Smoker's car

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billyfieldman, Oct 4, 4:56am
Does the smell of cigarette smoke ever go away? What is the best way to get rid of the smell?
trogedon, Oct 4, 5:05am
There will almost always be some residue in the upholstery, vents, carpet etc. Its why cars are advertised as non smoker's cars.
2sheddies, Oct 4, 5:09am
I've had one before and, despite cleaning everything top to bottom, it still had a lingering odour. It was much better, but never completely free of it. The stinkin filth just permeates everything.
mantagsi, Oct 4, 5:23am
I've heard that putting a small bowl of vinegar (not sure white or brown?) in the passengers footwell with the car shut up for a day or two can make a huge difference. Never tried it so I can't say how effective it is. As the others say, smoke smell is pretty permanent
saxman99, Oct 4, 5:23am
We bought a car that smelt of smoke a bit. Not too shocking but certainly noticeable. With cleaning and driving it went away after a few weeks.
headcat, Oct 4, 6:13am
Herr Goebbels would be proud of the results of the anti smoking zealots.
trogedon, Oct 4, 6:18am
So would Oncology doctors.
melonhead1, Oct 4, 6:55am
White Vinegar. Yes, it works wonders. Stains, odours, farts, the lot. Its amazing.
peja, Oct 4, 7:44am
Friend of mine bought a smokers car some years back, cleaned everything but it still stank. however after being left out in the sun for a few days with the windows slightly ajar it got much better. It will reek for the first few days, but within weeks it clears.
tgray, Oct 4, 8:01am
I am a car dealer and this is what I do:
I soak the ash tray in a bucket of boiling water with washing up liquid overnight. Smell will be completely gone by morning.
Do the sniff test on the floor mats. If they stink, throw them away.
Get the car 'bombed' with a quality smoke bomb. Cost approx $30.
Sprinkle 'shack n vac' on seats and floors and disperse with palm of your hand - do not vaccum!
Put two car air freshener hangy things in the car - one in each front door map pocket.
If you do all of the above, you will eliminate the cigarette smell in your car.
westwyn, Oct 4, 10:34am
I try not to buy cars that have a heavy smoker's smell- but if I end up with one, I have a commercial "ozone machine" that I bought ten or so years back, plug it in overnight, seal up the car and it works brilliantly- two treatments if a really heavily ingrained smell, with the car running for an hour or two and the AC on, set to recirculate. And of course, as tgray said, cleaning out the ashtrays etc first!
ltz500, Oct 5, 3:10am
hey guys , trying not to thread jack, but i recently bought a dual cab ute and the back seat stinks to cat piss, its very strong is there anything i can do to remove the smell? i have water blasted the seat, washed it with laundry powder e.t.c and the smell is still there,
trogedon, Oct 5, 3:44am
Seriously - buy another seat.
tgray, Oct 5, 3:44am
it has probably soaked through past the surface, so you may need to throw them out and source another seat from a wreckers.
heywillhay1, Oct 5, 7:34am
Wurth do a pretty good product called Quickfresh, its like a flea bomb but for smells. Put it in the pasenger floorwell with the car on and ac recirculating and let it bomb the car. Its a pretty good start as most of the odor may be stuck in the ac/vents etc and its only about $28 bucks
2sheddies, Oct 5, 7:41am
Agree. That seat is toast. Cat pee would have to be one of the hardest smells to get rid of. I'd far rather have the smokers problem than cat pee.
elect70, Oct 6, 3:02am
How many think to shampoo the head lining thats where most of the smoke lingers . Personally i dont care even as an ex smoker for 10 years
peja, Oct 6, 3:38am
True that - once made the mistake of buying a lounge suite off here with this problem - cat had peed on it. Unremovable, pity as it was a really nice suite too. Put it back on here, but was honest and disclosed the problem
tgray, Oct 6, 3:50am
They say it's cat pee, but it might have been their incontinent grandmother who was sitting in the back for all you know.
andy61, Oct 6, 4:08am
I had a 2006 Corolla wagon(fresh import from Japan), smelt really bad, I washed everything, took the seat covers off the seats,washed them in the washing machine , got a carpet cleaner,shampooed the carpets, took the headliner out ,washed it, washed the dash, door panels ,everything and the car still had a strong smokers smell after doing all that, did fade away with time and smellies. But every now and then after a really hot day the smell would be stronger for a day or 2. Very difficult to get the smell out.
bigfatmat1, Oct 6, 4:55am
Replacing the cabin filter would probably help
grangies, Oct 6, 6:15am
((SHUDDERS))

LOL
2sheddies, Oct 6, 11:18am
Yeah, they just completely ruin anything they squirt. Had it on shoes and things before, and you just have to bin them. No amount of soaking, scrubbing or chemicals seems to work. But the lounge suite. real pity that one.
bashfulbro, Oct 7, 12:51am
Make sure you insurance is up to date, then park it in South Auckland, unlocked, with the keys in it.
billyfieldman, Oct 7, 2:22am
Thanks for all the tips. After searching a bit past couple of days, found that smoker's car is hazardous to health. The scientists call it 3rd hand smoke.

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/03/140320-thirdhand-smoke-cigarettes-cancer/


Other than the smell, are there tell-tale signs that it's a smoker's car? Wonder if young children and babies are more at risk riding in one of these.