Never test drive a used car with a salesperson drinking coffee.
72+HourBOB lol, i actually like it. It's like the smell of starbucks when you go through their door. I buy coffee beans, grind them and put them in sheets of cloth.
By far the worst car I ever tried to clean was/is my '06 Civic. Was never cleaned once in its life, previous owner was a smoker. There was also ground in skin oils and other presumably biological stains in there. I paid so little for the car that I could just part it out and make money, but I figured I'd try my hand at detailing it. A spray bottle with diluted Gain (Thai Dragonfruit Febreze smell), a stiff brush and a 5hp shop vac were my tools. Spray down the fabric, rub it with the brush, vacuum it up. Repeat ad nauseum. 8 hours of cleaning later, there were a couple of cig burns, but aside from that the car smelled nice and looked very presentable. A couple months and 5k miles down the road, it needs to be cleaned again, but it's just normal "I haven't vacuumed it in 5k miles and have a 4 year old" level of dirty. Tobacco smell is not present to my nose. Try that, folks. It's nearly free if you already have a shop vac... and if you don't you need one anyways.
Man just take the seats out and spray them with water. Becareful to unhook any electrical lines under the seat. Its easy they are fittings that you cant plug up wrong. 4 bolts is all that holds most seats in. Spray them down good with water then spray them with simple green made for the house not the auto and then spray it with high pressure water from your hose or go to the car wash and fo it all if you have a buddy with a truck. In texas in the summer they will be dry in a few hours. Might as well pull the carpet too ehile your at it. A few screws and popping the plastic trim off to get to the seat belts. they are sometimes star drives. Tough to get out without an air ratchet. But it can be done. Fo the same thing to clean the carpet as you did the seats. Helps to have a board you can nail the carpet to and hang it up so the filth runs off. You will be shocked at how nasty seats and carpet are in a vehicle. Grew up on a used car lot. Youre welcome.
Febreeze actually does work on a different principle than just masking the smell with a better one. But I still don't think Febreeze will totally remove smoking smell. Without removing the source of the smell (the carpets and plastic that it is on and in) tough to get it all gone. The absolute best method is to take up smoking, and you won't notice the smell :D
I have bought a lot of cars that had cigarette odors in them. What do I do if I just get soap and water and clean the carpet and interior out clean everything up and let it air out for a while and they odor will go away
This won’t work all the time. People smoke in their car in different ways as well. If the smoker barely cracks their windows and smokes half a pack on their way home, then the smell will never leave. But if it’s only an occasional cigarette and they properly air out their vehicle it will be much more manageable.
This works I've done it soap and water a brush and a microfiber cloth for the headliner also replace cabin filter takes about a day and smells brand new however u really gotta clean the seats and door panels pretty much anything smoke can land on
Its fine to clean a car interior with soap and water if you are careful. I've done it a few times. Its best make sure there is no electronics on the floor first, then just wash it. Don't leave it wet all day, but wash it, then get as much water out as possible with some type of vacuum. Do this on the hottest, driest day possible, and leave it in the sun, and it will be dry in a few hours.
I bought one for a couple of vehicles my husband had to sell. One of the vehicles had a heavy, heavy chain smoker and the other one had, I guess small children. It had the whole back seat and area of spoiled milk. I had both vehicles professionally detailed and when they came back, I tried the Ozone Generator in both. It made it better at best. Thanks for the video.
Clean the carpet. I use hot water in a bottle I can squirt with (like a dish soap bottle or put a hole in a soda/water bottle). Squirt the water onto a small spot while sucking it up with a ShopVac. For stains, I let it soak in a couple seconds. If it doesn’t remove the stain, treat the spot with a tiny bit of soap/cleaner (type used is dependent on the individual stain). You want to avoid soaking the mat under the carpet, so don’t drench it (hence small spots and minimal soak time). Water is one of the best solvents, and hot water alone can lift up the majority of stains. It’s odorless, and physically removes a lot of the crap generating smells. Using this method has drastically cut the smells in the cars I’ve used it on. Plus, if you already have a ShopVac (a relatively strong wet/dry vac), using water is virtually free; costing only time. I’ve also done this on cloth seats, with more care taken to not soak the foam under the cloth. I wouldn’t suggest using it on headliners since it can cause the adhesive to fail (saggy/droopy headliner).
He's exactly right. I had a rental house with cigarette smell that wouldn't go away for two years despite repainting, new floor, and carpet cleaning. I used one of these machines for a day and it was gone instantly, and there's no hint of it coming back months later. Then lent it to a friend to fix their stinky house with the same results. They raved about it and plan on getting one of their own.
Thank you SO very much. Purchased ozone generator through link...arrived quickly...worked just as stated. Amazed after the heavy cigarette smell we were dealing with. 🙏
@@kooperkessler6387 I’ve had it come back BUT...I didn’t run the air when I did it...I found out from the mechanic that the original owner was a cigar smoker (smell is a little worse than cigarette) and it’s been garaged for a good couple months; windows up and all. I only did it once in the time that we’ve had it. I plan on running it again but with the air so it gets the filters too. Hoping for a much longer outcome.
I use Obsession Cologne by Calvin Klien in my Mustang, S-Class and my Tahoe. It's phenomenal! I get so many compliments despite my husband and I being smokers for the past 25 years. We run 2 of those ozone machines in the house and you'd never know smokers live here.
I used this very same Ozone generator on a car that was in a metal storage building that caught on fire. The windows were down and the smoke and dirt was very heavy. Three cycles of this machine nearly completely eliminated the stink.
My mechanic ex husband always sprayed them in the AC intake with the recirculation ON. Usually he used Ozium Citrus scent to deal with his cigarette smoke smell in the AC unit as the regular maintenance. The under the hood he only did when it was time for us to trade the car in. For the upholstery the best thing I ever found has been Windex. Spray it & let it sit for a few seconds or a minute then use a toothbrush or scrub brush the rub with a towel.
I've had really good success with shampooing the carpets and roof liner. I bought a car with really bad cigarette smell. I probably went overboard, but I took the seats, carpet, and dash (I needed to remove it anyway). Then shampooed everything and cleaned the floor. I let the carpets and seats dry and put them back in. I really didn't have any smells. Admitedly, that's a lot of work just for smell. I was doing it for additional reasons, it all had to come out anyway so I did it along the way.
Worked at a hotel for a few years, housekeeping used one of those ozone generators in rooms that people had smoked in. Also let me say this, weed smoke is WAY easier to get rid of than cigarette/tobacco smoke. Its way more pungent at first, but the smell dies down after a little while. Cigarette smoke, man that shit just lingers forever.
Thanks so much...i bought a used truck about a month ago. When I looked at it the air was cool and the windows were open (now I know why)..I noticed a smell of cigarettes but thought it wasn't that bad....well turns out after sitting with the windows up it was bad....I tried everything the past few weeks and it temporarily masked the smell.... after watching your video I bought that machine....it worked.... thanks so much!!!!!!
A few notes on ozone: Never use it when upholstery is wet. This can bleach the upholstery! Over use of ozone can dry out and damage upholstery. This is especially true of leather.
I'm a smoker and never had an issue with my cars smelling bad, I think it is because I never smoke with the windows closed. It is disgusting to do that!
@@immortal_morty1347 like hell! I smoke and I can smell it! Although, I don't smoke with my windows closed, always at least ¾ of the way open and I use a portable ashtray instead of the car ashtray (that's for change and little things)!
