How to eliminate Smoke Smell

How can I eliminate the smell of smoke in my car's interior. My wife cannot smell smoke as it burns her throat. I've tried Fabreez, Ozium, 409, Windex, etc. Is there something the professionals use that can get rid of the smell indepth?

The interior needs cleaned, you can not "mask" the smell. Try using TUFF-STUFF foam cleaner, damp cloths & a wet/dry vac



-ghost of a past detailer

If you don't want to clean the interior find a detail shop that has an ozone machine this may take several hours depending on the severity of the odor but it will take it out without the wet of foams and cleaners.

Di

An ozone generator placed in the car with the air conditioner running for about 1 hour will eliminate this problem. If you do not have an ozone generator then you can purchase a biological odor eliminator.

This destroys, on contact, the bacteria that causes the odors. YOu must spray it on all surfaces in the car and let it sit for awhile. I would also spray it into the air conditioning vents and then turn them on also for a short while.

That is the only way to eliminate the odor.

Contact me direct if I can help you further.

Regards
Bud Abraham



buda

Were the smoke is contained is in the headliner probably. Due to this is where the remaining smoke tends to hide in the inclosed fibers of the headliner material. Being careful to not harm the headliner, take extra caution in cleaning the headliner, unwanted extra moisture will cause the fabric headliner to sag while it is drying out in the heated sun from shrinkage. Consult your local detail shop that will have the right equipment such as a light steamer to lightly clean a fabric headliner. Your nomal scrubbing of the carpets & doorpanels with your favorite cleaner will also help.

For maintaining a fresh scent, place some wet cedar chips in a panty hose & place under the seats. You'll be suprised in the long run. Good Luck with your results.

Toddco

Toddco:

When a person smokes in a motor vehicle the smoke permeates far more than the headliner. It gets into everything, headliner; fabric upholstery, if the vehicles has same; door panels, even concentrates in the tar that settles on the hard surfaces. And, finally is in the ac and heat ducts.

Simply cleaning the headliner is not the full solution.

Regards



buda

lol Bud. RELAX
I have noticed that the headliner is often the one area that is not usually cleaned when a owner brings me a car they have been maintaining themselves. I like to apply a odor terminator solution with a spray bottle to the headliner just like I would the seats. It can also work well to add some of the odor eating solution in your upholstry cleaning water before you use an extractor. I was pleased with the results doing this.

Another thing I have tried is Todco's idea of cedar chips. I did this in my own car and people always notice how good it smells in it. That was just one of the many great ideas that have been shared with me on this forum.



John

For fast (high power) odor control, put some of the cedar chips in the foot part of some old panty hose and hang it in front of the floor heater vents.



-ghost of a past detailer

Hey, I'm a new comer to this site....anyways, I recomend getting the interior detailed and shampooed. TAke it to your local detailer shop and ask if they can take the seats out so they can get under the seats also. A lot of smoke odor will also stay under there. One thing I do all the time is spray some "Fabric Cleaner", which is ammonia based with other cleaning solutiion, onto the seats and carpets, then scrubbing it with a brush. Vaccum and let air dry. I have taken smoke smell out by this. For cars that have been smoked for years, it'll take a little more.

the headliner has always been the first step in the attack on smoke odor for me.. keep in mind that the headliner is just above the vehicle owner's nose and very close to the cigarette. the next time someone smokes a cigarette behind the wheel,watch the smoke. it goes straight up into the headliner.now of course to treat it properly, the full interior does need to be cleaned and treated with a deodorizer. this is usually most important in the used car reconditioning market. i have seen many customers of used cars walk away after finding out the car has been smoked in. i would agree that the headliner is the most overlooked area of deodorizing. this probably stems from the headliners of 80's and early 90's that would "fall" if they got wet.

<HTML>What is the best way to get rid of mild smoke smell in a used car...........2001 nissan maxima GLE with leather. $150 Detailing so far has included wiping/shampooing headliner, steam extracting floor, ozone machine for several hours, wiping seats, cleaning engine..................but still a mild smoke smell which is strong to people with sensitive noses. Any advise would be helpful.......odor masking things are not good enough, I need to get rid o f the source of the smell.

thanks</HTML>

<HTML>What is the best way to get rid of mild smoke smell in a used car...........2001 nissan maxima GLE with leather. $150 Detailing so far has included wiping/shampooing headliner, steam extracting floor, ozone machine for several hours, wiping seats, cleaning engine..................but still a mild smoke smell which is strong to people with sensitive noses. Any advise would be helpful.......odor masking things are not good enough, I need to get rid o f the source of the smell. email or post at rdr3@yahoo.com

thanks</HTML>

<HTML>Go to your local carpet cleaning supply store and tell them the problem.
Pro's Choice makes a product called odor rid, it gets rid of the smell, not a "cover", but destroyer of the bacteria that is causing the smell.

