are there any products that you know that work well for getting cigarette smoke smell out of a car?

11/6/2008 1:12:15 PM

stop smoking

ba
da
ching

11/6/2008 1:13:58 PM

beat me to it

otherwise dump spoiled milk on the carpet, people will never notice the smoke smell

11/6/2008 1:16:12 PM

lock a couple of cats in it for a few days.. make sure they have a lot of water to drink

11/6/2008 1:16:51 PM

i don't smoke...its for a friend who is trying to sell their car

11/6/2008 1:20:33 PM

take it to bunkeys and spend $100 or spray a/c no odor all over the car,

11/6/2008 1:32:03 PM

^^^

my brother left the window partially down and a cat got trapped in my dad's old escort overnight at the beach

THIS METHOD IS EFFECTIVE

11/6/2008 1:37:21 PM

This stuff is made for home HVAC systems, but I put a can in my car and it is awesome. It's supposed to get rid of dank smells from your HVAC lines and make the whole house smell fresh. I only left the lid off for a day and now I just keep it in there with the lid on. It might do the trick for cigarette smoke. I bought it at a place called "D&L Parts Co." on Atlantic Ave. when I was in there getting some other stuff.

http://www.clenair.com/

[Edited on November 6, 2008 at 2:04 PM. Reason : added link...]

11/6/2008 1:58:08 PM

There are several ways to come at this problem, first and most obviously, clean EVERY surface in the car and even remove the ashtrays and cupholders and scrub them individually. Here are some more solutions.


This is 100% serious, do at your own risk. I havent tried it yet but havent had a reason to.
For moldy or musty odors: Take a 5gal bucket set it in the vehicle (windows UP), put 1qt bleach in it, then 1qt ammonia, then close the door and let it sit for 2hrs. Then remove the bucket, and let the car air out with the windows down or even with all 4 doors open. THIS WILL CREATE CHLORINE GAS THAT WILL WIPE OUT THE FUNK THAT IS CAUSING THE ODOR BUT CAN ALSO CAUSE YOU TO GET FUCKED UP SO DONT BREATHE IT!!!


Buy a canteloupe at the grocery store and cut it up. Leave the cut up peices of fruit out in the car for at least 2 or 3 days. If you have ever cut up one of these and left it in the fridge in a rubbermaid container you know how the smell can soak into the plastic, well thats the idea here as well. This is also the CDC reccomended way of removing "cadaver odor" when someone dies in a vehicle.

[Edited on November 6, 2008 at 2:26 PM. Reason : cvcvcvccv]

11/6/2008 2:24:46 PM

^NICE!!

11/6/2008 5:00:35 PM

Quote :

"I havent tried it yet but havent had a reason to...CDC reccomended way of removing "cadaver odor" when someone dies in a vehicle."

11/6/2008 5:13:20 PM

There are huge smoke removal canisters you can put in the car. Can't remember what they're called but they look like electric bazookas. They spray some mist shit out, guessing it's a mixture with ammonia.

11/6/2008 5:19:28 PM

durr its chlorine gas

11/6/2008 5:24:45 PM

will it kill mold too?

11/6/2008 5:47:22 PM

a pound of shrimp under the seat for a week with the windows rolled up should do the trick.

11/6/2008 6:20:16 PM

a little bit a shrimp juice will last for years, trust me, its an angry stink, my dad sold a 2 year old truck because of it

11/6/2008 6:28:16 PM

zep, which is a chemical company and can be bought from home depot, makes this spray called "smoke eliminator". it does seem to work okay if you want to try that route first. i'd try that cantaloupe shit primer recommends. i'd be interested to know if it works or just causes your car to smell like rotten ass cantaloupe.

11/6/2008 8:26:54 PM

i've never tried cantaloupe, but i know apples cut in half work pretty good.

11/6/2008 10:04:07 PM

apples will attract more fruit flies and the apples start turning to nasty rancid juice in about 12 hours. after 3 days its already begun to actually rot.

11/6/2008 10:18:11 PM

i've never had that problem, but i don't leave them in for that long anyway. just overnight or something, and i fold paper towels to sit under them.

so, anyone got any good tips for mold that's on fabric like seatbelts, headliners, etc.? my concern with conventional sprays/cleaners is taking the color out.

11/6/2008 10:38:25 PM

i dunno about that one, i always used tilex on my vinyl boat seats

11/7/2008 7:00:31 AM

chlorine gas kills mold

11/7/2008 8:28:33 AM

try ona gel. it smells kind of like urinal cake though....

11/7/2008 8:35:48 AM

^^word. where can i get one of those cannister things?

^is that for smoke smell or mold?

11/7/2008 11:00:44 AM

you dont need a cannister. 5 gal bucket, 1qt bleach, 1qt ammonia.

[Edited on November 7, 2008 at 11:14 AM. Reason : DONT BREATHE NEAR THE SHIT!]

11/7/2008 11:13:24 AM

k. i'll do it this afternoon and post back with results.

11/7/2008 11:17:20 AM

I can definitely see some Darwin Awards coming out of this thread. I'll be watching Fark.