We had a similar machine when I worked at a Chrysler lot as a teen. It would work great on trades for a few months but eventually the deep doors within the cushioning would work its way out and, although not as strong, customers would return with complaints and we would have to run it again. It was probably made worse by the heat and humidity of FL but the dealership began cutting the trade-in offer for “smokey” cars so that they could simply pass them off to a wholesaler without a loss - no longer putting them on the lot. That was a while back, though, so the technology may have improved.
Dealerships really should all cut their offers significantly for vehicles that smell like smoke because these vehicles are not worth nearly as much as a vehicle that was not smoked in. I can only imagine that someone who is really struggling financially would settle for a smoke contaminated car but personally I have only buy new vehicles because of cigarette people and dogs that may have been in it before.
@@awzsdrcfgybhjimklp new cars give off that new car odor known as indoor air pollution from the off gassing of material used in the car. Last new car, had to air it out for days to lower That new car odor. ps most people do not smoke now days.
Very Informative. Bought a truck recently and while the guy wasn't a heavy smoker but he used some sort of sweet smelling cover scent. That's almost worse than the cigarettes. I bought the ozone generator which is helpful and the only thing I haven't done is clean the carpets and headliner which is next. Thanks!
For cars that don't have a cabin filter, you can spray Lysol in the screened in section between the windshield and the firewall...where the windshield wipers are. Usually on the passenger side, you'll see a screened section under the top of the hood. This is also called the "cowl" section.
I'm pretty sure all cars have a cabin filter my man, I put shake and vac (don't know if you get that in America) on the same area you mom does and smells lovely for months
Back in the '90s, my mother bought a used car from a smoker. She detailed the interior and put a bunch of those vanilla air fresheners all over the car. No more odor.
I am a smoker and when I wash my car and want to clean the inside and remove the smell, I fix a small bucket of hot water& white vinegar (vinegar being 75% of the solution)with Dawn dish liquid and wipe all the hard surfaces, then wipe the carpets and other soft places. This will also clean the windows like magic. It will smell like vinegar for a couple of days but it is amazing. Now that I watched this video, I plan to buy an Ozone Generator to further freshen my car. Thanks for the information.
My 2006 GMC Envoy Denali did not come with a factory installed air filter. We took the whole area under the glove box apart. I have however found a video that shows you how to install your own. It does in-tail some cutting, but I think it is something we are going to look into. I love my Denali but the stale smell from years of a previous owner smoking in it had driven me nuts for over 5 years. I've tried everything to get it out. Shampooed carpets, deep cleaned, sprayed into the outside Air condition vet and used the micro sprays. Going to try the Ozone machine again for a longer period of time and try to retro fit the cabin vent.
Sam thanks for another great video. I've seen a few detailers on UA-cam 0lacing their ozone generators outside the car, a dryer duct tube feeding into an open window and then it's sealed with foam or self adhesive carpet protection film. This appears to allow the pros to leave the car off, seal the car up and provide as much outside air to the generator as possible.
Another thought is if the car has fold down rear seat access to the trunk, run the ozone generator cord between the rear seats into the trunk and then put the seats back up. Run the extension cord into the trunk, connect the extension cord, and then close the trunk. Trunk seals usually have more give than door seals.
As much as I think using ozone is a great plan to remove odors, and it works! You should probably try limiting exposure to you cars interiour as it reacts with various materials in your car and can make plastic rubber etc brittle over time, it can take a year or two to show any problems after a treatment, just use ozone as much as needed to get rid of the smells and no more.
After removing AC filter and cleaning carpet and all surfaces, I used Meguiare's order bomb (new car smell) as instructed. After the treatment with first bomb, there was mild cigarette smell. So I tried second one, as manufacturer mentioned. I have this car since two years and the car never had cigarette smell. I am very sensitive to this smell. This order bomb works, key is thoroughly clean carpet and all surfaces, remove AC filter while treating with order bomb. you may need second treatment but at end it clears out all smell.
Gentle headliner cleaning and steam, interior and carpet clean, then hit it with ozium spray. I've had HUGE success using this method. I don't run from cigarette smell cars anymore.
My best experience is to just shampoo the rugs....gently headliner, clean hard plastic with glass cleaner....febreze works too on rugs, headliner and seats...but i smoke so it's a moot point
Fantastic video. I took my Hyundai Sonata to the dealership to find and remove a rodent. They removed the rodent, but not the smell. They recommended taking the car to a detail shop. I used the steps here, including purchasing an ozone generator, and the smell is gone. Thanks for the video!
I actually sprayed and soaked down the entire car with Hydrogen Peroxide with a spray bottle. I sprayed down the headliners, the doors, the seats, the dashboard, the vents, the carpets everything. Then I tuned the heat on high and let in run for a few hours! It did work immensely well! Peroxide has the extra oxygen molecule.
Thanks for the good advice. Personally I dislike car fresheners etc a lot but a "car dealer trick" that works is to put one (1) drop of aftershave under each floor mat. Enough to freshen up but small enough to not be noticeable. Works for a surprisingly long time (I usually do about twice a year but varies with temperature and usage). (This limited amount has never caused any dog to hesitate to go inside the car, even a dog that was well known to dislike car rides jumped gladly in once it's owner opened the door - he had never seen it happen before).
Lysol definitely good for getting rid of the mold smell out of vent ducts.... Ozone is certainly the way to go. I'd also recommend a good carpet shampoo (wet vac). Washes out the tar of the fabric and cleans as you go. As a quick fix I find Fabreeze natural or linen does a good job of neutralizing without adding a strong perfume smell (works well on wet dogs as well).
Thank you for this valuable information. I have a10 year old car that has been smoked in off and on over the years. Being a smoker I couldn't smell the smoke when I drove the car frequently but when I drove the other car for a couple of weeks I could smell the old smoke and it was bad. To mske matters worst I got the car painted and the smell of the paint combined with the old cigarette smoke and the car really stank. I did a deep cleaning of the all the surfaces with the products recommended and purchased the ozone machine you recommended. Followed the directions you gave almost exactly but wasn't able to change the air filter or spay into the ducts. I then had a non smoker get into the car and they claimed they smelled nothing. Had to take the car in to get the air conditioner filter changed and the shop man stated he smelled nothing in the car. So, it worked and I was told the filter was filthy so I now have an odorless car. and plan to keep it that way. It will be treated like the new car.........no smoking! I'm sure if the little car could talk, it would say it had been detailed by a pro.
Citrus based cleaners like Zep work great on cigarette tar on hard surfaces, but the carpets, headliner, and cloth seats are where the odors hide. I put a Zep/soap/ HOT water solution in a handheld portable carpet cleaner. If you're a very sensitive nose type, you'll never get rid of it completely, but shampooing the soft surfaces makes a huge difference
Ozium been my go to for my personal cars years, (and when I used to smoke in my first.) And as one who works on cleaning rentals, there's been many times I wish they would give us an Ozone Generator with some of those ashtray, hotbox and wet beach fluffy returns.
When I got one of my trucks it smelled like a mix of weed and cigarettes. I threw plain charcoal under the bench seat and some cedar wood chips on the dash. Left the windows cracked in the summer sun and it got the smell out. After a week the cedar smell went away too and the truck didn't smell like anything after that. 10/10 recommend
I use an O-Zone generator. It works for everything in the car 🚗 and in the 🏠 house. I also use a Steamer and a rage to clean most my car’s interior with.