Next step, the air conditioner vents-
Einszett makes a product called Klima-Clean, works great for killing smell.

Another route is an ozone generator.</HTML>



&quot;The bitterness of poor quality lingers long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.&quot;

www.waynestowels.com

<HTML>If you read through the posts on this subject you will get a great deal of good information.

If you have implemented some of this and the smell is still there I would check the output of the ozone machine to insure that it is generating sufficient ozone to eliminate the odor.

Smoke is usually one of the easiest odors to eliminate for an ozone generator. I would first check the machine, has it been tuned up lately? Have you cleaned the plates?

If you are sure the generator is working sufficiently well and is generating sufficient ozone then I would use it again and this time turn on the air conditioner and let that run while the ozone generator is running in the car.

Do you close the windows when using the ozone generator? How long did you let it operate? At what output level? What brand of machine?

Regards
Bud Abraham</HTML>



buda

Smoke in a vehicle is very difficult to removed. I'm not really sure if it can be totally removed. I don't know. I do know that the smoke is in seat cushions, leather or cloth, vents, capet every area of the vehicle. Even in the trunk and engine bay. I've been detailing for 20 plus years and I've tried manytimes to remove the smoke alot of ways. I've gone as far as to remove the seats,carpet,padding,seat material,head liner dash covers etc. In an attemp to throughly clean,disinfect and deodorize these areas. It is very difficult to get out. I was told by another professional that the smoke gets down in what is called the cowl. I think this is the correct spelling. Like the air intake and circulation area. So everytime the heating or ac is turned it's blown back into the inside air. I have also heard of an ozone air machine being placed in the car with the system on for an while would elimanate it. A non - smoker will smell it before a smoker will. I use to smoke 16years ago and I can detect it in a heart beat. I just test drove a 2007 vehicle,and the dealer who had been driving it smoked. I told him he would have to lower the price by 10k. Good Luck!

The proper ozone generator will work quite effectively to remove smoke.

The hotel/motel industry has used ozone generators to eliminate the smoke odor in their rooms.

Think about it!!!

If someone smokes in a room, the carpets, bedspread, upholstered furniture, drapes all have the smell in them and they certainly cannot afford to clean all of those things so what they do is move in an ozone generator and turn it on for a few hours and voila! The odor is gone.

The same will work in a vehicle interior but you have to have a machine that generates sufficient ozone to get rid of the odor, and you have to leave it on long enough.

Further, you have to turn on the air conditioning system too, so that the ozone will flow through the system eliminating the odor there too.

bud abraham

Here is a reprint from a past Assembled Wisdom post on odors...

You can visit www.cartalk.com and click on " Crying Over Spilled Milk " for a forum-style discussion of odor removal and recommendations of several products.
Some quotes :
" ...go to your nearest pet store and get some "NATUREs MIRACLE"..."
" ...Arm & Hammer Anti-Bacterial Pet Fresh..."
"...pure vinegar..."
"...I highly recommend that you go to your grocery store or wherever they rent Rug Doctor carpet cleaners. On the Rug Doctor display, you will see small red bottles called Odor Remover..."
"...Odor Ban..."
"...go to qvc.com type in v13286 which is don aslet's x-o odor neutralizer..."
"...Go to www.odorxit.com and you will be more than satisfied with the product..."
"...product: Sanox II; manufacturer: Conklin Co., Inc.; source: dess3@verizon.net
view product: www.Conklin.com > cleaning products (left side/blue) > purchase products (top/green) > multipurpose cleaners > next/p.2 > Sanox II > view specifications file..."
"...any of the general purpose spotters that are not solvent based. Enzyme spotter that is Oxgenated preferably.(Hydrogen Peroxide Based, they react to any organic soils)..."
"...go to www.uniquemm.com and search for a retailer in your area to purchase 'Unique Odor and Stain Eater' or 'Unique Pet Odor and Stain Eliminator' ..."
"...Dry coffee grounds usually works on about everything. Sprinkle liberally and let set for a couple days. Worked on cat urine and spilled fish meal..."
"...Pick up a bottle of odor digester. It has active bactieria in it that will "eat" the residual milk and remove the smell. You can get it at your local janitorial supply house..."
"...They also suggested I put a bag of charcoal in the trunk..."
"...I dumped ALOT of baking soda over the area that had been "milked" and let it sit for a few days. Then I just vacuumed the baking soda up and the smell was gone!!!..."
"...I solved it using my Little Green Machine, some Bissell carpet cleaner and deodorizer and an 89 cent bottle of vinegar..."
"...Anti-Icky Poo spray..."
"...have the entire interior steam cleaned. It may take a couple of trips but its cheaper than replacing carpet..."
"...Go to the website to find the retailer near your town: www.spartanchemical.com
CONSUME® BACTERIA/ENZYME DIGESTANT/DEODORANT..."
"...I picked up a bottle of something called Biokleen 'bac-out' enzyme stain and odor eliminator from our local food coop. For around $9 for 32 oz, it cleared most of the smell on the first application to carpet and seats, then a second try SEEMS to have done the trick.... But then we have not had any really hot weather recently.... "
"...There's this stuff sold at pet stores like PetSmart and PetCo called "Nature's Way" that will get rid of the sour milk smell. The product is intended to get rid of cat urine smells, but I found it worked on several other smells like spilled milk, french fries lodged where you can't get to them along with spilled gasoline as well!... "
"...Atmosklear. It was a miracle! After a couple of applications the smell was gone...apparently it works by masking the smell by chemically binding to the odor molecules?!..."
"... Kid's "n" pets stain and odor remover. I bought it at Target..."

