How to get rid of cigarette smoke smell

[RJL1]

Bought the below listed used '18 1500. Seems the previous owner smoked in the vehicle. I've never smoked and can't stand the stale smell of the cigarettes.

Any fool proof ways to get rid of the stench?

 

[Veritas726]

Bought the below listed used '18 1500. Seems the previous owner smoked in the vehicle. I've never smoked and can't stand the stale smell of the cigarettes.

Any fool proof ways to get rid of the stench?

Clean everything well, seats carpet, headliner and plastic. Trouble comes from the air ducts. If you have a cabin filter, replace it. I haven’t tried it but I believe the best route to take is an ozone machine treatment. I’ve heard of great success with smoke damage smells going away with those machines.


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[duckman631]

Bought the below listed used '18 1500. Seems the previous owner smoked in the vehicle. I've never smoked and can't stand the stale smell of the cigarettes.

Any fool proof ways to get rid of the stench?

rent an ozone machine. Only way to get it totally clean

 

[RJL1]

Thanks fellas

 

[Burla]

Odor bomb for immediate relief, they have some specifically for cig smell, googe it. The new car small ones are nice, smell like leather. You will need to wash inside windows after one, wipe down trim as well, they leave a little film. When you set it off, do so on a piece of newspaper or something.

Ozone can work, really good, but 03 can only go where o2 goes, and some of those smells seep into foam and crevices deep over time. To make it worse, many ozone machines leave a horrible smell behind as well. You need to saturate seats with enzyme treatment, hopefully they are cloth? Also, you need to remove seats and go at carpet real good, again soak with enzyme treatment. Do on a hot day and let the treatment dry out, the one good thing about greenhouse car effect is you can use it to dry out wet seats.

For ozone I recommend one that uses a plate like this one, it is both strong enough to kill smoke and uses the right stuff to not have that horrible metal smell that some of the machines leave behind, and not weak like some of the bulbs. Wipe down plastic and trim with armorall or something similar before use, this thing can actually be hard on some surfaces.

 

[kurek]

You can buy pretty good ozone machines on amazon now for under $75 and own it, not worth renting anymore

 

[PapaCap]

I used these two items and the smoke smell was GONE in a few days.
https://www.amazon.com/Stainless-US...ds=Car+air+3+in+1+ozone&qid=1593300447&sr=8-3

https://www.amazon.com/Florida-Home...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

 

[mtofell]

I had the exact scenario and have a similar aversion. I was pretty bummed when I realized it but it quickly went away just from having the windows opened and time passing. Cleaning and ozone-ing couldn't hurt.

 

[Cwils80]

Another tick for ozone. Clean it real good and follow the proper procedures for the machine.

 

[Maligator]

Another tick for ozone. Clean it real good and follow the proper procedures for the machine.

When using the ozone machine you really shouldn't close it inside the vehicle. Ozone machines should really have a supply of fresh air to function properly. I have the same square ozone machine and I put it in the window and snug it up with the window and then use painters tape and plastic to cover the rest of the window opening. Worked great for my odors, wasn't smoke though. Also make sure you air out the vehicle really well. Ozone will irritate your respitory system

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[CamperMike]

Ozone might work... Thankfully time will also cure it. I had a car that was opened by a smoker and it bugged me for a few months but slowly went away. It did suck for a bit though.

 

[RLJ10X]

If you can get rid of smoke smell, and it never comes back, That's a miracle. I'm not saying it can't be done now days. But if you think the smell is gone just because you let it air out, or that stench went away, chances are that you simply got used to it, and it doesn't bother you anymore.

The days of me buying a used vehicle from a smoker are over. Yuck.

