Car Smell - What Have You Used?

[Texas Splash]

So a couple follow-ups:
1 - Did a baking soda treatment last night and running the ozone again for like the 10th time, but that's fine. As long as it doesn't mess with the plastics, rubber, etc. Running on recirc again.

2 - As for my wife and telling her she was right, yesterday she:
a - Almost left the house with her spandex on backwards.
b - Swore she sent me a txt message when she actually sent it to our son.
c - Darn, I can't remember #3, but it was a good one.

I got her on the ropes, I'm not about to admit she was right ..... not just yet. Ha ha.

 

[Leebo]

c - Darn, I can't remember #3, but it was a good one.

I think it was “wanted Taco Bell”

 

[Lake Placid]

I think it was “wanted Taco Bell”

I think you’ve stumbled into the solution. Enough Taco Bell and White Castle in the car and Pat won’t worry about the smoke smell anymore. Although the mix of new aromas introduced may be toxic to the elderly, small children, pets, and the immunocompromised.

 

[Newdude]

+1. There's a reason why not one Taco Bell in the land has a playground. Everyone is on a mission afterwards.

 

[Stump]

Smoke Odor Eliminator - 16 oz.

COUNTERACTS THE TOUGHEST ODORS: Eliminates the toughest tobacco, cannabis, and burnt wood smells. Pros trust this to eliminate the toughest smells from shared areas

zep.com

Maybe this, it can`t be sprayed directly on upholstery, fabrics or painted, plastics or rubber surface. What if it was applied directly on a new cabin filter then turn on either vent or ac in recirculation mode.

 

[dfwnoob]

That stuff is a nuclear option to me, I used it on the casing of a laptop I bought off Craigslist to try and remove the cigarette odor from the soft touch plastic. It has it's own unique reek and it may be overpowering for many people. It didn't do the best job removing the odor from the plastic, though I really didn't expect it to. It just smelled bad in a different way.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Pat - I really wouldn’t waste money on any of the sprays. None of them are actually “eliminators” of anything … they are mostly over-priced cans of Fabreeze if you look at the SDS sheets. The chemicals they employ are simply surfactants and odorants that will cover the smell, not actually break anything down.

Time, temperature and ozone. That’s the only thing you can do. And a nice pine tree air freshener …

 

[JoyfulNoise]

You might consider a moisture absorber like this (Arm & Hammer brand) -

Amazon.com

a.co

There’s also active charcoal bags as well that can help to capture odors. They work best if you can have air flowing around them so perhaps put them near the air filter intake.

Amazon.com

There is a similar brand of moisture absorber by DampRid. They also have hanging bags. Keeping the humidity inside the vehicle low will help to draw out the offending organic compounds. And these typically contain scent agents that help to mask the odors. I’ve used them before in closets to help reduce musty odors. Available at any hardware store.

 

[Stump]

Do you have a carport or access to one.... Roll all windows down and let mother natural remove the cig smell. I knew when I posted that Joyfull would blast holes in my suggestion lol!!!!! Most consumer products mask the smell and I checked "POOF" would not fix your problem even if the demonstrator sprays it in his mouth. My youngest daughter had stinky feet and her shoes were awful. I could put her shoes in deep freezer and smell would go away. I hate it for you, cigs and smell of death in a vehicle are hard to correct.

 

[bmoreswim]

Maybe there's a "cigarette smoke smell" air freshener between the metal springs and the cushion under the driver side seat. One of our used cars had one, except it was pina colada flavored. We found it after about 2 years.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Ok, I have a really horrible story to tell …

As a youngster, my pay-for-college job was working as a cook in an Italian restaurant. Great job for a young guy and cooking skills I acquired made me very popular with the ladies (cuz God only knows my looks weren’t going to get me anywhere …). There was this young busboy who started working there who, for whatever reason, would talk back to a lot of the cooks and dishwashers. I think it was some kind of machismo thing and I would routinely yell at him to quit fooling around and go back to work. It finally got to the guys in the back and they decided to teach him a lesson. He would routinely park in the back of the store and use the rear entrance unlike all the other front staff that would come in through the main door. He thought he was special like us sweaties in the back. And he would leave his car doors unlocked. That’s when the dishwashers got their revenge …

They took a handful of raw calamari (squid for you unrefined types) and pulled back his front floorboard carpeting and threw it under there. Then they left it there. It takes a day or so of sweltering hot weather to kick in but when that seafood starts to turn … Lord have mercy! … that is one foul odor. The poor kid tried everything to figure out what was going on. He finally realized that he messed with the wrong sweaties … within a few days he was absolutely begging the back crew to tell him what it was and where to find it. They let him stew for a few more days and then threw him a lifeline. But, honestly, after they told him what to do, it still took weeks for his car to recover. Every day he had to drive around with that rotten seafood odor in his car. He learned a lesson I’m sure he never forgot even to this day.

So Pat … it can always be worse …

 

[Lake Placid]

Ok, I have a really horrible story to tell …

As a youngster, my pay-for-college job was working as a cook in an Italian restaurant. Great job for a young guy and cooking skills I acquired made me very popular with the ladies (cuz God only knows my looks weren’t going to get me anywhere …). There was this young busboy who started working there who, for whatever reason, would talk back to a lot of the cooks and dishwashers. I think it was some kind of machismo thing and I would routinely yell at him to quit fooling around and go back to work. It finally got to the guys in the back and they decided to teach him a lesson. He would routinely park in the back of the store and use the rear entrance unlike all the other front staff that would come in through the main door. He thought he was special like us sweaties in the back. And he would leave his car doors unlocked. That’s when the dishwashers got their revenge …

They took a handful of raw calamari (squid for you unrefined types) and pulled back his front floorboard carpeting and threw it under there. Then they left it there. It takes a day or so of sweltering hot weather to kick in but when that seafood starts to turn … Lord have mercy! … that is one foul odor. The poor kid tried everything to figure out what was going on. He finally realized that he messed with the wrong sweaties … within a few days he was absolutely begging the back crew to tell him what it was and where to find it. They let him stew for a few more days and then threw him a lifeline. But, honestly, after they told him what to do, it still took weeks for his car to recover. Every day he had to drive around with that rotten seafood odor in his car. He learned a lesson I’m sure he never forgot even to this day.

So Pat … it can always be worse …

Bad mussels are far worse than calamari….you and you compadres saved that youngin a worse fate.

 

[kul]

That smell would drive me crazy too. I recommend heavy sprinkling of baking soda routinely maybe vacuum it up after 24 hours and start again. Also the vinegar containers. The combo overtime will probably help. Agree with leaving the windows open as much as you can. Similar to a slam, the issue didn’t happen in a day so it’s going to take time and persistence. Good luck!