Years ago, I moved into an apartment, which the leasing office claimed had a new carpet put in there. The carpet must have been left in a factory where the workers smoked a few packs a day. I got an ozone generator, based on some articles that I had read. It completely eliminated the cigarette odors. It made the apartment smell a little funky for a few days, but I wasn't moving in immediately, anyways. Just left the windows open for about 48 hours and it was good.
I've smoked in my car several times though I'm not a habitual smoker . Best way to get rid of the smoke smell is to sit in your car in 100 degree temp. Should smell like balls after
This comment is underrated😂😂😂💯🔥
HAHA!!
@@thornless9073 roasted
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Lmfao
As a former smoker, after I quit, I couldn't believe how bad my car, smelled. This video is helpful. Thanks.
I know this is an old comment, but YAS! I smoked after hitting around age 21, and quit smoking cigs exactly 4 years ago this summer. I'm 32 btw, but I am honestly disgusted in myself for smoking. I've washed my clothes enough and bought more that my things don't smell anymore, but.. I had to move into my mom's old house after she passed to take care of my dad and they only quit smoking a year after I did, mostly because of my daughter, which is why I quit too. But MAN. their house was in total disarray and the smoke smell was ATROCIOUS! In the car, in the house, and especially in my mom's room since she never worked, only my dad did. So I've been working on taking the smell out of the house and cars. It's been a very, very overwhelming process.
I'd say I'm a fairly heavy smoker (not chain but pretty close) and even I notice the smoke smell in my car 😬
@@joshualawton57
Likewise... I was a 2 pack a day smoker. Going on 3 years smoke free. I have to admit, I still get the urge to light up occasionally.
I keep telling my mom how bad her cigarettes smell in the car and she never believes me 🤦🏻♀️
@@zoeytudovic5424 yeah dude, I gave my truck to a mechanic to fix and spent $2000 for him to fix the engine... -_- I got it back two months later and I can’t even get into my truck, it smells so bad. I hope the resale value of my truck hasn’t diminished... I have had it for 14 years and only now has it been in this condition... I’m so pissed
Thank you for not clickbaiting and not making me hate you
I was relieved as well
Thanks for making this video. I bought an ozone generator and it worked like a charm! My two year old Hyundai now has no detectable odors. With my asthma, I did not want to mask the odors with perfumes. This is a great solution!
I agree with the use of 0 Odor, I have had success with it.
I think what you did with the HVAC system is fine, but I would like to add one extra step. On many modern cars the blower fan is easily accessible: usually mounted to the duct work and located under the dash (right side, in the vicinity of the glove box. Usually there are a few screws holding it in and 1 or 2 wire connectors. So this is easily removable. Removed one from a Mustang in less than 5 minutes. This allows you to clean the blower fan thoroughly. You
can reach in to the duct work and clean the smoke residue.
This area of the duct work seems to collect the most residue. Any spray cleaner will do. I followed up with spraying some 0 Odor.
ZEP SMOKE ODOR REMOVER works amazing. Bought a Silverado last year that smelled like smoke. Looked it up and went to home Depot and bought some ZEP. Sprayed it all over in the truck, locked the door, left it for 12 hours. Do this 2-3 times, smoke odor completely gone, for almost a year now.
I am subscribing to the your channel just because of this comment.
@@julie_society Did it work? I too will subscribe if it works!
@@jayb9637 did it work?
@@Alan-zz3st Never tried it my friend. Bought a Silverado that was smoked it but ended up selling it and buying a different one. Figure it would be worth a try. Please let me know if it does if I ever encounter a smoked-in vehicle in the future! Thanks!
I just sprayed that in my intake under the passenger side dash. I did it about 3 times ran ac and heater. And cant smell it now. Was hoping it would last a long time. But wasnt sure
Steam cleaning can work wonders for removing built up smoke film on fabrics, headliner, and trim pieces as well.
Agreed 100%
@Sydney Kenney "You can steam leather car seats, but don't do it too frequently. Excess moisture and heat can shrink leather over time (5).May 1, 2021"
Oh So Spotless · Autoblog
Wasn't sure, did a quick search. Looks like you can. I know with headliners you do have to be a bit careful with the adhesive.
Let’s get down to brass tacks here. How much for the gingerbread man?
Hugh Jafro that’s what I’m taking bout
I am a child. I was thinking "lets get down to business" but was dissapointed
😂👏
Long ago I was advised by a service manager that a large part of the problem is due to people smoking in their vehicles with the A/C and recirculation on. With the recirc off, the smoke exits out of the rear vents of the vehicle. But if recirc is on, then the smoke gets drawn into the ventilation system and deposits in the evaporator and less so on the ventilation tubes. Once the system is poisoned with enough smoke, every time the A/C is turned on the air picks up the awful smoke smell from the smoke deposits in the evaporator, even if recirc is off. So in addition of Mr. Samcrac's cleaning techniques you will have to replace the evaporator and maybe take apart the dash and clean the ventilation tubes. Ozone reacts with the smoke residue trying to reduce its odor, but it won't compare to complete removal by cleaning. I suspect that smoke deposits on the heater core play a role in this too.
Also smoking with their windows up or only cracked. That's probably the BIGGEST cause. I always drive with my driver window open more than a crack, even in winter. When I smoke my windows goes down at least half way, all the way at red lights, arm out the window. In summer, I turn off recirc while I'm smoking. And I spray either Lysol or smoke odor spray under the passenger deck with recirc on, both in summer and winter and let it run for a out 15 mins. It really keeps the smoke odor away. I also try to get leather seats so the ashes as smoke aren't soaking into the fabric. Changing the cabin air filter once a year is a huge help too.
@@amylathrop8329you may think your car does not smell like smoke but chances are it smells of cigarettes. Smoking cigarettes damages sense of smell, creates inflammation and mutagenic with carcinogenic effects while destructive to the sensory systems. Smokers essentially destroy their olfactory.
I took your advice and bought the ozone machine you linked from amazon and I gotta say: THANK YOU! I bought a car that smelled like a cigar on wheels and after scrubbing down the interior, changing the cabin filter and using the machine.. the smell is GONE. Thank you for the content, I really do appreciate you!
How long did it last? Do you have to keep doing it?
@zg19 what did you use to scrub down interior? And how long did you leave the ozone running?
@@s7337 I bought a generic interior spray foam from autozone that’s came with a brush head nozzle. And when I used the ozone machine I just followed the instructions. I did run the machine a few more times a day later just to double tap. But the smell was gone!
@@deriegle I ran the machine a few times as a safekeep and the smell didn’t come back for me. It’s been almost 2 years now and I can’t smell the cigar/cigarette smell anymore
@@BmanSanti19 bet
#1 should be replacing the cabin air filter
Put a ventilated container with activated carbon near intake vent works too
Digimon!
What if the car doesn’t have a cabin air filter?
@@hard2dealwit then don't replace it?
shekira wills all cars come with some sort of cabin air filter
One thing I did to do more than just get rid of the odors: I stripped the interior.
