I loaned my car out to a friend and when I received it back, my car reeked of smoke. Not tobacco, but the other kind that is legal in some states.
I tried airing out the car for a few days, but the smell still lingered. Since I did not have access to an ozone machine and I needed a quick solution (or improvement), I picked up a can of Meguiars' Whole Car Air Re-fresher from Walmart for $7.
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr
The instructions are fairly simple - remove all interior belongings and remove any obvious sources of the odor. Then, you need to start the vehicle and set the climate-control fan to "MAX" and leave the system in recirculate mode. At this point, you can start the can (the trigger locks) and close the doors/windows for 15 minutes.
Here is a picture of the can inside of the vehicle. As you can see, the chemical is being dispensed.
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr
Once the 15 minutes has elapsed, you can turn off the vehicle and leave the doors open for 10-15 minutes.
At least for me, the smell is now completely gone. The fragrance that the product leaves behind is fairly strong, but I would not call it unbearable. Of course, the real test is to see if the smell returns after the fragrance wears off, so I will update this review after a week or two.
In summary, the product is probably worth a try for $7.
I tried airing out the car for a few days, but the smell still lingered. Since I did not have access to an ozone machine and I needed a quick solution (or improvement), I picked up a can of Meguiars' Whole Car Air Re-fresher from Walmart for $7.
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr
The instructions are fairly simple - remove all interior belongings and remove any obvious sources of the odor. Then, you need to start the vehicle and set the climate-control fan to "MAX" and leave the system in recirculate mode. At this point, you can start the can (the trigger locks) and close the doors/windows for 15 minutes.
Here is a picture of the can inside of the vehicle. As you can see, the chemical is being dispensed.
Untitled by The Critic, on Flickr
Once the 15 minutes has elapsed, you can turn off the vehicle and leave the doors open for 10-15 minutes.
At least for me, the smell is now completely gone. The fragrance that the product leaves behind is fairly strong, but I would not call it unbearable. Of course, the real test is to see if the smell returns after the fragrance wears off, so I will update this review after a week or two.
In summary, the product is probably worth a try for $7.
Last edited: