Whether you are a smoker or non-smoker, the knowledge of removing cigarette smell from a car is something that can be quite useful. For smoke friendly fellows this is something you will have to undergo from time to time for obvious reasons. For non-smokers this skill will come in handy when you buy a used car that needs smoke odor removed or in the case you are kind enough to let a friend smoke inside your car. In any case, removing cigarette smell is very possible. In this article I will be sharing with you the steps you need to take to achieve this.
Steps to Take to Remove Cigarette Smell From Your Car
1 – Replace Cabin Filter
Replacing the cabin filter is something a lot of people overlook. The first thing we need to do is tackle the source of the problem. Cabin filters deal with the ventilation system of the car and consequently are exposed to a lot of the smoke smell and odor that passes through the car vents. Layers of smoke residue often builds up on cabin filters through which air passes and circulates around the car. In order to get this smoke smell out of the car vents, it’s necessary to replace the cabin filter with a fresh new clean one. If it’s your first time, search YouTube on how to replace the cabin filter for the make and model of your car. It’s a pretty straightforward process.
2 – Clean The Interior
Cleaning the interior is a crucial step. Before we attack the smoke smell, we want to make sure we get rid of all the possible sources from where more smoke smell can be generated.
Thoroughly vacuum the interior of your car paying special attention to the place mats and under the seats. Be sure to clean your car seats as well. Whether you have cloth or leather car seats an easy way to clean them is by spraying an all-purpose cleaner onto a microfibre cloth and wiping it over the seats. Another cheap natural remedy that can be done using products you may already have lying around the house is using a baking soda spray. Mix 1 part baking soda to 3 parts water into a spray bottle. The same can also be done with a white vinegar spray.
Often you will also notice haze build up on the windshield. To remove cigarette smoke residue from your car’s windshield check out this article : How to Clean Windshield Haze
3 – Use an Odor Eliminator
Although natural remedies such as baking soda, vinegar or coffee beans may be helpful for weaker smells they won’t be as effective against more intense smells like cigarette smells. This is where odor eliminating products come in.
A great odor eliminator is the Meguiar’s Air Refresher. This aerosol spray is commonly used by car dealerships to remove odors as part of their interior detailing process.
Another great odor eliminator is the Ozium Gel. This simple product is designed to deodorize the air which will help fight against cigarette smell lingering inside your car.
4 – Use an Ozone Generating Machine
Last but not least, I would recommend the use of an ozone generating machine. Cleaning your car with natural remedies or spraying odor eliminators may have an effect on removing some smells but at times these methods may just be coving up the smell instead of actually removing it. This is especially true in hard cases when a car is suffering from intense cigarette smells. This is where ozone generating machines come in.
A simplification of how these machines work is by producing ozone molecules which latch onto the bad smell inside your car. These smells are then broken down and released back into the air which removes any odor they previously had. Ozone generating machines are the most effective way to remove any kind of odor from the space they are used in. This is the reason they are used industrially.
Ozone generating machines should be used with care. No person should be around when this machine is running because breathing in the ozone filled air produced by this machine can be very harmful to the lungs.
Here are the steps to properly use an ozone machine:
- Set the ozone machine inside your car, keep your windows closed
- Using an extension cord plug the machine into a power socket
- Run the machine using its built in timer 30 to 1 hour depending on the intensity of the smell you are trying to remove
- Once the machine is done running, turn on the AC in your car while having the recirculation button on. Do this for 30 minutes.
- Lastly, roll down the windows and let the air out for a few hours
A great compact sized ozone generating machine perfect for removing cigarette smells from your car is the Ozone Generator by Enerzen.
Conclusion
Having cigarette smell in your car is nothing to worry about. It’s something that can be removed by using the information detailed in this article. Using the steps mentioned above, you will have your car smelling brand new! Feel free to leave your experiences on this topic in the comments below.