The headliner will have ash and other stains on it. So will the visors, the seats, the carpet... etc. Removing the seats is easy. I took the seats out, the carpet out, I shampooed the carpet completely, sprayed on odor neutralizer (similar to Febreze but not even $10/gal at Lowes). Then let it sit out in the sun for a day to dry. The headliner, I cleaned with my Bissel hand-held carpet shampooer. It was filthy and stunk so it was either getting ripped out or cleaned - it WORKED and looks like new! Same thing with the sun visors. With the seats, I actually took the covers off and SOAKED THE SEAT FOAM with odor neutralizer, then used the Bissel to suck it up, then let them dry in the sun. The covers, I turned inside out and hosed down, then sprayed odor neutralizer on. Then again, a day in the sun to dry. The leather was no worse for the wear.
I'm guessing that it is the UV rays from the sun that's helping deodorize. An old dry cleaner's trick (I learned it from an old dry cleaner) is to put Hydrogen Peroxide on a stain and set it in the sun. The extra oxygen atom in ozone oxidizes the resins that smell bad in smoke residue, or sort of burns it. Who knows? Maybe Hydrogen Peroxide could eliminate odors.
@@garylangley4502 Hydrogen Peroxide works in the same way a ozone generator would. H2O2 -> H2O + O , while O3 -> O2 + O . In both cases, an oxygen molecule is released and oxidizes the smoke byproducts.
I've been a detailer for 18 years and you are spot-on Sam this is the only way to get cigarette smoke out and even then sometimes it doesn't work depending on how bad the car is
do you think this would work for a car with a somewhat strong dog odor
Cabin filters need to be replaced too.. I did a burnout with my car and it smelled like burnt rubber for months till I replaced the cabin filter.. people forget about theses
Funny. I did a lot of burnouts in my first FWD car and the smell never stuck more than 30 min.
On the other hand, I never even tried changing the filter, so it might be, there wasn't even one
It might help but certainly doesnt eliminate the cigarette smoke, my car still has that smell after about 4 weeks, I think just time and airing the car with windows down periodically is the only way it will get rid of the smell
@@oliviajohnston5904 an extractor will get rid of the smell!!
Hi, I have a couple things to say:
Commercial Odor Eliminators work much better than traditional store bought ones. The key is that they need to make wet contact. So you need to get wet every spot that cigarette smoke has bonded too. Professionals use a ULV fogger to accomplish this, which makes very small sized particles of whatever you are fogging.
The product you mention with a packet that you slide into a sponge, that is CLO2. It is the same principle as O3, different chemical as the oxidizer. It is actually a much faster oxidizer and therefore will work more quickly, and is a smaller molecule also. The promo product you showed is long duration, low volume product, not suitable for odor elimination quickly.
Using Ozone (or Chlorine Dioxide, CLO2) there is NO benefit to leaving a window cracked. It will also be much more effective doing it overnight, or in a dark garage as the suns UV rays break down the particles much faster, before they can totally fill the space.
You never touched on Thermal fogging which is arguable the most effective (and expensive) way of eliminating odor. An oil based deodorizer is heated and vaporized, and will penetrate anywhere smoke smell will.
Will this work with all sources of bad smells? I bought a car that has been sitting and it has an old smell to it
@@macknumber9 Yes
Yes the fogger is the best , professional mitigation companies use it to remove mold smells . Or if there body decomp it removes any smell
@@macknumber9 a lot of times that “old” smell has a lot of cigarette smell to it. Remove your console and interior plastics and you’ll find dust,ashes, dead skin, etc
The fogger hurts my chest… my Honda dealership just popped a fogger after they told me they would use ozone. I told them NO CHEMICALS!!! They totally lied. I can’t drive this thing and my chest feels tight. It’s a certified 2020 Honda CRV with 20K miles… like wtf
Parsons Ammonia. I wouldn't use the sudsy, but just the normal. Mix the recommended amount with water. Clean everything in the car with it. The headliner would be the hard part. I guess the easiest way would be to spray it on and pull it back out with a shop vac. Same with the carpet, but you can wet the carpet and vacuum it good. I would suggest pulling the seats out of the car, so you can get to the carpet under them and the foam on the bottoms of the seats. That will also make cleaning the rest of the interior easier as well.
About 20 years ago, a good friend lost his home to a fire. All of the children's clothes were ruined by the smoke and water damage, but were still in good shape otherwise. We loaded them all up in the back of the truck and brought them to my house and piled them up on the porch. They smelled awful. While they were trying to find another place to live and dealing with their problems, I washed all of the kids' clothes with Parsons Ammonia. I followed up with a normal washing and drying. I had my doubts that it would work, but the smoke smell was completely gone. The mother was so pleased that I had managed to save thousands of dollars worth of clothes and they did not have to spend time shopping for them when they had so many other things to take care of.
Your Ozone Generator instructions seem bang-on from what I've seen in the interior reconditioning industry
Alright, I had to come back and thank you. I bought a 2007 Corvette with an absolutely heinous cigarette smoke smell. As bad as it gets. I tried baking soda and all the chemicals which didn't even touch it. Followed your directions to the letter. Bought the Ozone generator you linked on sale for $60. Unreal. Worked spectacularly.
Curious as to why you would buy a car with such a bad smell in the first place...
All you need is ammonia it is cheap. I first used it in the first house my hubby and I bought after we married! We cleaned carpet and every surface of the house and it made no difference. I was told about ammonia. It said to put it in a bowl and sit it in the middle of the room I did this for weeks as we didn’t live in the house until 2 months after we bought it! I spilled the bowl by tripping on it so I just got some old mugs and filled them 1/2 way and put them in window sills all over the house. It worked! My hubby was lucky as I said there was no way I was living in That house with the smoke smell! Then we bought a used car that had belonged to a chain smoker it was a company car! So we got it cheaper than advertised as it smelled so bad!!! We knew we could clean it and use the ammonia and it would be fine. So we used the mug trick with ammonia again. This time I put mug in cup holder when driving and when car was still I sat them on floor mats in from seat and back seats and in cargo area. Wasn’t long say a week with sun and ammonia working together that the smell went away! A bottle of ammonia is very cheap! No cost of expensive products or a ozone machine! If the smell is too strong for you while driving, put ammonia containers in your house when using the car ! It’s magic!
I’ve tried this all as well. The ozone machine works for 3-4 days, but that’s it. The smell still comes back. The only way to not have a smoker car, is to avoid it like the plaque. I ended up selling mine after 2 months of ownership. The stuffy nose and red eyes everyday because of this filthy habit was ridiculous.
I absolutely agree with your assessment of the ozone generator. I bought a great Jeep Patriot but it had belonged to a smoker. I purchased an ozone generator and had to use it 3 times along with replacing the ac filter (with activated carbon added) and the result was spectacular, like a new car. I also use it in my RV in the spring for getting rid of that musty smell from over wintering. Great video thanks for posting.
Did you use it 3 times and that was it? You never needed it again?
@@kooperkessler6387 I use the generator every spring to freshen the interior of the Jeep and the RV. I also use it on a home made Ozone sterilizer that I keep in the garage. It cleans everything that comes into the house during the Pandemic. We clean groceries to incoming mail (everything) before it enters the house. Just don't breath the Ozone it kills anything organic including the lining of your lungs in high enough doses.
I know it’s a old post . But there is no such thing as a Great Jeep Patriot . I’m a automotive tech of 18 years. I’ve worked on plenty.
@@myboy051 All I can say is that this one has never failed me and I do all the maintenance.
