VERY stubborn smoke smell. Please help!

J

jta98z

New member
Joined
Nov 5, 2013
Messages
60
Reaction score
0
Good morning everyone. I'll try to make this as short as possible. I bought a 2006 4Runner and its pretty apparent it was owned by a smoker. Its not the worst thing I've ever smelled but its definitely noticeable. The dealership did a fairly good job of cleaning all the glass, leather seats, and dash etc but the carpets were awful. Had a brown haze everywhere from what I assume was cigarette smoke. So I brought it home thinking I could tackle what was left with no problem.

First thing I did was install a completely new headliner, thinking I'd kill two birds with one stone. The original had scuff marks all over it etc and I got a good quote from the trim shop, and I knew most of the smell would probably be in that. So I got it back, and couldn't tell much difference in the odor. So I started off, replaced the cabin filter, gave all the glass, dash, consoles, and seats a good clean, cleaned and conditioned the leather seats, and rented a carpet shampooer, removed the front seats and fully cleaned all the carpet. They were disgusting. I went over the whole vehicle twice and the water in the tank was still pure black. I then sprinkled baking soda over all the carpets, and finished it off with an ozone machine for 2 hours.

That was 2 weeks ago and I can hardly tell any difference. Its almost like there a handful of cigarette butts stuffed somewhere that I can't find. What's weird is I literally press my nose into the seats, headliner, and carpet and can't really detect the smell coming from them. I've sniffed around numerous places and can't find a source. The AC blows clean and odorless so I can't see it being in there either. I can definitely tell its not coming from anywhere in the rear, its only faint in the middle row, and its strongest up front. I've aired it out for 2 to 3 days and it smells good then, but overnight once I pull it back into the garage and roll the windows up its back. I'm at a loss. I promised my wife I could get this odor out and I'm losing lol. She doesn't even want to drive the car because of it.

Now, a couple of things that I noticed and I want some feedback on it:

1. Should I have kept shampooing until the water was basically clear? If it was still black after 2 passes, its probably still dirty

2. I'm beginning to think the ozone machine I used was faulty. All the reviews I read said the vehicle smelled strongly of a bleach/chlorine odor for up to a week after use. I opened the door immediately after it ran and could hardly tell anything was different. I'm going to try a different machine.

3. It just occurred to me that I did not clean the seatbelts or the visors, but I can't see them stinking up the whole vehicle.

What else can I check guys?
 
Cigarette smoke can be stubborn, but it is doable. You replaced the head-liner which is good. Are the seats fabric or leather? Have you tried using a carpet extractor on the carpets and seats?

Use a good extractor pre-treatment, let that dwell, then extract. Using a Tornador with 10:1 of a good APC to clean the plastics, blast it into the vents, doors and seatbelts.

CarPro has a product called So2Pure. I used it once on a smoke filled Ford Ranger, like you the owner purchased used and she was very sensitive to cigarette odor, when she came back to get the car she said she could not smell it any more. I called her three weeks later to check in and she said she still couldn't smell it.

CarPro So2Pure Air Purifying Coating 120 ml.


For glass, here is a good article by Mike: https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...indshield-review-blackfire-glass-cleaner.html
 
LSNAutoDetailing said:
Cigarette smoke can be stubborn, but it is doable. You replaced the head-liner which is good. Are the seats fabric or leather? Have you tried using a carpet extractor on the carpets and seats?

Use a good extractor pre-treatment, let that dwell, then extract. Using a Tornador with 10:1 of a good APC to clean the plastics, blast it into the vents, doors and seatbelts.

CarPro has a product called So2Pure. I used it once on a smoke filled Ford Ranger, like you the owner purchased used and she was very sensitive to cigarette odor, when she came back to get the car she said she could not smell it any more. I called her three weeks later to check in and she said she still couldn't smell it.

CarPro So2Pure Air Purifying Coating 120 ml.


For glass, here is a good article by Mike: https://www.autogeekonline.net/foru...indshield-review-blackfire-glass-cleaner.html
Click to expand...

Hi there. The seats are leather. I did use an extractor on the carpets, but like I mentioned, after 2 passes it was still sucking completely brown water so I'm wondering if I should have went over it more. I'm fairly confident the glass is spotless. I cleaned it all very well and there is no visible residue and I'm no longer picking up evidence on the towel.
 
Yup, I was going to say the seatbelts. Pull them out and hold them out with strong clips so you can clean them... Then once they're dry leave them out but inside the vehicle while you open up a can on this:

6562ff6f1cd20e999093ad2dbd211b70.jpg


Follow the directions on the box and I think you'll get results.
I also think you should've kept going for more if the water was still extracting brown..
 
jta98z said:
Good morning everyone. I'll try to make this as short as possible. I bought a 2006 4Runner and its pretty apparent it was owned by a smoker. Its not the worst thing I've ever smelled but its definitely noticeable. The dealership did a fairly good job of cleaning all the glass, leather seats, and dash etc but the carpets were awful. Had a brown haze everywhere from what I assume was cigarette smoke. So I brought it home thinking I could tackle what was left with no problem.

