Getting Rid of Odors in Car

[TallPaul]

I suspect this is a sham: Auto Shocker Treatment
Not sure there is any sure treatment for cigarette smoke smell in a car but to continually mask it with some other product. Fresh coffee grounds seem to work good for that purpose.

 

[ahoier]

I've had good luck with the little air ionizer dongle that plugs into the 12v cigarette lighter socket from Walmart....until it broke. I liked it because it didn't leave any "scent" behind....no "linen" or lemony, fruity, etc.....scent like most of the air fresheners....

Have also had good luck with baking soda under the seats

You could keep it in a bowl, but I just sprinkled it under their right on the carpet.....vacuum it up every month and re-apply. If you want something more cosmetic appealing (who looks under your seats anyways? lol) I guess you could opt for the Arm and Hammer "fridge pack" that you date, and discard every 30 days, but that's a couple bucks more than a pound of baking soda...

 

[Doog]

My daughter (now away at college) left her gym bag in the back of our Rav4 with her stinky shoes in it. I have tried lots of stuff but one thing has over ridden the gym bag smell. I bought my other daughter (also at college)a new set of Michelin tires and have been storing them in the back of the Rav4. Now you can smell tires and no more gym bag stench. Does anyone know how to get the smell of new tires out of your car?

 

[Bgallagher]

ground coffee can work but it is best to bring it to a professional that has an ozone machine. This is one of the only ways to completely remove foul odors. Otherwise you will have to scrub down everything including the headliner (do not wet heavily as it can mess up the glue.)

 

[RF Overlord]

When I bought my DD from a used-car dealer, they must have shampooed the carpets or something as there was a distinct chemical kind of smell. I tried Ozium and that did nothing. Now I have 2 of these "Christmas tree" air fresheners in cinnamon scent and it's much better.

In regard to the use of coffee, would that be fresh ground coffee, or would it be the used coffee grounds...I've heard both ways...

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: RF Overlord

In regard to the use of coffee, would that be fresh ground coffee, or would it be the used coffee grounds...I've heard both ways...


Start with used, it's cheaper.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Whoever owned my Cherokee before I did was a chain smoker. In fact, I think they just bought cartons of cigarettes and let them burn for weeks on end.

There was a ton of tar in the vents and ... pretty much everywhere.

I cleaned out all of the vents (completely disgusting) and vacuumed but the smell was still there.

What worked relatively well was parking it in the hot sun with the windows up and a few bags of charcoal. It's not going to help the stuff that's really IN .. but that did help.

Now it smells like gear oil.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: TallPaul
Fresh coffee grounds seem to work good for that purpose.

That's what we did in the taxis; back then, every driver smoked.

 

[sasilverbullet]

Febreeze - amazing stuff! Get the unscented though.

 

[ahoier]

Yep, have heard about the charcoal too....charcoal is actually a natural filter of sort.....I think even most water filters contain trace amounts of charcoal and/or "carbon"......[censored], even most cars have a "charcoal" canister filter, that filters the fuel fumes, smell, etc....and it must work, cause I never smell gas

also, those "orange slice" things work too, similar to baking soda though, they "absorb" the odor....they also come in a "fresh linen" scent.....toss it under the seat and change it out every month or so.....(whenever it dries up to a little puck lol).

 

[BigCahuna]

Sometimes you just cant get rid of the smell. http://www.criticalcommons.org/Members/Ghent/clips/the smelly car.mp4/view

 

[KitaCam]

Check/change the cabin air filter?

 

[tdpark]

the stuff you use for pet accidents and vomit works really well. Enzyme that breaks down the nasty stuff that makes the stink. I forget what it is called but you can find it at any grocery store or target.

My dad had bought composted manure and trees and stuff and his car smelled like poo; sprayed the entire interior down and in 1 day, the car smelled great.

 

[DBMaster]

I have had good luck with this product (fresh linen scent) that I buy at Wal Mart.

http://citrusmagic.beaumontproducts.com/...ener/224?cid=10

Also, you can take the housing apart and reuse it. I used one to make a coffee air freshener just like what is being discussed here - for my girlfriend's car. I ordered some granular activated charcoal on eBay and filled two of them, one for my refrigerator and one for my freezer. Seems to be as effective, or more so, than baking soda and you can refresh the charcoal by baking in a dish in the oven at low temp or setting outside in the summer sun in Texas for a couple of hours.

 

[ahoier]

Originally Posted By: tdpark
the stuff you use for pet accidents and vomit works really well. Enzyme that breaks down the nasty stuff that makes the stink. I forget what it is called but you can find it at any grocery store or target.
Yea. Something like "urineGone!" (as seen on tv brand...) but last time I was at Walmart, they even have a generic "Enzyme based cleaner" under the Great Value name even.

But yea, for "permanent removal" of the odor, ozone is gonna be your best bet. I've heard some "carpet cleaning companies" (Stanley Steemer, Unbeeliveably Clean, etc....) may have the machines as well, that they could use in the car.....

 

[mrsilv04]

My first car had been smoked in daily by the previous owner. I simply left the windows down for about a month.

It was simple, it worked and it was free.

 

[mmab]

http://www.autogeek.net/smoke-odor-eliminator.html

Does eliminate smoke odors

 

[SatinSilver]

Don't forget to treat the trunk area as well when using some of the above products.

 

[BTLew81]

Meguiars Odor Eliminator. Enzyme based, cheap, and easy to find. Used it after some Italian Beef gravy spilled into the perforated seats I have. Had to soak a couple of times, but the smell was eliminated, not covered up.

 

[The Critic]

I've found that getting the carpets, seats (if cloth), and door panels cleaned with a professional-grade hot water extractor removes all of the odors...as long as they were not caused by cigarettes.