Ozone machines weaken fabrics, but not immediately. So over time, your seat fabric and carpet will be more prone to holes and ripping. I would try other options first if you have them. And not overuse the ozone machines.
30 years in the biz and you are100% correct. I've done it all. One other method i tried in a cigar bomb car was 2 bags of hickory charcoal. Split the bags open one in front and one in the rear. Put it in the hot sun and shut it up completely for 2 days. 80% works. Then use the machine w 2 applications for a total of 2 hours. Great video Sammy!
Do you run the ozone generator with the AC blower on max?
How ozone works.. is an oxidizer three oxygen atoms together .. Oxygen dislikes threesoms. so when it finds a bad smell , one of the oxygen atoms hops off and oxidizes the chemicals causing the smell, breaking them down.. putting them out of commission. Good tip with the ozone generator :)
We used The Alpine Room Freshener. It has an adjustable ozone level feature. We used it on several vehicles, and it indeed did give satisfactory results. We used it in the house to remove heavy cooking odors. try to schedule a long day out, either away or overnight for running the Alpine unit. Then upon return, open all the doors and windows for several hours, with the A/C runningon high setting for persistent odors. WARNING, O3 will cause severe headaches for some people. If that occurs, go outside for relief. This was a good video presentation, Thanks.
Bought a car used. It smelled okay for a bit(dealership cleaned it okay) but a few weeks it smelled like cigs! Only think that truly helped was using a hot water extractor on all carpets, floorboards and seats in the car. The new cabin filter helped, and cheap odor absorbing gel containers, as well. But the extractor helped immensely.
Do you mean like a steam cleaner? Carpet cleaner but an attachment?
The only thing that completely gets rid of cigg odor is gasoline and a match.
but then you have that gasoline smell.
lostintime86 nope insurance totals the car and you get another one without the smell.
Carpe diem you just had to... 😂😂😂
Jimmy, you think they won't investigate that?
Or jacking it up and driving a new car under it.
Start at 7:10 for actual recommendations & instructions.
Thomas Burton thank you.
Thanks
Thank-you!
😂thank you!
Years ago, my dad bought a pickup truck from an old man. The guy smoked in it, and it took years for the smell to get out of it. He says that on a very hot and moist day, you can still smell cigarette smoke.
i've never smoked..you never get that smell out...you can mask it for a time and to some degree but it permeates fabric,heat/ac ducts..when i buy a used vehicle its the first thing that eliminates it
Great video! I love the take up smoking comment - brilliant. In the late 80's my dad purchased an old 73 Lincoln that someone had been smoking cigars in (remember those giant ash trays) and it took years for that smell to die down on it's own.
I USE NEUTRADOL IT IS GOOD
If left on to long or used to often. Those things will DESTROY anything rubber or plastic. The O3 comes in contact with e.i. Dash, seals, vinyl...
Will Deteriorate the cloth and plastic in your vehicle! I researched it for a home we bought from smokers.
My car was sold to me by a dealer as a non smoker.. when ever it gets really hot outside and the car heats up you can smell the smoke.
Same.
any way to get rid of it ?
Tech tip for AC cleaning. First krank the heat up on max. Re-circulation. It will dry the evap core and kill off a lot of the bacteria and other funky smells. I do it a few times every summer when I use Max AC regularly. Stops the growth and smell. Then after its dry, Id spray almost as much as you would like of that disinfectant into that AC intake.
I swapped the cabin air filter and used ozone spray. It worked surprisingly well.
Great information Sam.
Just to add:
I have use ozone treatment for my car and warn folks that ozone does react to certain plastics and if left on too long to ruin your trim. Also too much ozone can leave an ozone smell in the cabin and this is not what you want. It took me several days of leaving the car in the sun to break down the O3. But all smell eventual was gone! Also they are not cheap. My Alpine was close to $500. But I also use it for my home. Some places may rent these machines.
Define “too long”.
@dyneslair3158what a fuckin explanation man. Good job writing that brotha
I've ran these things for hours in cars with all types of trims and upholstery and have never once seen any damage. I would make not I'm not running a massive unit that would be more suitable for a house, but when it comes to these small toaster sized generators I think it's pretty safe.
@dyneslair3158 Leaf blower can be helpful to dissipate the residual ozone. Massive amounts of outside air works wonders and does so quickly.
@@SamcracI have run an ozonater in my garage to get rid of the smell from a trash can. The ozone caused cracks in the tires of my two bikes, those tires were new a month prior. The cracks were so bad I had to replace the tires. I also noticed that the tires on my car were not damaged by the ozone at all which made sense, otherwise they would deteriorate in sunlight.
All you need is a cookie sheet with an edge on it. Create a large surface area. Put ammonia on it. Shut the doors overnight or longer. Kills dead body smell too. Today ppl have forgotten how things get done
I tried everything to get rid of dead bosy snell ,when i worked for my moms cuzzin. Nothing worked. The smelk woukd come back.the onky thing ya can do. Is bury the shell body of the vehicle deep underground. I tried soaking the body of a 1979 trans am t top.yes one if the smoky and the bandit cars.some dbag stole it,overdosed in it. Apparently 6 months he was in that car smellin up the baddest car ive seen in movies. Human smell is the worst
Umm dead body smell??
@@Heyjaybird what?
JayBird G did u ever get the smell out of it?
Will this actually stop the car from smelling bad, or will it just make the car smell like ammonia? I don't have much experience cleaning with ammonia, I normally use bleach for the really heavy jobs and isopropanol for everything else.
I love all these people who say that "it's my car and I'll smoke in it if I want to!" I believe dealerships should knock a good chunk of money off trade in value for smoked in vehicles because not a lot of people want to buy vehicles that reek of that deadly toxic residue.
100% agreeing with you 👍
Umm… yeah they usually do lmao
if its cheaper because smoke smell ima buy it
I quit smoking cigarettes, definitely don’t want the smell in my car now that I can actually smell it 😩
How about just not buying a car that someone smoked in, that way the smokers can smoke in their car that they paid for, and the non-smokers that are shopping for cars just don’t buy a car that smell like smoke. See how easy that is, both the smoker and non smoker don’t tell each other how to live.
When i worked at the detail shop, the best thing you could ever do is just shampoo everything fabric. Thatll give you your best results. And the best chemical to use is deluted degreaser at 1 part dg and 3 parts water, but with that you need to find a spot out of the way that youll never see and test the cleaner to make sure you want pull the color out if your seats have been dyed
I’ve used an ozone generator 3 times in my car. Did not take the smoke odour away.
Did you change out the cabin filter?
I like to put a carpet drying fan in the car too. This essentially creates a hurricane inside the car, there are no dead zones where the ozone just did not reach. Putting it in the rear footwell so it forces air under the seat really helps if a seat is particularly odiferous.
*i smoked for 25 years and when i quit i immediately could NOT stand the smell of cigarette smoking. the best thing i found for getting smoke smell out is the in cabin air filter change and steam cleaning Ozum seems to help some too and your ionizer my as well i never really tried that to be honest but the steam cleaning goes a long way toward cleaning the smell out of cars. mostly because it's mostly the surfaces the smoke gathered on that makes the car smell. get rid of that, you get rid of the smell. the ozum and ionizer helps with the smoke smell in the vents too though*
Pet odor removers, Particularly those designed for cat urine, work well on smoke. I like Bissell's Pet with enzymes and oxy.
perfect timing i just bought my car a couple days ago and i try to remove some sort of smoke smell, Great video !
