Printable Version | Subscribe | Add to Favourites
New Topic New Poll New Reply
Author: Subject: Getting rid of cigarette smoke
SteveWallace

posted on 30/5/12 at 09:30 PM Reply With Quote
Getting rid of cigarette smoke

I've just left my job and have had to give the company car back. As a result, I have been out looking for a replacement and have gone for a relatively high mileage BMW 320d Touring. The engines are fairly bomb proof and great fuel economy. The only problem is that the inside smells of cigarette smoke.

What's the best way of permanently getting rid of the smell. Driving with the windows open might be OK at the moment but will loose its appeal when the weather turns cold again (i.e. in a couple of days!!). I suppose I could take up smoking so that I don't notice it any more, but the lung cancer risk is not a price that I want to pay.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
liam.mccaffrey

posted on 30/5/12 at 09:38 PM Reply With Quote
i'd get it valleted professionally our local place specialise in removing cigarette smoke odour.





Build Blog
Build Photo Album

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
matt_gsxr

posted on 30/5/12 at 10:21 PM Reply With Quote
Choose your valet people carefully, we got the inside valeted for the cigarette smoke problem and they filled the radio with water which messed up the LED display. Obviously they denied it all.

But a damned good clean, replace the recirc air filter and time will all help.

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
Chippy

posted on 30/5/12 at 10:27 PM Reply With Quote
We had the same problem, although I am a smoker, I don't smoke in the car due to Mrs Chippy having athsma. When I got the Xsara it stunk of ciggy smoke, I used an upholstery cleaner which was called Fabreeze, (think thats how it spelt), did the job in one go. HTH Ray





To make a car go faster, just add lightness. Colin Chapman - OR - fit a bigger engine. Chippy

View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
morcus

posted on 30/5/12 at 10:30 PM Reply With Quote
What they said is probably the best way but I've heard there are things you can do at home which usually involve lemon juice or baking soda. Have a look on youtube and you'll see what I mean.

I would think you'd probably just get used to it after awhile, but it's deffinitly possible to get rid of the smell as I've seen cars with smoking related damage that don't smell (Look out for rings around the lighter where it's been put back in blind, and marks on the dash where they've been put out.





In a White Room, With Black Curtains, By the Station.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Wadders

posted on 30/5/12 at 10:44 PM Reply With Quote
I had a Celica years ago with the same problem, my mate lent me a de-ioniser air purifier, left it in overnight
and it got rid of the stink completely.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
trikerneil

posted on 31/5/12 at 04:35 AM Reply With Quote
I was told of a "smoke bomb" that valeters use to get rid of smells.

This looks like it might do the job though.



Linen Odour Neutraliser (142 gram)

Not a cover-up, but a true odour eliminator that oxidizes odour elements in the air.
Use it to combat smoke and fire odours, odours of the sickroom, animal smells, mustiness, decayed matter, pesticides, and basically any odour regardless of its source.

Available from HERE

HTH

Neil





ACE Cafe - Just say No.

View User's Profile E-Mail User Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
bowood14

posted on 31/5/12 at 06:04 AM Reply With Quote
These bags get rid of the smell of dead rats A friend of mine used one to get rid of smoke smell in a car not sure if you can order from this supplier but you may find somewhere else
http://www.killgerm.com/product-group.php?group=927

[Edited on 31/5/12 by bowood14]

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
Panda

posted on 31/5/12 at 06:28 AM Reply With Quote
Ring your local auto smart dealer they're who supply a lot of the valet ing places tell em you trade cars and they'll drop by in their truck they have all sorts on board to cure it. I can highly recommennd berry blast once destenched





Because Race Car

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
britishtrident

posted on 31/5/12 at 06:55 AM Reply With Quote
I have had to deal a few times with smelly AC and nappy type smells in cars.

Spray all the porus surfaces with Spray on fabric conditioner --- dosen't have to be Fabreeze the Morrision own brand Passion flower one works pretty well and smells a lot nicer than Fabreeze.

Also pasteurise the AC ie run it on fully hot for 5 minutes then fully cold for 5 minutes then fully hot for 20 minutes

If that isn't enough get a bomb type deodoriser and set it off in the car with the doors and windows closed (works best if left ovver night) ---- Halfords sell the Comma brand one.


You can also put a household gel type air freshener and leave it in the glove box.





[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
britishtrident

posted on 31/5/12 at 07:04 AM Reply With Quote
Might also be worth changing the pollen filter.