"...Get a professional cleaner to clean your vehicle. We had the same situation - a half-gallon of milk in a glass container broke. We tried everything, but to no avail. Broke down and called the cleaner. The first visit they just cleaned the carpet, but that didn't work. They came back a second time and tore up the carpet, and we then saw that the milk had run down every conceivable nook and cranny on the floor boards. They cleaned all that up, and presto - no more smell."

"...I own a car rental business, and if it can be spilled in a car, I've seen (and smelled) it. I mean from milk to Phillipino fish stew to what the dog ate for lunch yesterday! And I won't gross you out with stories of frat-boys who can't hold their beer and are too drunk to realize the window isn't rolled down. I've tried the ozone generator and every cleaner/deodarizer you've heard of, and a few you haven't. None have worked on really bad smells. If an organic material was spilled on a permeable surface, probably the only way to get rid of the stink, is to get rid of the permeable surface,... the carpet, and pad, and seat, and door trim panel, and what ever else soaked up what was spilled. " ...

"Some years ago I operated a used car sales facility. Every car that came to use was completely detailed. That included removing the interior for cleaning or at a minimum, removing the seats and carpet. In most cars this is a very easy procedure. Once the carpet or items that require cleaning can be removed from the vehicle, wash it thoroughtly. A small pressure washer with a detergent dispenser works great on carpet. Use a shop-vac to extract as much of the moiture as possible. Afterwards, lay it in the sun to dry or at least in a heated room with a fan blowing on it, making sure that air can circulate underneath. When dry, reinstall. Make sure the interior portion of the car where the carpet was laying is also clean. There is work in this, but it is cheaper than the alternative. "

Here are Quotes from Concoursgarage on this forum :
"You need to take your automobile to a professional auto detailing establishment and one that specializes in remediation of odors and spills. In your case peanut oil has saturated the carpeting, under-padding (jute) and flooring of the vehicle. The extent of the spill can only be determined by removing all the contents of the vehicle including the carpeting or using a moisture detecting probe. Attempting to shampoo with contents in place is futile as you will only be expanding the problem by adding a voluminous amount of water into the vehicle and spreading the oil further around. The oil is coating the flooring, crevices, wire harness and will become rancid with time and temperature. When the contents of the vehicle are removed then one can remove the under-padding replace with new, clean up the flooring and carpeting with emulsifiers to break down the oil and then scrubb and wash. Automobile carpeting is quite durable and will rarely get damaged from scrubbing. "
"... I can assure you there is no luck involved or magic bullet. We are seriously engaged in the business of odor removal and over the years we have by trial and error created cleaning protocols to deal with all types of odors. While we own 2 ozone machines we use them sparingly because they do not smell like fresh odor after rainfall...but rather a dull flat tinny smell which can be quite offensive to some customers. "

