Odor still in there. Or, you’ve recently bought a car whose previous owner was a smoker. % of people told us that this article helped them. I bought an F150 work truck that reeked of smoke about 3 months ago. How Do I Get Rid of a Bad Smell in My Car? This is a huge problem and for the percentage of people who don’t smoke, that smell can be dizzying. This article was co-authored by Chad Zani. Whether you’ve rented or bought a house where the previous owners used to smoke or you bought a used car that smells like an ashtray; cigarette smoke smell is never pleasant. Don't mean to be rude, but your customers will probably think you're a lot more professional in written correspondence if you don't misspell "vinyl.". You can also contact the DVLA and get vehicle history information directly from them, given that you have a … We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. If cigarette ashes and butts litter your car, all the air freshener in the world won’t make a difference. Auto Detailing Expert. To help you get your car back to smelling fresh, at OneHowTo.com we explain how to remove sick smell from your car. Lingering odors can affect how much you enjoy your home. Print the key into the search box, press "Enter" - and you'll immediately see a report about the car's history, including the data about the previous owner (or several owners). Part 2 of 2: Having your car cleaned professionally. Replace the in-cabin air filter, clean seats/carpet/glass, and use a foaming cleaner on the headliner. Look in the seat pockets, under the floor mats, and between seats and under seats for trash that might have accumulated and been there a while, such as old food. Is there a easy way to remove it? A burnt pan or barbecue can also cause a nasty smoke smell for a long time. How to remove car smells, odor eliminator for your car DIY with Scotty Kilmer. Eliminate this smell by first removing all the plastic covers on the interior of your car and leaving the windows open to air out your car. Most modern cars have a cabin filter. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Get the funky smell out of our car, don't cover it up with chemicals and perfumes, get rid of it using an ozone generator. Just spraying something that smells nice is not going to solve the problem. This article was co-authored by Chad Zani. OdoBan Will Do the Job. After you do that you need to shampoo the carpets and seats and head/roof liner, after that spray everything liberally with Lysol. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. its like the smell is coming out of the a/c vents. I've tried spraying orange spray which only helps momentarily and I've tried Googling, but eHow and the like are all that I come across. I used bowls of vinegar in my car to get rid of the previous owner musty/smoky smell. Also the refrigerator packs of baking soda; leave a couple of those in the car. Give it several minutes to work its magic and, in the meantime, get the vacuum. A couple months of febreeze and baking soda and daily use by a nonsmoker basically got rid of the smell. Before even opening the comments, my answer was 'With fire. Dear Tom and Ray: I recently purchased an '89 Chevy Astro van for my wife at an auction. I am looking at buying a car from a private oener and I am concerned that the previous owner may have smoked in the car. Saw this on an episode of Mythbusters, it's one of the earlier ones. #1. leakypetcock, May 10, 2013 #2. leakypetcock Adventurer. After you do that you need to shampoo the carpets and seats and head/roof liner, after that spray everything liberally with Lysol. Only use cleaners formulated for the materials your car interior is made of, or you could risk doing damage to your car. Then pull the cabin air filter and replace it, you can add a bounce sheet to the mix underneath it if you like. If the car was taken for regular services at a reputable garage, you will feel more reassured that the car was looked after and should be in good shape. The charcoal is also an excellent method. Tags: None. This can be found out via its service history. Help! If your car still smells, there are plenty of natural ways to remove odor from your car. Refrigerator packs of baking soda in your home the a/c vents you enjoy your home for me to wet. To get a Lingering smell out for creating a page that has developed a strong smoke smell out of new-to-me... Re what Allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad.... Wore waaaayyyy to much perfume and the smoke smell is roll the car for 8 years. effect use! 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