[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
MikeRJ

posted on 31/5/12 at 07:48 AM Reply With Quote
My old Citroen AX GTi reeks of cigarettes, I used Neutradol aerosol deodoriser on the carpets, seats, door trims etc. and then scrubbed out the ashtray and filled it with Neutradol carpet deodoriser granules. I wasn't a fan of the smell of the Neutradol to be honest, but within a week or two you simply couldn't tell it had been a smokers car.
View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
tegwin

posted on 31/5/12 at 09:37 AM Reply With Quote
The problem is all the tar and other sticky gunk that has got itseld behind all the interior pannels... OK, a proper clean of the upholstry will remove some of this but you wont get the stuff behind the panels. Every time the sun shines and it gets hot it will smell...

I stupidly bought a really nice Seat Leon Cupra R a few years ago, amazing car but I just couldnt stand the smell, so I sold it! (the smell was not the only reason I sold it... Couldnt really afford to run it, but we wont go into that)

[Edited on 31/5/12 by tegwin]





------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Would the last person who leaves the country please switch off the lights and close the door!

www.verticalhorizonsmedia.tv

View User's Profile Visit User's Homepage View All Posts By User U2U Member
coyoteboy

posted on 31/5/12 at 10:21 AM Reply With Quote
If you're a non-smoker and always have been you'll never get rid of the smell totally, no matter what you do to it. But a damn good steam valet does reduce it a lot which you can then mask with a sickeningly sweet air freshener.
View User's Profile E-Mail User View All Posts By User U2U Member
britishtrident

posted on 31/5/12 at 10:47 AM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
My old Citroen AX GTi reeks of cigarettes, I used Neutradol aerosol deodoriser on the carpets, seats, door trims etc. and then scrubbed out the ashtray and filled it with Neutradol carpet deodoriser granules. I wasn't a fan of the smell of the Neutradol to be honest, but within a week or two you simply couldn't tell it had been a smokers car.


The smell of Neutradol gives me nausea.





[I] “ What use our work, Bennet, if we cannot care for those we love? .”
― From BBC TV/Amazon's Ripper Street.
[/I]

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
The Shootist

posted on 31/5/12 at 05:03 PM Reply With Quote
3 Things to do..

3 Things you can try...

1. A good cleaning...seats, dash, carpets...all of it.

2. A bag of charcoal left in the car a few days will absorb a lot of the odors.

3. If charcoal fails, services that recondition homes after a fire will use an air ionizer closed up in the space for a few days.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
MikeRJ

posted on 31/5/12 at 06:35 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by britishtrident
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
My old Citroen AX GTi reeks of cigarettes, I used Neutradol aerosol deodoriser on the carpets, seats, door trims etc. and then scrubbed out the ashtray and filled it with Neutradol carpet deodoriser granules. I wasn't a fan of the smell of the Neutradol to be honest, but within a week or two you simply couldn't tell it had been a smokers car.


The smell of Neutradol gives me nausea.


I seem to remember spending a lot of time driving around with the windows open to get rid of the smell of the Neutradol! It did get rid of the stench of cigarettes though.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member
SteveWallace

posted on 7/6/12 at 07:46 AM Reply With Quote
Thanks for the advice. so far I have

i) sprayed a lot of Neutradol and left the car over night
ii) cleaned the hard surfaces with a vinegar based window cleaner
iii) then sprayed the soft surfaces with Fabreeze (to get rid of the Neutradol smell!!) and left for a couple of days whilst we were away avoiding the Jubilee coverage - had to go to extreme lengths and literally went underground in the Yorkshire Dales.

This seems to have worked fairly well and the car is now useable but with a faint smell, so I will give it another dose of Fabreeze and also change the air filters. If the summer ever comes back I will then clean the fabric bits with a wet and dry vacuum cleaner (needs a hot day to dry out properly). If that all fails then a trip to the professionals will be called for.

I did think about one of the bomb type deodourisers, but I have heard that they can leave a sticky residue on everything.

View User's Profile View All Posts By User U2U Member

New Topic New Poll New Reply


go to top






Website design and SEO by Studio Montage

All content © 2001-16 LocostBuilders. Reproduction prohibited
Opinions expressed in public posts are those of the author and do not necessarily represent
the views of other users or any member of the LocostBuilders team.
Running XMB 1.8 Partagium [© 2002 XMB Group] on Apache under CentOS Linux
Founded, built and operated by ChrisW.