I second baking soda overnight sprinkle on upholstery and vacuum up. Then wipe surfaces with vinegar. Then purchase zeolite. It will take out smells naturally, when it's not working well recharge it In the sunlight. It may take a while but it will come out eventually if you repeat cleaning every few months until it's gone. There is also professional strength enzyme products the car resellers use but I am not sure they are natural nor what they are called.
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You want an enzyme cleaner. The stuff they use for crime scene cleanup. No, I’m not kidding. They sell it at most janitorial supply stores. The strongest stuff is listed as a drain cleaner. There are many brands but they’re all basically the same.
I just cleaned mine and let time do its thing. It worked out. I'd say charcoal, enzyme and yea an ozone machine WOULD work but I'd think you'd have to know how to use it there is this whole THING that you have to do afterward (IDK what, but they did it to our house, which caught fire, not me that did it) and you can't go in there for a long time like 3 days. Etc. I think it's ah, toxic, but rather effective.
Good luck, I suppose you could use essential oils to mask the smell if you don't like "cleaning product" smells, but even that would just mask it really..
Anna
Good luck, I suppose you could use essential oils to mask the smell if you don't like "cleaning product" smells, but even that would just mask it really..
Anna
This is true. Enzyme cleaner takes a good 24hrs to do its job and only starts working AFTER it dries. It’s not exactly toxic but it will eat anything organic which includes things like your hands
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Might pose the question to experts:
Could look up in your area "Auto Detailing".
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Detailing and charcoal. My hubby left a fast food bag with a few bites left in his truck in the heat of a Florida summer. Smelled like something died in there. He got a little charcoal bag somewhere and hung it up, smell was gone in a day. It’s still there, 7-8 years later, and I can’t even smell it when my dogs are farting all over the back seat.
baking soda and charcoal worked really well, thanks
Febreze is good for lighter things in my opinion. Freshen up a pillow or even a couch or a small rug or closet. For most of us that smoked in the car --especially heavy smokers, the smell is really embedded in there because it is such an enclosed space. I am the type of person that does not even mind the smell the smoke -- I really don't. However, after I stopped smoking it really smelled not so nice --- a stale kind of tobacco smell.Reading the comments, kinda hesitant to say febreeze ?
I don't own a car anyway but that's what i used for my room and it worked at least
Probably not as efficient as throwing it off a cliff though......
Even after my car was detailed ---not just lightly cleaned but detailed -- I still smelled it lingering. My windows looked shiny clean. I have dogs and if they ride in the car in the back they mess up the windows with their paws and nose and I wipe down the windows after they get out. When I did I could not believe there was still yellow stuff -- car was just cleaned. So I took vinegar and water and went over all the interior windows. The two worst offenders were the driver side window and the half of the front windshield on the driver's side (my side). I kept going over it and over it until it was clear.
The carpeting was cleaned when it was detailed but I still did the baking soda and it really helped freshen things.
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To make a long story short. I was helping a family member save some sentimental things after a significant house fire.
l found out from a local fire hall that they use a product for their gear etc... I contacted the company and they sell enzymatic solutions for several surfaces. The name of the company is Green Dolphin, if I remember correctly they don’t usually sell to the public but made an exception.
If you happen to be driving by a local fire hall in your area and they are outside washing down a truck, pull in and ask them what they use to remove smoke odour.
There was huge amount of smoke damage but with determination, l got the items 100% clear of the smell, the exception was if there was any area that had any singed spots. It was more difficult cuz items had not been removed from the house for an extended period of time so it took a few applications.
Vonnie
Great tip -this may be them -- Green Dolphin: Eco-Friendly Solutions and it looks like they have a home line, too. I like eco friendly,
That’s them, you got it
there is a special degreaser, deodorizer & one other l had bought for the different surfaces, I just can’t remember the third cuz I used it all up.Vonnie
Detail shop at a dealership I worked at, would put a bowl of coffee grounds in the trade ins for a couple days. Seemed to help.
Ozium is something you could try. You can normally find it in auto parts stores or I assume online. It comes in a small white spray can and is strong as hell. I have had success geting the smell of ciggarette smoke as well other types of smoke out of quite a few cars back when I was working at a car lot. Id imagine its a lot cheaper than taking you car somewhere to be cleaned.
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