Did you get rid of the smell?
@3:20 (chloride) this will rust the inside of you car faster than anything I can think of. I'd be curious to hear if anyone noticed rust under their seats or on anything metal after using this. Try to get rid of the smoke smell and end up with a car that looks like it's been flooded. Awesome video thanks for the help.
A good way is to let a cat piss all over the seats and carpet then you'll forget all about the cigarette smell
You monster
Taelor Watson or let my mom sit in there.
Fkn hate that bitch
That is so funny!!
I used to have a cat. I took him in the car several times being really careful to put something waterproof underneath his basket. He never pissed in the car until I forgot the waterproof sheet. The car smelt of cat piss until I sold the car a year later.
Did it, didnt work
Can you make a Tutorial how to program keys? I don't want to pay the dealer $300.
JohnStax are u located on nyc ?
This would be helpful. My smart key is malfunctioning, and I don't want to shell out that much money for something that will take them a few minutes
most local hardware stores have keys for a fraction of the price. sadly unless its a key that's programed in the vehicle you need very expensive tools to program them.
all keys are not programmed the same so to make one tutorial for all of them will be impossible, tbh.
Buy it and follow the directions
Ozium has always done really well for me and Folex is a great cleaner for the interior of any vehicle.
Very good video; you point out that you must first clean everything in the vehicle then change the a/c filter and spray disinfectant in the a/c ducts while running the vehicle before using the ozone generator. Some vehicles have cabin filters too.
Spraying into the ducts doesn't do anything except temporarily make the air coming out smell like the spray. On most cars, the air recirculation intake is under the glove box. Roll up the windows, ac on high(but doesn't have to be on the coolest setting) spray the disinfectant under the glove box. Let it run about 15 minutes.
You were very concise and spot on with your tutorial. And, you're right most people do get the ionizer & ozone generator confused. Thanks good job
Thanks for the info. Great vid. Ozone is not itself carcinogenic. It displaces oxygen like CO but more accurately it changes the existing O2 (which our cells use) to O3. You can suffocate while respirating normally in those conditions like you mentioned. I restore derelict homes and have access to an ozone generator. I will use it my car having seen your thoughtful video.
I bought a car and it smelled like coffee. It just about made me sick to be in it. Ended up letting a friend that smokes drive it for 2 weeks now its fine. Never test drive a used car with a salesperson drinking coffee.
72+HourBOB lol, i actually like it. It's like the smell of starbucks when you go through their door. I buy coffee beans, grind them and put them in sheets of cloth.
Gotta try that - coffee and cigarettes are 2 of my favorite food groups! :-)
@@randymorobitto5453 you mean drugs
By far the worst car I ever tried to clean was/is my '06 Civic. Was never cleaned once in its life, previous owner was a smoker. There was also ground in skin oils and other presumably biological stains in there. I paid so little for the car that I could just part it out and make money, but I figured I'd try my hand at detailing it.
A spray bottle with diluted Gain (Thai Dragonfruit Febreze smell), a stiff brush and a 5hp shop vac were my tools. Spray down the fabric, rub it with the brush, vacuum it up. Repeat ad nauseum.
8 hours of cleaning later, there were a couple of cig burns, but aside from that the car smelled nice and looked very presentable.
A couple months and 5k miles down the road, it needs to be cleaned again, but it's just normal "I haven't vacuumed it in 5k miles and have a 4 year old" level of dirty. Tobacco smell is not present to my nose.
Try that, folks. It's nearly free if you already have a shop vac... and if you don't you need one anyways.
Man just take the seats out and spray them with water. Becareful to unhook any electrical lines under the seat. Its easy they are fittings that you cant plug up wrong. 4 bolts is all that holds most seats in. Spray them down good with water then spray them with simple green made for the house not the auto and then spray it with high pressure water from your hose or go to the car wash and fo it all if you have a buddy with a truck. In texas in the summer they will be dry in a few hours. Might as well pull the carpet too ehile your at it. A few screws and popping the plastic trim off to get to the seat belts. they are sometimes star drives. Tough to get out without an air ratchet. But it can be done. Fo the same thing to clean the carpet as you did the seats. Helps to have a board you can nail the carpet to and hang it up so the filth runs off. You will be shocked at how nasty seats and carpet are in a vehicle. Grew up on a used car lot. Youre welcome.
Baking soda has traditionally been used to eliminate odors. Leaving an open box somewhere, like you would in a refrigerator might have some benefit.
Nope. I smoked 35 yrs a pk a day
My car doesnt fit in my fridge.
@@pauljones6791 funny
I bought a car smelled like cigs placed 4 boxes of baking soda. And after a couple days it was gone.
Toasty Just sprinkle baking soda all over your seats and carpets and vacuum a few days later
Febreeze actually does work on a different principle than just masking the smell with a better one. But I still don't think Febreeze will totally remove smoking smell. Without removing the source of the smell (the carpets and plastic that it is on and in) tough to get it all gone.
The absolute best method is to take up smoking, and you won't notice the smell :D
Febreeze leaves a sickening smell. And it doesn't "remove" anything, but merely recoats it. Absolutely gross.
i couldnt get the smell of blunts out of my car.
switched to bowls and used a Meguiras new car smell bomb and its been gone for 2 months so far.
The comment I’ve been looking for
I have bought a lot of cars that had cigarette odors in them. What do I do if I just get soap and water and clean the carpet and interior out clean everything up and let it air out for a while and they odor will go away
Using that could damage the interior, and can leave stains to you car! I wouldn't do it
This won’t work all the time. People smoke in their car in different ways as well. If the smoker barely cracks their windows and smokes half a pack on their way home, then the smell will never leave. But if it’s only an occasional cigarette and they properly air out their vehicle it will be much more manageable.
Cnsln, it can damage the interior though
This works I've done it soap and water a brush and a microfiber cloth for the headliner also replace cabin filter takes about a day and smells brand new however u really gotta clean the seats and door panels pretty much anything smoke can land on
Its fine to clean a car interior with soap and water if you are careful. I've done it a few times. Its best make sure there is no electronics on the floor first, then just wash it. Don't leave it wet all day, but wash it, then get as much water out as possible with some type of vacuum.
Do this on the hottest, driest day possible, and leave it in the sun, and it will be dry in a few hours.
Steam vacuum cleaner is also effective if the materials are not too fragile especially the roof sky (Headliner)
Xavier Ancarno roof sky? Headliner???
Javier Hernandez sorry not English native speaker
Javier Hernandez in French we call it a “Ciel de toit” = Roof Sky
Xavier Ancarno it's alright I just never heard it like that before.
Xavier Ancarno Interesting. The more you know. That's the first time I've seen that too.
I bought one for a couple of vehicles my husband had to sell. One of the vehicles had a heavy, heavy chain smoker and the other one had, I guess small children. It had the whole back seat and area of spoiled milk. I had both vehicles professionally detailed and when they came back, I tried the Ozone Generator in both. It made it better at best. Thanks for the video.
Okay, so did you have to sell the car because the smell kept returning?
Clean the carpet.