BTW: Chlorine Gas is heavier than air. If you're crazy enough to do this, make sure that you open your doors, not just rolling down your windows.


[Edited on November 7, 2008 at 11:24 AM. Reason : DONT BREATHE NEAR THE SHIT!]

11/7/2008 11:21:52 AM

if i haven't killed myself with some of the shit i've done by now, it's not going to happen with this.

11/7/2008 11:37:26 AM

Ozium

http://www.atmosphereproducts.com/product_images/ozium/index.html

11/7/2008 1:13:25 PM

^^ BBR...let me know how it goes

11/7/2008 2:03:32 PM

run the fan with open air.

11/7/2008 7:20:36 PM

fart when the guy gets in for the test drive

11/7/2008 8:15:29 PM

Quote :

"cadaver odor"

This thread is relevant to my interests. Let us know if it works.

11/7/2008 8:37:33 PM

Quote :

"DONT BREATHE NEAR THE SHIT!"

Quote :

"if i haven't killed myself with some of the shit i've done by now, it's not going to happen with this."

Quote :

"I can definitely see some Darwin Awards coming out of this thread."

Tr00. Bleach + ammonia is a basic chemical weapon. It's going to be fun trying to do this without breathing some of it. This is not breathing bondo fumes where a little bit is ok and the effects gradually build up until you know you need to get away from it.

Regardless, there are tons of things that will kill mold. Killing mold is easy. Getting rid of it is another story. The dead mold spores are just as dangerous as the live ones. They'll still make you sick as hell and possibly destroy your immune system. Killing it just stops it from reproducing; it doesn't make it any more safe. I don't see what goal killing it meets when the real goal is to remove it from the vehicle. You're still going to have to scrub it to remove it and you're still going to be stuck with any stains that it leaves behind.

[Edited on November 7, 2008 at 9:39 PM. Reason : l]

11/7/2008 9:38:11 PM

charcoal will absorb the smoke smell...

put some charcoal in the car and leave it for a few days... buy a bag of charcoal, sit it on plates in the car... at least half the bag

11/7/2008 9:42:46 PM

i made it as far as buying ammonia and bleach. didn't have a chance to do anything with it. i'll do it tomorrow for sure.

^^well, i'm not a mold expert... but i figure it needs to be killed first so it doesn't come back or spread. i don't think this is the bad stuff either, just your basic green mold that forms in cars. what happened is some rain water got into my c5, and i haven't driven it in like 2 weeks. so, a few little spots have grown. the hard surfaces aren't an issue, it's the spots on the seatbelts and visors and the musty smell that's of concern. it's not that big of a deal i guess, the factory belts are coming out in favor of harnesses soon and the visors could use replacing anyway....

as for the danger of the mold, i'm not that concerned. i encounter MUCH worse in my job crawling under houses, working in walls/ceilings, etc. not to mention all the moldy old cars i've been in at junkyards or whatever.

11/8/2008 1:16:49 AM

Those ways are fine and all for the interior.........but there is one area that hasn't been touched yet......and that area would be the vents/evap box. You might get a nice, clean, chemical smell in the interior......but as soon as you cut the AC/heat/defrost on......the smoke smell will overtake everything. At the dealership, we use a Wynn's evaporator box flush. Its actually just a liquid chem we pour into the machine. All you have to do is find the intake for the heating/ac system, and run the hose from the machine into one of those ports. The machine turns the liquid into a fog. Roll the windows up and shut the doors..........looks like someone is smoking a hog leg in the car, full of the fog. That is effective 50% of the time though. We usually do that due to mildew.

The other fix is to actually drill a hole into the evap box, and take a pressurized canister with 50/50......water and Mr. Clean. The pressurized can we use has a somewhat flexible metal hose that is about 1/4" diameter. We turn it 360 degrees, spraying every angle possible. This is a PITA on 99/100 cars.......but is effective 90% of the time.

What I'd try first is to take a household spray bottle (Windex type bottle), and mix Mr. Clean and water..........spray into each vent, defrost grill.....any opening in the air system you can find. If you have a cabin filter, change that also.........and spray it with Mr. Clean as well. And also spray the intake at the cabin filter with 5-10 pumps.

11/8/2008 9:55:49 AM

Quote :

"as for the danger of the mold, i'm not that concerned. i encounter MUCH worse in my job crawling under houses, working in walls/ceilings, etc. not to mention all the moldy old cars i've been in at junkyards or whatever."

I'm sure you see some nasty shit crawling under houses on a day-to-day basis. I have a 3M filter mask that I use whenever I work near the stuff, but it is bulky and annoying.

11/8/2008 4:04:18 PM

i don't think the chlorine fumes would have any effect except leaving your car smelling like chlorine for a really long time. if you've ever been hit with chlorine gas or any combined chlorines you know you probably don't want to car to smell like that.

11/8/2008 4:14:31 PM

I've had good results with just renting a carpet cleaner with the furniture attachment
and hitting the carpet, seats, and headliner with it.
Then leave the windows cracked whenever it is dry.