First thing I did was install a completely new headliner, thinking I'd kill two birds with one stone. The original had scuff marks all over it etc and I got a good quote from the trim shop, and I knew most of the smell would probably be in that. So I got it back, and couldn't tell much difference in the odor. So I started off, replaced the cabin filter, gave all the glass, dash, consoles, and seats a good clean, cleaned and conditioned the leather seats, and rented a carpet shampooer, removed the front seats and fully cleaned all the carpet. They were disgusting. I went over the whole vehicle twice and the water in the tank was still pure black. I then sprinkled baking soda over all the carpets, and finished it off with an ozone machine for 2 hours.

That was 2 weeks ago and I can hardly tell any difference. Its almost like there a handful of cigarette butts stuffed somewhere that I can't find. What's weird is I literally press my nose into the seats, headliner, and carpet and can't really detect the smell coming from them. I've sniffed around numerous places and can't find a source. The AC blows clean and odorless so I can't see it being in there either. I can definitely tell its not coming from anywhere in the rear, its only faint in the middle row, and its strongest up front. I've aired it out for 2 to 3 days and it smells good then, but overnight once I pull it back into the garage and roll the windows up its back. I'm at a loss. I promised my wife I could get this odor out and I'm losing lol. She doesn't even want to drive the car because of it.

Now, a couple of things that I noticed and I want some feedback on it:

1. Should I have kept shampooing until the water was basically clear? If it was still black after 2 passes, its probably still dirty

2. I'm beginning to think the ozone machine I used was faulty. All the reviews I read said the vehicle smelled strongly of a bleach/chlorine odor for up to a week after use. I opened the door immediately after it ran and could hardly tell anything was different. I'm going to try a different machine.

3. It just occurred to me that I did not clean the seatbelts or the visors, but I can't see them stinking up the whole vehicle.

What else can I check guys?
Click to expand...

One word zapper spray. Google it works great.Or there is a product called fog from hi-tech industries. Its not a fogger but comes in a tin can.Dealers buy cases of that.
 
Ultrashield spray based out of ft Lauderdale.
 
jta98z said:
Its almost like there a handful of cigarette butts stuffed somewhere that I can't find.
Click to expand...

I had a stubborn smoke smell and I found a small pile of smokeless tobacco from a spilled dip cup.

You just may have a cig butt still hidden somewhere.
 
Ive had GREAT luck with the Dakota No-Smoke that is sold here on AG and at ACC. I havent had to fog a car yet just spray the smoky headliner, seats, carpets, and trunk then shut it in for a day or 2. Kills smoke smell, I would imagine the fogger option would be MUCH better. One note is that the No-Smoke has its own very strong smell that my not be too user friendly lol
 
Ozone will easily remove it, but you have to leave the windows cracked. An ozone generator needs fresh air to work properly in a car. Stop the fresh air it won't work properly. Run it too long and it can do damage to the interior. It should not have taken more than 15 minutes to totally deodorize that car.
 
Last edited:
Also, the interior should have been dry. With the carpet still wet from shampooing, ozone couldn't get to the source of the smoke smell. Remember an ozone generator takes oxygen from fresh air and makes ozone, an army of oxygen atoms that will easily float to and combine with it the molecules that cause the smoke smell and totally change the smoke molecule into something totally different and destroy the smell.
 
Last edited:
You need an enzyme solution that will kill the odor and not just cover it up.
 
"I then sprinkled baking soda over all the carpets", and finished it off with an ozone machine for 2 hours."

I am not sure but this may have reduced the ozone from working also.
 
Definitely clean the visors. Ozone machine for stubborn smoke may need to be left in much longer (overnight) and watch the humidity. If using a corona discharge type generator and humidity is high, it hinders the ozone production greatly. Chlorine dioxide is another method, odor bombs too. Keep trying until something works, you've come this far.
 
Derrick said:
Ozone will easily remove it, but you have to leave the windows cracked. An ozone generator needs fresh air to work properly in a car. Stop the fresh air it won't work properly. Run it too long and it can do damage to the interior. It should not have taken more than 15 minutes to totally deodorize that car.
Click to expand...

Really? I've never read anything about leaving the windows cracked, in fact I seem to read the opposite. You want it sealed up as much as possible.

Also, what sort of damage are you referring to?
 
jta98z said:
Really? I've never read anything about leaving the windows cracked, in fact I seem to read the opposite. You want it sealed up as much as possible.
Click to expand...

You are correct that you want it sealed up. Ozone is heavier than air and will stack up in the vehicle as it fills the interior. The fresh air part is from the source. What I like to do is set the machine just outside the vehicle with a flexible dryer hose connecting the front of the machine to the window via a cardboard vent that allows for the ozone to pump into the vehicle and the machine to breathe fresh air doing so.

View attachment 59899

It's going to take 2-3 cycles of 1hr each to completely disinfect and clear any odors for good. Run it for an hour, vent it for a bit, then run it again, air it out, etc. I also tend to do at least one cycle with the HVAC going in high on hot and another on high / cold.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top