I use hot water in a bottle I can squirt with (like a dish soap bottle or put a hole in a soda/water bottle). Squirt the water onto a small spot while sucking it up with a ShopVac. For stains, I let it soak in a couple seconds. If it doesn’t remove the stain, treat the spot with a tiny bit of soap/cleaner (type used is dependent on the individual stain).
You want to avoid soaking the mat under the carpet, so don’t drench it (hence small spots and minimal soak time).
Water is one of the best solvents, and hot water alone can lift up the majority of stains. It’s odorless, and physically removes a lot of the crap generating smells. Using this method has drastically cut the smells in the cars I’ve used it on.
Plus, if you already have a ShopVac (a relatively strong wet/dry vac), using water is virtually free; costing only time. I’ve also done this on cloth seats, with more care taken to not soak the foam under the cloth.
I wouldn’t suggest using it on headliners since it can cause the adhesive to fail (saggy/droopy headliner).
He's exactly right. I had a rental house with cigarette smell that wouldn't go away for two years despite repainting, new floor, and carpet cleaning. I used one of these machines for a day and it was gone instantly, and there's no hint of it coming back months later. Then lent it to a friend to fix their stinky house with the same results. They raved about it and plan on getting one of their own.
Thank you SO very much. Purchased ozone generator through link...arrived quickly...worked just as stated. Amazed after the heavy cigarette smell we were dealing with. 🙏
Does it go away forever or just temporarily?
@@kooperkessler6387 I’ve had it come back BUT...I didn’t run the air when I did it...I found out from the mechanic that the original owner was a cigar smoker (smell is a little worse than cigarette) and it’s been garaged for a good couple months; windows up and all. I only did it once in the time that we’ve had it. I plan on running it again but with the air so it gets the filters too. Hoping for a much longer outcome.
I use Obsession Cologne by Calvin Klien in my Mustang, S-Class and my Tahoe. It's phenomenal! I get so many compliments despite my husband and I being smokers for the past 25 years. We run 2 of those ozone machines in the house and you'd never know smokers live here.
Smoke causes cancer 🎗️
@@worldchangingvideos6253
So ridiculous listening to smokers advise, dude, you literally have no sense of smell left.
I used this very same Ozone generator on a car that was in a metal storage building that caught on fire. The windows were down and the smoke and dirt was very heavy. Three cycles of this machine nearly completely eliminated the stink.
My mechanic ex husband always sprayed them in the AC intake with the recirculation ON.
Usually he used Ozium Citrus scent to deal with his cigarette smoke smell in the AC unit as the regular maintenance. The under the hood he only did when it was time for us to trade the car in.
For the upholstery the best thing I ever found has been Windex. Spray it & let it sit for a few seconds or a minute then use a toothbrush or scrub brush the rub with a towel.
So spray windex in the car vents with air circulation on? And wipe the vents with a towel or what is you saying…???
I've had really good success with shampooing the carpets and roof liner. I bought a car with really bad cigarette smell. I probably went overboard, but I took the seats, carpet, and dash (I needed to remove it anyway). Then shampooed everything and cleaned the floor. I let the carpets and seats dry and put them back in. I really didn't have any smells.
Admitedly, that's a lot of work just for smell. I was doing it for additional reasons, it all had to come out anyway so I did it along the way.
Worked at a hotel for a few years, housekeeping used one of those ozone generators in rooms that people had smoked in.
Also let me say this, weed smoke is WAY easier to get rid of than cigarette/tobacco smoke. Its way more pungent at first, but the smell dies down after a little while. Cigarette smoke, man that shit just lingers forever.
Omg you’re so right 🙄
I used an ozone on my car and it only removed some of the smell. It wasn't until i used a Dakota odor bomb that it went away.
Where do you buy that at?
did you replace your cabin air filter? I bet that thing is nasty from cigs
Yes? Did you watch the video?
Um maybe a diagram would better illustrate. As that pulls the air from outside.
8:35
that is the outside air intake filter. there is another one for the inside of the car when the car is in recirculate too. they are not the same thing
Thanks so much...i bought a used truck about a month ago. When I looked at it the air was cool and the windows were open (now I know why)..I noticed a smell of cigarettes but thought it wasn't that bad....well turns out after sitting with the windows up it was bad....I tried everything the past few weeks and it temporarily masked the smell.... after watching your video I bought that machine....it worked.... thanks so much!!!!!!
9:20 for ozone generator procedure.
Thanks! I have same unit and it does work amazingly!
Thank You, American beauty.
A few notes on ozone:
Never use it when upholstery is wet. This can bleach the upholstery!
Over use of ozone can dry out and damage upholstery. This is especially true of leather.
Leave the windows cracked all the time. Works like a charm.
I'm a smoker and never had an issue with my cars smelling bad, I think it is because I never smoke with the windows closed. It is disgusting to do that!
@@nnahler smokers dont smell the smoke .
@@nnahler my dad used to smoke with the windows down but it still stank
Cibs H I totally agree BUT I have had many a Non-smoker say my car doesn’t smell like smoke so I’m not sure what the deal is.
@@immortal_morty1347 like hell! I smoke and I can smell it! Although, I don't smoke with my windows closed, always at least ¾ of the way open and I use a portable ashtray instead of the car ashtray (that's for change and little things)!
We had a similar machine when I worked at a Chrysler lot as a teen. It would work great on trades for a few months but eventually the deep doors within the cushioning would work its way out and, although not as strong, customers would return with complaints and we would have to run it again. It was probably made worse by the heat and humidity of FL but the dealership began cutting the trade-in offer for “smokey” cars so that they could simply pass them off to a wholesaler without a loss - no longer putting them on the lot. That was a while back, though, so the technology may have improved.
Dealerships really should all cut their offers significantly for vehicles that smell like smoke because these vehicles are not worth nearly as much as a vehicle that was not smoked in.
I can only imagine that someone who is really struggling financially would settle for a smoke contaminated car but personally I have only buy new vehicles because of cigarette people and dogs that may have been in it before.
@@awzsdrcfgybhjimklp new cars give off that new car odor known as indoor air pollution from the off gassing of material used in the car. Last new car, had to air it out for days to lower That new car odor. ps most people do not smoke now days.
Very Informative. Bought a truck recently and while the guy wasn't a heavy smoker but he used some sort of sweet smelling cover scent. That's almost worse than the cigarettes. I bought the ozone generator which is helpful and the only thing I haven't done is clean the carpets and headliner which is next.
Thanks!
Solution is at 7:23 for those who want to skip and get straight to the point
For cars that don't have a cabin filter, you can spray Lysol in the screened in section between the windshield and the firewall...where the windshield wipers are. Usually on the passenger side, you'll see a screened section under the top of the hood. This is also called the "cowl" section.
my mom sprayed air freshener in AC intake and paint and chrome peeled off vents and dash
@@lg5221 That's why you need to use Lysol, the propellants for most air freshener is corrosive.
@@lg5221 Do you mean plastic faux chrome?
I'm pretty sure all cars have a cabin filter my man, I put shake and vac (don't know if you get that in America) on the same area you mom does and smells lovely for months
@@francisquigley2161I got a 04 mustang gt no cabin filter.
The coffee bean trick that Salomondrin only worked for him cause he smoked weed in his car not cigarettes.
ASAP Z weed smell doesn’t linger the same like cigarettes
yes it does
@@tarzan6405 yeah ok! Lol!