Quote of Bud Abraham :
" 1. Odor comes from bacteria.
2. Kill the bacteria and you eliminate the odor
3. There are several ways to eliminate odor:
a. Ozone
b. Biological odor eliminator chemical either sprayed and wiped on the
surfaces of the interior or used with fogger
c. Prior cleaning and shampooing can help to eliminate odor, however
if the ozone is used properly it should eliminate the bacteria without
the need for cleaning since cleaning, unless you use a bacteria killing
shampoo, will not kill the bacteria. It will provide for cleaner windows
and hard surfaces, etc.
4. It is not recommended to use an extractor or steamer on cloth head-
liners because this could and many times does, breakdown the ad-
hesive holding the headliner material to the foam backer.
5. Also, you can kill mold spores that build up in the air conditioning system
creating smell, irritation to eyes and nose by turning the system on and
running it with the ozone machine on.
Did I miss anything? "
Article link on odors : [www.carwash.com]



Doug



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/17/2009 04:16PM by Doug Delmont.

Interesting post. Since when did bacteria cause "smoke smell"? It doesn't.

That disgusting cig smell is caused by tar lodging into the fibers of your car seat, car rug, leather, etc.

It's almost impossible to get out once its in. The best way to get rid of it is to wash it out with hot water and detergent in order to melt and loosen that tar gook.

Air conditioning and some ozone contraption is not going to work, sorry.

When Bud talks about bacteria causing odors, he talking about odors in general not cig. smoke which is tar and nicotine.

Actually, bacteria can still causes the smell from smoking. Bacterial lives off the tar.

Contrary to what you might think, most of the odour from cigarettes comes from hard surfaces, not fabrics. This may be one reason so many detailing companies fail... they work hard cleaning seats, carpets and headlining and overlook the fact that the dashboard and glass still have traces of tar because they look clean. It's really important they are washed down really carefully.

The next thing you have to do is remove all the ash. The problem with ash is it gets everywhere. For one, when the driver has the cigarette in their hand, and their hand is on top of the steering wheel, it tends to drop down into the steering column, from there it can get behind the dashboard. So sometimes the only way to remove all the ash is to start taking things apart.
another thing smokers do is try to flick the ash out of the window, but it gets blown back into the car and can end up as far back as the rear parcel shelf. It all needs to be removed, so you need attention to detail.

Next, the problem with ozone is that it works by oxidizing the surface of whatever it touches. By it's very nature it doesn't penetrate.
Ozone is just an unstable form of oxygen (03). When it touches something, there is an exchange of oxygen atoms. Basically, it changes whatever it touches... but it has to touch it. So if you have a thick layer of tar, it will oxidized the surface, but there is still tar underneath. Once you disturb the surface, the smell comes back.
So while ozone is a useful tool for dealing with odours it is not the be-all-and-end-all.

A more effective method of dealing with it is 'pairing'.
We are not very good as a rule of thinking what a smell actually is. There are only about 7 different smells, which are usually called 'notes'. You can think of them like musical notes... alone or in certain combinations they are unpleasant, but in the right chord they are actually quite pleasant.
Another way to think of it is to think of garlic. Garlic on it's own is not a particularly pleasant smell or taste. But it's used in hundreds of different dishes, where when put with other ingredients, the combination results in a very pleasant odour and taste.
This is a complex subject, but basically, if you use a fogger to put certain odours into the car, you will change the smell.
Usually Citrus type smells are used, but it could be that Cedar works too?
This isn't the same as masking the smell, you are combining smells to make something different. With citrus, you should find that the two smells cancel each other out to some degree because they are close to opposite on the scale. Cedar on the other hand, has a woody-smokey smell which is fairly close to the smell of smoke -- my guess is that it has a sweet note that fills in the gaps to make a more pleasant chord.

Anyway, for the benefit of the detailers here, we received our training from UnSmoke via Chemspec Europe. They supply products and training for companies that do restoration on houses and commercial buildings. We have received training for flood damage, fire damage... they can even teach you how to clean up a crime scene if you know what I mean!
If you want to do the training in the US, you can go direct to Unsmoke: [www.unsmoke.com]

For us, it has opened up many opportunities, allowing us to 'get in' with many major insurance companies, who also send us other work like paint overspray and fallout removal.

There are a lot of opinons expressed here and who knows some or all might be correct.

But let me say one thing that is fact: "The hotel and motel industry having been using ozone generators for years to remove smoke odor from rooms. It is impossible for them to clean drapes; carpet, bedspreads, furniture, walls, etc in every room that some has smoked in so they use ozone.

If it did not work, do you think they would use it?

Sometimes the most obvious answer is right in front of our faces.

Regards
Bud Abraham