11/8/2008 4:26:38 PM

well, i did it and i'm alive. airing out the car now. i think it definitely killed the mold. the stuff turned from green to a light brown.

11/8/2008 7:22:51 PM

optmusprime wins this thread

11/8/2008 8:21:21 PM

i let it air out all evening and just took a sniff check on my way back in the house a few minutes ago. seems good to me. not the greatest smell, but it's certainly better than a moldy/mustly smell (or smoke in the case of the op). it's kind of like a cross between a freshly bleached t-shirt and pool water.

11/9/2008 12:23:58 AM

Quote :

"[Cherry Air] is made for home HVAC systems, but I put a can in my car and it is awesome. It's supposed to get rid of dank smells from your HVAC lines and make the whole house smell fresh. I only left the lid off for a day and now I just keep it in there with the lid on. It might do the trick for cigarette smoke. I bought it at a place called "D&L Parts Co." on Atlantic Ave. when I was in there getting some other stuff."

This is addressed to the OP, but I've quoted Skack's comments because they "highlighted" the main issue for me. These are the main problems I see with this situation:

1. A lot of these scent products cause physical problems such as severe headaches for a portion of the population. They also don't remove other smells, they simply attempt to overpower them. Often the car smells worse than if it had just been left alone.

2. One thing this should show you is that you can temporarily try to overpower the smell with heavily scented products but you can't really get rid of that cigarette smell if it's seeped in. From what I've seen, cloth seats seem to soak up the smell more quickly than leather and they will reek of smoke with much less exposure time. But I've also noticed that if you manage to get the leather in a car to really soak up the cigarette smell, you can forget about it going away any time soon (It will probably NEVER go away fully). My uncle's second wife actually had a very nice Ford Thunderbird that it was well kept and was as heavily polished of a turd as I've seen. I wouldn't have had a problem daily driving it honestly. It was blue and V8 powered, with very lightly colored leather seats. At the time she smoked heavily as did my Uncle. That car had the most intense smoke smell I've ever experienced. The leather had soaked it up so heavily that it gave off a strong cigarette scent at all times. It was much stronger than any car care product and you could never cover it up. There was probably a layer of tar under most of the interior panels.

3. I fucking HATE cherry. I mean I motherfucking HATE cherry. I hate the smell, I hate the taste, etc. It will literally make me gag and vomit. So I don't suggest flavoring your car, it may smell even worse than the cigarettes, which they will notice regardless. Honestly, a non-smoker is going to smell it, period. You might as well be honest about it and just let them see if they can handle the smell or not. If they're someone that already smokes in their car then it shouldn't be a problem anyway.

4. I know some other guys who were discussing their friend's car. He smoked so heavily and cleaned it so little that it had a thick film of tar buildup on the insides of all of the windows, particularly the windshield. Apparently in certain weather conditions the tar residue would actually run down the windshield.

Quote :

"This is 100% serious, do at your own risk. I havent tried it yet but havent had a reason to. For moldy or musty odors: Take a 5gal bucket set it in the vehicle (windows UP), put 1qt bleach in it, then 1qt ammonia, then close the door and let it sit for 2hrs. Then remove the bucket, and let the car air out with the windows down or even with all 4 doors open. THIS WILL CREATE CHLORINE GAS THAT WILL WIPE OUT THE FUNK THAT IS CAUSING THE ODOR BUT CAN ALSO CAUSE YOU TO GET FUCKED UP SO DONT BREATHE IT!!!"

I have no clue whether or not this would work, but it's worth considering that this gas can kill you. There have been stupid maids and housewives who have killed themselves by mixing ammonia and bleach, thinking they were smarter than chemists. If you put enough together the shit will produce a visible smokey vapor, so you can definitely tell that a reaction is occurring!!

Searching the internet for this shit has produced some horrifying finds. One person recently asked yahoo answers about what could happen. She said the following:

"My husband wanted to make window cleaner he is mixing ammonia, bleach and water. I said no that's toxic."

Toxic makes it sound like you can't drink it ya stupid ass bitch. Hell, ammonia and bleach are both toxic by themselves. Mixing them is much more than "toxic" bitch, it produces a potent, deadly, poison gas cloud.

In fact, I'm almost certain that the chlorine gas produced by this reaction is the exact same gas that was heavily used in trench warfare during WWI.

11/9/2008 7:09:50 AM

Plenty of chemists have already made window cleaner. I guess this guy hadn't ever heard of Windex.

"I'LL BE BACK IN A FEW MINUTES HONEY, I'M JUST GOING TO GO MANUFACTURE SOME WINDOW CLEANER IN THE BASEMENT. DON'T WORRY IF I STOP RESPONDING AND YOU SEE THICK VAPOR POURING OUT OF THE BASEMENT."

Oh and:

"Chlorine can react with water in the mucosa of the lungs to form hydrochloric acid."

"Chlorine is detectable in concentrations of as low as 1 ppm. Coughing and vomiting may occur at 30 ppm and lung damage at 60 ppm. About 1000 ppm can be fatal after a few deep breaths of the gas."