 

[IRSmart]

When using the ozone machine you really shouldn't close it inside the vehicle. Ozone machines should really have a supply of fresh air to function properly. I have the same square ozone machine and I put it in the window and snug it up with the window and then use painters tape and plastic to cover the rest of the window opening. Worked great for my odors, wasn't smoke though. Also make sure you air out the vehicle really well. Ozone will irritate your respitory system

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Actually with ozone machines in cars it’s the opposite. We’ve found at work that the very best combination is to put the ozone machine on the center console on a towel (that way the feet don’t put an indentation on the arm rest), turn the air conditioning ON, put the fan on HIGH, and turn recirculate ON. That has been the most effective. It runs the ozone through all the vents and the blower motor, which is hard to get to with the bombs. I’ve done this method a bunch of times in customers cars and it’s worked flawlessly. I did it in my own used beater I bought years ago where it was so heavily smoked in that there was a film on the window. Ran the machine in it for 6 hours or so and never even had a hint of smoke, even on a hot humid day where the car was sitting in the sun all day.

 

[Sheriff Justice]

Bought the below listed used '18 1500. Seems the previous owner smoked in the vehicle. I've never smoked and can't stand the stale smell of the cigarettes.

Any fool proof ways to get rid of the stench?

I use a fogger and duct cleaner with great results (German Sheppard dog smell, not smoke). What I would do is have a detail shop clean & shampoo the interior. Then you can use a damp Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on the interior glass. Use the duct cleaner per instructions (spray all duct work and cabin filter area). Lastly use a can of fogger and allow vehicle to sit closed for at least 1/2 day+ for best results. I buy the fogger and use every 6 months on all my vehicles, just the dog SUV gets little more attention.

 

[Maligator]

Actually with ozone machines in cars it’s the opposite. We’ve found at work that the very best combination is to put the ozone machine on the center console on a towel (that way the feet don’t put an indentation on the arm rest), turn the air conditioning ON, put the fan on HIGH, and turn recirculate ON. That has been the most effective. It runs the ozone through all the vents and the blower motor, which is hard to get to with the bombs. I’ve done this method a bunch of times in customers cars and it’s worked flawlessly. I did it in my own used beater I bought years ago where it was so heavily smoked in that there was a film on the window. Ran the machine in it for 6 hours or so and never even had a hint of smoke, even on a hot humid day where the car was sitting in the sun all day.

I've seen people do it both ways . I know when I got mine I saw alot of people saying most machines should have a supply of fresh air for optimal operation. But definitely have the a/c on blast and recirc

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[canadiankodiak700]

If you can get rid of smoke smell, and it never comes back, That's a miracle. I'm not saying it can't be done now days. But if you think the smell is gone just because you let it air out, or that stench went away, chances are that you simply got used to it, and it doesn't bother you anymore.

The days of me buying a used vehicle from a smoker are over. Yuck.

Exactly right... Airing it out doesn't get rid of it, you get used to it. Don't get in that vehicle for a couple weeks, and the first time back in, you smell it.

Ozone treatment is pretty much the best option.

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[RLJ10X]

Does that ozone treatment work for old cars that got that old car smell? Sugarpuss's 2003 Cellica needs help.

I'm sorry I kind of went off on people who smoke in new cars. When I was a kid my dad smoked in the car. It made all us kids sick. My brother died of lung cancer the day after he turned 45. I hate tobacco in any form. Rant over.

 

[Gr8bawana]

Leave your windows open at night and wait for a cat to come and spray in it. Trust me you won't notice the cigarette smell anymore!
I know this from experience.

 

[PapaCap]

I left town for two weeks at the very beginning of COVID-19 and left the truck in my garage with the windows up. Upon my return there was zero smoke smell. Granted, I have left the two items I showed in my previous post in the truck the entire time. Zero smoke smell. If I were the OP I’d go with something posted that has worked for someone vs ******** guessing and pessimistic comments.

 

[IRSmart]

Does that ozone treatment work for old cars that got that old car smell? Sugarpuss's 2003 Cellica needs help.

I'm sorry I kind of went off on people who smoke in new cars. When I was a kid my dad smoked in the car. It made all us kids sick. My brother died of lung cancer the day after he turned 45. I hate tobacco in any form. Rant over.

Ozone will get rid of any smell