How to Get Rid of Smoke Odor in Car
Cigarette smoke is one of the toughest odors to remove, especially from your car. The odor is absorbed into your upholstery and a thin film of tar often coats the plastic panels in your car. While there isn't a single foolproof way to remove smoke odor from your car, you can try a combination of several methods to drastically reduce or eliminate the odor.
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Instructions
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Vacuum your seats and carpet thoroughly to remove loose dirt. Spray an auto upholstery cleaner on your seats, carpet and headliner. Let the cleaner sit for about 5 minutes.
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Scrub the seats, carpet and headliner with a hand-held scrub brush. Use the vacuum again to remove the residue.
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Fill a spray bottle with vinegar and spray the plastic panels (dash, center console, etc). Let the vinegar sit for a few minutes, and then scrub the panels with a rag. The vinegar will help remove the film from the panels, which contributes to the smoke odor.
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Let the car sit for several hours (overnight if possible) for the seats and carpet to dry completely. Sprinkle baking soda on the seats and carpet. Shut the doors in your car and let the baking soda absorb the odor. Let it sit overnight for best results.
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Thoroughly vacuum the seats and carpet again to pick up the baking soda. The combination of vinegar, upholstery cleaner and baking soda will remove most of, if not all of the smoke odor in your car.
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Tips & Warnings
For severe smoke odors, you may need to have your seats and carpet shampooed or steam cleaned. Visit a professional detail shop if you can't get the odor out on your own. If the smoke odor is still present, smell your upholstery closely to determine where most of the odor is coming from. The headliner is usually the culprit, because it is difficult to clean properly. Consider replacing your headliner if you can't get the smell out.