@@4pfkillacuh405 only if you're the chronic 😁
weed does not last like cigarette smoke otherwise all your kids would be grounded
Back in the '90s, my mother bought a used car from a smoker. She detailed the interior and put a bunch of those vanilla air fresheners all over the car. No more odor.
sometimes the smell can be elimated by just doing that and having the windows open overnight.
I am a smoker and when I wash my car and want to clean the inside and remove the smell, I fix a small bucket of hot water& white vinegar (vinegar being 75% of the solution)with Dawn dish liquid and wipe all the hard surfaces, then wipe the carpets and other soft places. This will also clean the windows like magic. It will smell like vinegar for a couple of days but it is amazing. Now that I watched this video, I plan to buy an Ozone Generator to further freshen my car. Thanks for the information.
My 2006 GMC Envoy Denali did not come with a factory installed air filter. We took the whole area under the glove box apart. I have however found a video that shows you how to install your own. It does in-tail some cutting, but I think it is something we are going to look into. I love my Denali but the stale smell from years of a previous owner smoking in it had driven me nuts for over 5 years. I've tried everything to get it out. Shampooed carpets, deep cleaned, sprayed into the outside Air condition vet and used the micro sprays. Going to try the Ozone machine again for a longer period of time and try to retro fit the cabin vent.
Great video subject. Smoke odor is one of the most difficult to remove.
Sam thanks for another great video. I've seen a few detailers on UA-cam 0lacing their ozone generators outside the car, a dryer duct tube feeding into an open window and then it's sealed with foam or self adhesive carpet protection film. This appears to allow the pros to leave the car off, seal the car up and provide as much outside air to the generator as possible.
Another thought is if the car has fold down rear seat access to the trunk, run the ozone generator cord between the rear seats into the trunk and then put the seats back up. Run the extension cord into the trunk, connect the extension cord, and then close the trunk. Trunk seals usually have more give than door seals.
Good video but the ozone generator link is broken?
As much as I think using ozone is a great plan to remove odors, and it works! You should probably try limiting exposure to you cars interiour as it reacts with various materials in your car and can make plastic rubber etc brittle over time, it can take a year or two to show any problems after a treatment, just use ozone as much as needed to get rid of the smells and no more.
After removing AC filter and cleaning carpet and all surfaces, I used Meguiare's order bomb (new car smell) as instructed. After the treatment with first bomb, there was mild cigarette smell. So I tried second one, as manufacturer mentioned. I have this car since two years and the car never had cigarette smell. I am very sensitive to this smell. This order bomb works, key is thoroughly clean carpet and all surfaces, remove AC filter while treating with order bomb. you may need second treatment but at end it clears out all smell.
If you just keep smoking, you'll never notice it...lol
John Hull smoke weed it’s residue ain’t as bed lol
Hahahaha
@@tarzan6405 Weed smells 10 times worse than cigarettes! WTF are you talking about?
@@juljasmaharchive lolololol
Lol
Gentle headliner cleaning and steam, interior and carpet clean, then hit it with ozium spray. I've had HUGE success using this method. I don't run from cigarette smell cars anymore.
I have a steamer and was wondering, Looking forward to cleaning the car, it smells like a old hotel room or Budget rental car...
My best experience is to just shampoo the rugs....gently headliner, clean hard plastic with glass cleaner....febreze works too on rugs, headliner and seats...but i smoke so it's a moot point
Fantastic video. I took my Hyundai Sonata to the dealership to find and remove a rodent. They removed the rodent, but not the smell. They recommended taking the car to a detail shop. I used the steps here, including purchasing an ozone generator, and the smell is gone. Thanks for the video!
I actually sprayed and soaked down the entire car with Hydrogen Peroxide with a spray bottle. I sprayed down the headliners, the doors, the seats, the dashboard, the vents, the carpets everything. Then I tuned the heat on high and let in run for a few hours! It did work immensely well! Peroxide has the extra oxygen molecule.
Did the Hydrogen Peroxide stain any materials??...
Thanks for the good advice.
Personally I dislike car fresheners etc a lot but a "car dealer trick" that works is to put one (1) drop of aftershave under each floor mat. Enough to freshen up but small enough to not be noticeable. Works for a surprisingly long time (I usually do about twice a year but varies with temperature and usage). (This limited amount has never caused any dog to hesitate to go inside the car, even a dog that was well known to dislike car rides jumped gladly in once it's owner opened the door - he had never seen it happen before).
Lysol definitely good for getting rid of the mold smell out of vent ducts.... Ozone is certainly the way to go. I'd also recommend a good carpet shampoo (wet vac). Washes out the tar of the fabric and cleans as you go. As a quick fix I find Fabreeze natural or linen does a good job of neutralizing without adding a strong perfume smell (works well on wet dogs as well).
Looking forward to this video. Sadly will come in handy lol.
Ballsack Barry I don't smoke. I have had cars where the previous owner had, unfortunately.
Ballsack Barry it's all good, have a good day as well
Thank you for this valuable information. I have a10 year old car that has been smoked in off and on over the years. Being a smoker I couldn't smell the smoke when I drove the car frequently but when I drove the other car for a couple of weeks I could smell the old smoke and it was bad. To mske matters worst I got the car painted and the smell of the paint combined with the old cigarette smoke and the car really stank. I did a deep cleaning of the all the surfaces with the products recommended and purchased the ozone machine you recommended. Followed the directions you gave almost exactly but wasn't able to change the air filter or spay into the ducts. I then had a non smoker get into the car and they claimed they smelled nothing. Had to take the car in to get the air conditioner filter changed and the shop man stated he smelled nothing in the car. So, it worked and I was told the filter was filthy so I now have an odorless car. and plan to keep it that way. It will be treated like the new car.........no smoking! I'm sure if the little car could talk, it would say it had been detailed by a pro.
Citrus based cleaners like Zep work great on cigarette tar on hard surfaces, but the carpets, headliner, and cloth seats are where the odors hide. I put a Zep/soap/ HOT water solution in a handheld portable carpet cleaner. If you're a very sensitive nose type, you'll never get rid of it completely, but shampooing the soft surfaces makes a huge difference
Thanks for posting! As someone who's grossed out by and allergic to chemicals in cigarette smoke, I find this to be very useful.
Ozium been my go to for my personal cars years, (and when I used to smoke in my first.) And as one who works on cleaning rentals, there's been many times I wish they would give us an Ozone Generator with some of those ashtray, hotbox and wet beach fluffy returns.
When I got one of my trucks it smelled like a mix of weed and cigarettes. I threw plain charcoal under the bench seat and some cedar wood chips on the dash. Left the windows cracked in the summer sun and it got the smell out. After a week the cedar smell went away too and the truck didn't smell like anything after that. 10/10 recommend
What do you mean by plain charcoal? BBQ charcoal?
Fozzy Ozzy Lol like regular charcoal. You know you can buy charcoal right?
I use an O-Zone generator. It works for everything in the car 🚗 and in the 🏠 house. I also use a Steamer and a rage to clean most my car’s interior with.
Years ago, I moved into an apartment, which the leasing office claimed had a new carpet put in there. The carpet must have been left in a factory where the workers smoked a few packs a day. I got an ozone generator, based on some articles that I had read. It completely eliminated the cigarette odors. It made the apartment smell a little funky for a few days, but I wasn't moving in immediately, anyways. Just left the windows open for about 48 hours and it was good.