My husband allowed a friend to smoke a cig in his truck because the
truck, which we bought 2nd hand, was no virgin to smoke. It always
had a slight smell. Well, now, when we travel, our clothes smell like
smoke to a non-smoker. Seems odd to me, but my question is:
How to rid the truck from THAT smell. I welcome any advice.
Thank you, in advance.
Use an Ozone machine. That's what the auto detailers do and the only thing that will REALLY work.
Run the heat on high for awhile as well.
Fabreze and leave the windows down until the fabreze dries. Cigarettel smoke has tar in it which clings to everything, so if you can shampoo the apolstery and then use fabreze that should take care of it. If you can't wash everything down, try Fabreze and see how it works, don't be stingy when spraying it because as it dries it neutralizes the odor. Good luck!
We had the same problem... the only way to change it is to clean all surfaces. That means, all interior windows with window cleaner, all dash, steering, doors, etc with armor all, and seats and carpets with rug Resolve carpet/upholstery cleaner unless seats are leather - then treat with leather cleaner. It makes a huge difference. I even cleaned the ceiling with resolve.
When I quit smoking I did a lot of research and ended up going with the easiest choices. I put a bowl of vinegar on the floorboard during a hot day and then followed up with a brick of activated charcoal I got cheap at Bed, Bath & Beyond. I have leather upholstery so cleaning that and the ashtrays was all there was to it.
I would try to air it out. DH's family smokes like chimneys and after every visit everything we come home with stinks. I have to leave our bags outside to air out but its still horrible smelling. Good luck!
There will always be a lingering smell but you can do some things to lessen it. First change the cabin air filter located behind your glove box. Youtube will show you how to change it for the make of your car. Then get the car detailed on the inside and make sure they clean the inside roof of the car. You can use coffee grounds in nylons, baking soda in a cup, charcoal, and even cut apples to help get the smell out. It works a little. I had the same problem with mine. It doesn't smell as bad as before, but I can always smell it a little when I get in the car. Oh, I also used natures miracle spray which you can get at the pet store. Its used to get urine and pet smells out of carpets. I sprayed it every where and it did help a little.
I don't know what kind of upholstry the truck has...
I would use the Resolve dry clean on the carpet and if the upholstry is cloth and not leather or vinyl - i would use it on that as well...
I would also suggest baking soda on the floor - it will help absorb smells...I had a kid throw up in my mini van - I had to take the seats out, use the Resolve - a couple of times - and then the baking soda...that worked...another thing I did was use the oil from a diffuser on my carpet - kinda sprinkled it there...it really did help!!
if you can find an air purifier that uses ozone, it will get it out. Make sure no one is in there with it.
If you have a Shaklee distributor in your area, they may have an AirSource unit you can borrow.
My husband was in the business of repainting the used cars for Lexus and knows quite a bit about this. You can go to a car dealership in your area and ask who is the contractor they use for smoke removal? I would recommend going to a high-end dealership, such as Lexus, BMW or Mercedes. There is a chemical process they use that is sprayed into the vehicle that goes all throughout the ventilation system and the interior of the vehicle. It takes a full day. According to my husband, this is the only true way to remove the odor permanently. The cost will probably run somewhere between $75 - $200.
Keep an open cup of white vinegar in a cup holder in it for about a week. A friend did this with bowls of vinegar all over a house she moved into, and it worked!
Well you can leave the windows down on a windy day or drive around w/the windows down & a/c blowing cold for a few days or spray Renuzit Air freshner/odor neutralizer in it which helps or even Febreeze or you can get it 'detailed' which may help or use a shop vac or goto a carwash & vacuum the upolstery if it's fabric...not sure what to do if it's leather or vinyl. Hope this helps! Sorry I can't give much better advice. I never allow anyone to smoke near me or in vehicles but I got my mom's truck & it STANK like baby stink & tried everything to get rid of that odor but it occasionally still has that smell but pretty much gone now & that was a few months ago, in December. Good luck.
Sell the truck!! It will always be there.
Try getting 2 apples. Cut them into slices and put them under the seats. My dad swears by it!!
The best way is to change the cabin air filter first. You can look it up on the internet for your particular vehicle. This will elimnate alot of it. After you do that, clean the seats with woolite and wipe down the entire interior of the car. That should fix it right up. cb
Buy a different truck. It is kind of like trying to get the smell out of a house, it doesn't ever really go away.
I would sprinkle baking soda on the carpet and upholstery. Let it sit overnight with the windows closed. The longer, the better. Then I would vacuum. I would also put a small bowl or two of baking soda under the seats and leave them. If there isn't enough room, you could get the Arm and Hammer things that hang in the fridge and put them under the seats. They are pretty flat and have baking soda in them.
Good luck!
