My car stinks!

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ZedPM

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Feb 2, 2012
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San Jose, CA
Hello,

If you have access to a carpet cleaner vac with upholstery attachments get, a bottle of cleaner for pet stain & odor.
I may take a couple of cleaning sessions. Use the soap then follow with just water to clean out the soap. Also get a solid air fashioner like you use in your house, not the car hanging tree type. Let your car air out too roll down all the windows and open the trunk. I had tried fabreez lysol, bowl of vinegar and they were only a temporary solution. It will take some time and elbow grease.
 

mattiem

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Give it a few weeks and the smell will go away. I had the same issue. Save the cash and buy some juice!:laugh:

I wish that was true. Been at this for over 3 months now and my car still smells like a wet ashtray. The first warm day I am going to give it a good cleaning. The smell is terrible when I first get in it. Fortunately I sorta get used to it after a few minutes.
 

andyman97

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Dec 9, 2011
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The best/quickest way to get rid of the smell is to keep your windows down as much as possible, for as long as possible. Let fresh air ventilate and push the stale air out of the car. That coupled with an air sanitizer/fabric refresher should have you all set in a week and a half to two weeks. Good luck!
 

daniele25

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Feb 18, 2012
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I think some other people said this too, but I can speak from experience on it. The dryer sheets definitely work! A few years back I was selling my car, I put a dryer sheet under each of the front seats, and it completely cleared out the smell of smoke. It was amazing really. The first people who came to look at the car never said a thing about a smell of smoke, they didn't even ask if it was a smoking vehicle. It sold to the first person who came to see it. It's an amazing little trick. I just did it again with my current car now that I stopped smoking a few days ago. Good luck!
 

Angi2299

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Jan 17, 2012
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Oh, and don't forget the airvents. Once that smoke gets in there, it's gonna smell for a while. Try spraying some Fabreez directly into the air vents.

Some detail companies have a process for cleaning the vents. Never had it done, so I don't know how well it works. Have sprayed air freshener in the vents of a previous car and I wouldn't suggest doing it too much. As the liquid dries it gets sticky and will cause the vent adjustors to stick and stop working.
 

Coil

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@Gramma Cool: I detailed for about 10 years and there is a nice little secret I'll share with you that should do the trick. Get some Cheese cloth and some cheap coffee grinds (About 2-3 BIG cans) Pour the coffee grinds onto the cheese cloth and close up all the windows and leave it overnight. Try to keep the car out of direct sunlight if possible so the coffee can suck up most of the smell that can come up without chemicals. It should work but depends on how old/many years you've smoked in the vehicle.

If you still smell the stinkies in there you will need to ask a good detailer to EXTRACT the carpets and seats. Your headliner and funny enough windows play a huge role in the smell as well. You can use a transfering method with a damp wash cloth and a dry wash cloth and some interior car cleaner to do the headliner. Check to see if you have a good shop/ mobile detailer in your area that will do an Interior Detail for you.

Hope this helps:)

For AC smell replace your cabin air filter. About a $10- $15 quick fix
 
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Mandardorn

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Feb 18, 2012
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Moundsville, WV
Thanks for all the tips...this might sound crazy but I'm not even completely off analogues and I swear I am smelling things better than when I smoked 1-2 packs a day. I've noticed I can smell the ashtrays etc when I never did before. I'm going to put some of the dryer sheets and what not in the car and around the house to try to get rid of the smell. I especially like the idea of coffee grinds. Will have to do that!
 
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