Ideas on how to remove odour/smell/ash/smoke?
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Ideas on how to remove odour/smell/ash/smoke?
Previous owner never smoked in the car (so they claimed) but they smoked outside, thus their clothes, bags, items all smelled like smoke and somehow transferred into the car..... what's the best way to get rid of this smell over time?? I have those vanilla tree things that bring a fresh scent in but you can still smell smoke-ish so the combination of old plus fresh scent is unsettling. Any ideas??
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It's easy and just needs a screwdriver. Methods shown in this thread https://www.myg37.com/forums/d-i-y-i...-box-bulb.html
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From: Iowa
Unless you just bought the car in the last week, smoke smell transferred from clothing would have disappeared by now. Often heat/humidity bring back the smell of smoke and you’ll need to be thorough due to the way smoke permeates the interior.
Replace in cabin filter as suggested, opting for carbon impregnated if possible.
Shampoo carpets and floor mats
Clean leather and vinyl including dash and trim
Clean windows
Remove dash vents and clean (soak)
Clean as far as you can reach into duct work after removing the vents. There is likely a light layer of dirt in the ducts which is now saturated with smoke - baby bottle cleaners may help. Additionally, doing the same from under the dash will help. I don’t know how easy it is to access the blower in our cars but you may be able to reach the blades when replacing the filter. Try and clean the blades while manually turning the motor as this will also have a layer of dirt trapping the smoke smell.
I would be careful with the headliner and only lightly clean if needed - smell could be trapped in the headliner and pillars as well.
In a worst case scenario you may need to remove the door panels to clean the back side and inner door skins.
Good news is that other than the carpet, mats, headliner and seat belts is the surfaces are easily cleaned - just takes time.
Good luck!
-Eric
Replace in cabin filter as suggested, opting for carbon impregnated if possible.
Shampoo carpets and floor mats
Clean leather and vinyl including dash and trim
Clean windows
Remove dash vents and clean (soak)
Clean as far as you can reach into duct work after removing the vents. There is likely a light layer of dirt in the ducts which is now saturated with smoke - baby bottle cleaners may help. Additionally, doing the same from under the dash will help. I don’t know how easy it is to access the blower in our cars but you may be able to reach the blades when replacing the filter. Try and clean the blades while manually turning the motor as this will also have a layer of dirt trapping the smoke smell.
I would be careful with the headliner and only lightly clean if needed - smell could be trapped in the headliner and pillars as well.
In a worst case scenario you may need to remove the door panels to clean the back side and inner door skins.
Good news is that other than the carpet, mats, headliner and seat belts is the surfaces are easily cleaned - just takes time.
Good luck!
-Eric
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