Getting rid of faint smoke smell

Getting rid of faint smoke smell

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Gad-Westy

Original Poster:

15,069 posts

220 months

Wednesday 11th January 2023
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I didn't notice this at all but my Mrs says that she can smell a faint smoke smell in our new car. I intend to go to town on cleaning it but I understand there are some scent bomb type options now that I can try. Anyone have a particularly recommendation?

somouk

1,425 posts

205 months

Wednesday 11th January 2023
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Smoke is a nightmare to get out of the fabrics as it gets everywhere. There is also a chance it's in the AC system.

You can get the scent bombs from Halfords which are as good as any.

Generally speaking you will want to wet vac and soft materials and APC and scrub any hard materials then scent bomb the car and be prepared to clean all the hard surfaces and glass after as it leaves a film on them.

rallye101

2,218 posts

204 months

Wednesday 11th January 2023
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Posh cat litter( the wicking kind)....leave a tray in the car overnight....can draw out most things

Gad-Westy

Original Poster:

15,069 posts

220 months

Wednesday 11th January 2023
quotequote all
Fantastic. Thanks both. I’ve ordered a meguiars scent bomb and have apc and steamer at the ready. I’ll have a word with the cat about stealing some of his toilet supplies too if that lot doesn’t work.

Louis Balfour

27,661 posts

229 months

Wednesday 11th January 2023
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rallye101 said:
Posh cat litter( the wicking kind)....leave a tray in the car overnight....can draw out most things
Just make sure the cat doesn't have access to the car...

OldSkoolRS

6,865 posts

186 months

Wednesday 11th January 2023
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I used a product called 'Air vidox' which is a two part gel in a tub that you leave in the car for a while, then turn the fan on to recirculate the fumes through the air con. My wife's previous car was quite bad (it was an SLK and of course the roof was down when we viewed it so the smell wasn't obvious until we'd got it home and left it parked with the roof closed).

It actually took two goes with the Air vidox and I cleaned every piece of the interior I could reach multiple times and even removed the solid headlining trim as it had a piece of sound deadening on the inside that had absorbed the smell. After 4 years of owning it I still got the occasional whiff of smoke in it. frown I think it was particularly bad (lots of fag burns on the carpet under the driver's seat which again we didn't spot until after we'd bought it), so perhaps it was a worse case than yours and maybe you'll have more luck than I did.

I turned down a shed this summer as it stank of fags when I had a test drive...much worse than the SLK, so I knew there would be no hope...

stewies_minion

1,166 posts

194 months

Sunday 15th January 2023
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Proper cleaning. Ideally with steam. Inside the vents etc is where it really lingers. Wet vac all fabrics.

Thing that did it in for the final time in mine was weeks of windows open all day every day.

Appreciate it's not the season for either wet vacs or open windows all day.

Defcon5

6,303 posts

198 months

Sunday 15th January 2023
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I’ve seen people recommend ozone generators previously

jeremyb

27 posts

146 months

Sunday 15th January 2023
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Laundry dryer sheets work well for absorbing smells.
Don't know what is in them, but a damp one removes bugs too...

Belle427

9,738 posts

240 months

Monday 16th January 2023
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Don’t forget to replace the cabin filter too.

Gad-Westy

Original Poster:

15,069 posts

220 months

Monday 16th January 2023
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Thanks all. Last week, I went to town on vacuum, then wet vacuuming the car and APC all the plastics. Then stuck a Meguiars Fifi Sunset bomb in it for 15 mins with recirc and fans going full. It's hard to know if it worked or not as all we can smell now is Meguiars Fiji sunset! But fingers crossed. If the smell comes back I'll try some of the other tips too although cabin filters sounds like a good idea regardless.

OldSkoolRS

6,865 posts

186 months

Monday 16th January 2023
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Probably won't hurt that you've done all that cleaning and the bomb thing before you change the cabin filter. Cheap enough to buy them though (I've bought mine off eBay for a Fiesta, Ka and (two separate ones) for a Mercedes C200).

Alex_225

6,668 posts

208 months

Wednesday 18th January 2023
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Get one of these mate, better than the odour bombs you can buy.

I found faint smoke smell in my CL, which was completely unnoticeable on the test drive. Only seemed to be slightly there when the car has been shut up on a warm day.

This Airvidox is a one use pot, that as I understand creates chlorine gas so you mix it, lock it in the car and leave it.



Put it this way, you wouldn't want to be sat in there with it. I left it overnight as it fills the car with a pale yellow gas. They recommend you circulate your air for half an hour after a set period of time.




OldSkoolRS

6,865 posts

186 months

Wednesday 18th January 2023
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Yes, that's the stuff I used in my wife's previous SLK. Two goes of it to kill the smell in hers, but a faint smell should only need one like Alex_225.

Peanut Gallery

2,519 posts

117 months

Thursday 19th January 2023
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I have had success with the really old school idea of sprinkling baking soda into the carpet (or between the pages of books), leaving for a while, and then vacuuming out.

Others have left it on a plate in the car with success, but I sprinkled onto and worked into the soft furnishings that had the smell, and 24 hours later vacuumed.

Gad-Westy

Original Poster:

15,069 posts

220 months

Thursday 19th January 2023
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More great options, thanks. smile

Hammersia

1,564 posts

22 months

Thursday 19th January 2023
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Alex_225 said:
Get one of these mate, better than the odour bombs you can buy.

I found faint smoke smell in my CL, which was completely unnoticeable on the test drive. Only seemed to be slightly there when the car has been shut up on a warm day.

This Airvidox is a one use pot, that as I understand creates chlorine gas so you mix it, lock it in the car and leave it.



Put it this way, you wouldn't want to be sat in there with it. I left it overnight as it fills the car with a pale yellow gas. They recommend you circulate your air for half an hour after a set period of time.

Another vote for this ^^^^^^ used it and it worked great