can cigarette smell really be removed?

[spacomponents]

I have a chance to buy a truck I like, but, it must have been owned by a smoker. I can't stand the smell, even though it's pretty mild. Truck hasn't been detailed yet, has fabric headliner, seats, carpeted.

Question, if headliner, seats, carpet and door panels get shampooed and every glass, rubber, and plastic surface gets polished, will the smell be gone?

I'm worried the seat foam will have absorbed the smell, and I'll never get rid of it PERMANENTLY.

anybody know???

[Executive Detailing]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

Greetings,

Certain types of smells are more difficult to remove then others, with smokers smell being the worst.

First open all windows (if weather permitting) and let nature air it out.

Then you will want to SCRUB every surface with soap and hot water.

Then you will want to throughly clean the windows (tobacco tar adheres to all surfaces!)

And if it is not removed by now, find someone with a ozone machine. (It is the same type used in hotel rooms)

Hope this helps!

[Mort Corey]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

Agree....an ozone machine is going to be your best bet. Problem with a cloth headliner and nicotine residue is that it tends to degrade the fabric. Getting a little too agressive with cleaning and the whole thing could fall apart (ask me how I know this) I think if you're wanting it to 100% smoke odor free, you might be best off looking at another vehicle.

Mort

[mirrorfinishman]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

No. Cigarette smell cannot be completely removed. From a personal standpoint, you may want to shy away from buying this truck.

[mirrorfinishman]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

Gene,

I forgot to add, this is my opinion based on my years of detailing other peoples vehicles.

[roushstage2]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

I have removed the cigarette smell from 2 vehicles using Meguiar's Odor Eliminator (the stuff in the yellow bottle). It will take some time.

[Nappers]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

Smoke just doesn't lay on the surface, it sticks to the wires under the dash, under the seats, carpet, headliner everywhere. If they smoked a lot, things turn yellow too. When I was a TV repairman as a wee lad, I responded to a house of a TV having a yellow screen. Having most of the symptoms in my head and going through the various parts I would need to fix it, it took a bottle of rubbing alcohol and lots of rags to clean the screen. Her carpet was sticky too. You can clean thoroughly but it will still smell a little and let it air out.

Aaron

[Executive Detailing]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

I cleaned a car a few years back that the little old woman who owned it smoked so much the windows had to be cleaned with 3 cans of glass cleaner, 4 rolls of paper towels, and a razor blade.
Yes, I had to scrape the layers of nicotine off the windows.
My hands were sticky, and smelled like smoke for several days.

[TXShine]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

Pass on the truck...... my bet is, every so often that crappy smell is going to rear it's ugly head.

[msmarcus]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

My brother bought a used Audi A-6. Beautiful car, but the previous owner apparently smoked like a freight train. We have tried everything and there is still an apparent smell (after 3 years).

[ken_ja]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

I was a smoker, been tobaco free for a year now. When I detailed my old truck for delivery to the new owner, I had to disasemble the dashboard and clean all the little nooks and crannies and wire bundles behind it. I also washed it befor I re-installed it. Took out the vent system (A/C vent hoses, cabin air cleaner) and washed them thouroghly and of course changed the cabin air filter. Took off roof liner and took out seats and carpets, had them deep cleaned and shampoed.

That seemed to have worked for me and I smoked in that truck for 3 years, two and a half packs a day and most of my buddies smoked at the time. I have since checked with the lady I sold it to when I saw that you guys had a recurance of the smell, but I couldn't detect any.

[RaskyR1]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

I'd probably pass on the vehicle since I can't stand that smell but I have gotten the smell 99% out of vehicles before.

Give the interior a good cleaning and then get an Ozon machine. It may take a day or two depending on the size and condition of the Ozon generator. Make sure you let the truck run with the A/C on with the Ozon machine running a couple of times for about 30-60 min.

Rasky

[roushstage2]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

One trick I use is to not only spray the odor eliminator inside under the seats and floor mats, but spray it though the cabin air intake. It will get it into all of the vents, etc. in the car.

[Jason Rose]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

I have a chance to buy a truck I like, but, it must have been owned by a smoker. I can't stand the smell, even though it's pretty mild. Truck hasn't been detailed yet, has fabric headliner, seats, carpeted.

Question, if headliner, seats, carpet and door panels get shampooed and every glass, rubber, and plastic surface gets polished, will the smell be gone?

I'm worried the seat foam will have absorbed the smell, and I'll never get rid of it PERMANENTLY.

anybody know???

If you like the truck, and it's a good buy...I would not let smoke smell stop you from buying it. Cars/trucks get smoke smell, sometimes bad smoke smell, permanently removed from interiors everyday in the wholesale reconditioning industry. I have a good friend in the business of smoke smell removal...it's routine and simple for companies like rental car agencies that are confronted with smoky smelling cars in a big way.

3 steps...

1) Thoroughly clean every accessible surface in the car/truck.
2) Spray Meguiar's Odor Eliminator M2301 on all fabric materials.
3) For the most complete odor elimination, and for areas you can't directly access in the interior, apply an ozone treatment as directed by the manufacturer of the ozone generator machine.

Done. No more smoke smell.

[AeroCleanse]

Re: can cigarette smell really be removed?

If the odor eliminator doesn't work, you need to step up to an ozone generator.