THSCC Forums

I'm looking for people with personal experience buying a smoked-in car & then proceeding to completely remove the odor.

Anyone? Product, home remedy or detailing shop recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

And for the smartasses out there, I've already heard "replace the seats, carpet & door panels."



Thanks,

Kevin

I have "heard" that ozone works well. No personal experience, though.

I have as ozone generator which I got on clearance for like $5 you can try if you'd like. I believe I have a 12v plug for it somewheres.

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Mike Whitney
whit32@gmail.com, 919-454-5445
V10, V8, V8t, I6, I6, V6, F4t, I4, I4, I4, I4, I2, 1, 1

Thanks, I had never even heard of those. I'll let you know if I need to borrow it; we should make the decision tomorrow and maybe need to start the odor removal process this week...

Hey, I just noticed I've pulled ahead of you in post count. (+ 1 more! )

You still keeping score, Wes?

You could try replacing the seats, carpet & door paneling. That should remove the smell.

-Tom

No "first hand experience" with removing smokers odor, but I have done a lot of car detailing. I would shampoo the carpet, seats, and door panels with the odor removing carpet shampoo that they sell at Autozone. Do this once a month for a few months. Also, fill all the ashtrays with baking soda and leave them open whenever possible...It should do the same thing for a car that it does for your fridge. Don't forget to wipe down all the plastic and windows with a good interior cleaner as there will almost definately be some residue stuck on them as well.

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I sold my Saab to the devil...
And all I got was this crappy SUV.

It may just be easier for you to take up smoking.

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2003 Matrix XRS notaminivan
2004 Subaru WRX #38
2000 Rally Focus
2007 Honda NFR S2000

After you have done the stuff that Andy mentioned then you can spray all the cloth down with Fabreeze. It does work well. It'll take a while to get the musty odor out. I've cleaned up a couple of cars with that method and it works. Don't forget to clean all the glass a few times too!

Graham

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http://www.greywinds.com

Fabreeze is the best in the cheap price range. but when you doo make sure the viynal/leater, glass and plastic is cleaned really well. Cronic tint sucks. and beings I work on cars all day I hate the rolling ash tray. (the ones that when you open the door it just smells like an ashtray) Good luck removing the odor, I would also invest in cheap airfreshners too

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beware of EV powered Ford EXP's they are quiet and come for you when you least expect it... hide behind an aluminum light pole...... ya that will help

i'm surprised that even such a thing exists let alone for use in a closed space like a car. ozone is poisonous IIRC. could give you a good head buzz if you hotbox the car

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www.ncvw.org
1993 VW Corrado VR6 - DSP15 (RIP)
1986 MB 190E 2.3L 16v - STX (SOLD)
1997 BMW M3 3.2L - BS for now

I have some knowledge of ozone from my UL days. Ozone in concentrations sufficient to actually purify air or clean surfaces exceeds government (FDA if I remember correctly) safety limits. The safe exposure limits are very time dependent. The problem is that ozone works by "Oxidizing" stuff . . . including various aspects of our bodies. UL would not List room type ozone generators/air purifiers that were intended for use in occupied rooms. Some of UL's competition (ETL for example) did List these products for some reason. Ozone generators are Listed by UL for use in unoccupied spaces such as empty hotel rooms. Ozone is safely used for purification of drinking water and of pool and spa water. Anyone who uses an ozone air purifier should stay out of the enclosed space while it is in use and then make sure the space gets well ventilated afterwards.

By the way, an ion type air purifier is not necessarily an ozone generator. If it is UL Listed it will have been tested to make sure it doesn't produce more than minimal amounts of ozone.

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Dick Rasmussen

FS 50 2018 Mustang GT

Hey kevin,
if your going toi be at the meeting wed, I'll bring some stuff we use at work it is excelnt on cleaning the ventalation ducts and makes the air through the heater/ a/c smell better it's formulated to kill mold and fungus in the system but unfortunatly I don't have the foam part of the kit. but the refresher should help out

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beware of EV powered Ford EXP's they are quiet and come for you when you least expect it... hide behind an aluminum light pole...... ya that will help

Thanks for the tips, everybody. If things go the way they're supposed to go today, I'll be driving the car to the meeting tomorrow night.



So yes, please bring the cleaning stuff, Dale.

Thanks again!

Dale, any way you could bring a little extra of the stuff?
I got a little bimmer the other day and it also was smoked in a bit. I'd love to try that stuff.

One method I have used, is some meguiars odor eliminator from auto zone. Then put two bounce dryer sheets right under the back window. They are heat activated, so they will make the car smell great

-Tom

Okay, I have the car now - - and we will both be at the meeting tomorrow night.

I've already installed my trunk Scooby - the monkey gets to stay with the STS car. According to the butt dyno, the trunk Scooby has added at least 5hp.

I wonder how long I can resist the urge to modify this one?