Tired of your car smelling like a 90s dive bar? These 5 easy tricks will banish cigarette smell from car interiors fast. From deep-clean hacks to fresh-scent secrets, you’ll have your ride smelling brand new in no time. Stop masking it—fix it for good!
Everyone wants that fresh, new car smell. But, annoyingly, smoke is pretty nifty at embedding itself in soft furnishings and refuses to budge.
Most of us deep clean our cars every month, but those who need to remove cigarette smoke have another big challenge.
Eradicating nasty smells in car upholstery is time-consuming and will make you think twice about smoking in your car again.
Regardless, there are plenty of methods to try depending on what equipment you have to hand.
So, keep reading to figure out the best and easiest ways to remove cigarette smells from your car.
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Using baking soda and a vacuum, you can eradicate cigarette smells from your car. You can also clean the hard surfaces with vinegar, soap, and water.
Make sure to vacuum all hard-to-reach places and wipe all the hard surfaces with soap, vinegar, and water.
What will you need to remove cigarette smells from your car?
- Surfance disinfectnant.
- Vacuum cleaner.
- Baking soda.
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- Scented fabric spray.
- Empty spray bottle.
- Microfiber cloth
- White, distilled vinegar.
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- Standard dish soap.
- Water.
- An air freshener for the final touch.
Steps to follow to eliminate smoke smells from cars:
- Heavy-duty clean-up.
If you’re someone who uses their car a lot, rubbish and debris can build up pretty quickly.
The smells can start forming with an empty Starbucks cup and a few cigarette butts in the ashtray, So let’s eradicate the source.
First, empty the car of all trash and cigarette remnants.
Next, take the ashtray outside and generously douse it with disinfectant. Leave the ashtray to soak, wipe it, and repeat.
Finally, leave the ashtray outside to air dry.
- Vacuum.
The upholstery in your car will suck up any smells, liquids, and debris it can. So, grab your vacuum cleaner and get to work.
To make the most of the vacuum cleaner, sprinkle some baking soda on the soft upholstery in the car.
Next, sprinkle the powder generously over the carpeting, and leave it to sit for 15-30 minutes. The baking soda will absorb smells and oils.
Then vacuum the entire car, and suck up all the baking soda. Finally, make sure to clean all the small, hard-to-reach places.
That means getting in between the seams, under seats, and all the nooks and crannies.
Make sure to remove all items from your car before doing this, as there’s no point in vacuuming around cups, books, and keys.
Next, remove the floor mats and vacuum those and the floor beneath them.
- Get some fresh air.
When people clean their cars, they like leaving open doors and windows and letting the car air out.
This is a great idea, and it will help remove all the stale smoke smells, microscopic particles of ash, and stinky baking soda that might be hovering around.
So, spray some scented fabric over the upholstery, open all the doors and windows, and let the air recirculate.
If you have a private driveway, leave the car like this for a few hours.
If you’re cleaning your vehicle on a public street and don’t wish to leave the doors open unattended, just do this for 15-20 minutes.
- Clean the hard surfaces.
First, you will need to make the cleaning solution. So, add the following ingredients to a spray bottle:
- ¼ cup of vinegar.
- ½ teaspoon of dish soap.
- Two cups of warm water.
Shake the bottle thoroughly to combine all the ingredients, and then liberally spray the solution over all the hard furnishings in the car.
Then, with a microfiber cloth, wipe down all the areas. Use some elbow grease, as some areas will appear cleaner than they are.
Continue doing this until all the surface look, smell, and feel clean.
- Finishing touches.
Put back all the foot mats and items you usually keep in your car. Make sure everything is clean and smells good.
If the things have taken on a smokey smell, wash them first. Then hang a delightfully scented air freshener.
Areas you need to give proper attention to.
There are so many areas in the car to clean it can be easy to forget a few. But, if you’re going to the effort of deep cleaning the car, you’ll want a good result.
So, pay special attention to areas such as the glove compartment, the cup holders, the gear shift, the steering wheel, and the dashboard.
- Glove box.
For the glove box, remove all the contents and throw away any garbage. Take this opportunity to discard some items that are not necessary, as anything left in the vehicle can cling to smoke.
- Dashboard.
When cleaning the dashboard and control panel, vacuum thoroughly and then wipe with a cloth and cleaning solution.
You can even wrap or tape a small cloth around a ruler and use it to get into all the cracks and crevices.
- Gear shift.
Use a leather cleaner if your gear shift is leather-wrapped, and use a conditioner to leave an excellent finish.
Thoroughly spray and wipe the cup holders to remove all debris and odors.
- Steering Wheel.
Similarly, use a leather cleaner and conditioner if your steering wheel is wrapped in leather.
If the steering wheel is not leather-wrapped, use an automotive cleaner that won’t leave the steering wheel too slippery.
- Seatbelts.
Cleaning the seatbelts is a tricky one without proper equipment. Ideally, you should steam clean.
Otherwise, get a damp cloth and vigorously wipe the seat belts while fully extended.
- Trunk.
Although you might not be smoking in the trunk, the smoke will still end up there. Vacuum the cargo area of the car first to remove excess debris.
Then sprinkle baking soda over the area and leave to soak for 15-20 minutes. Then vacuum the area again.
- Windows.
Smoke leaves a nasty film over the glass, leaving an unpleasant and pungent smell.
So, spray the windows and wipe thoroughly with a microfiber cloth. Again, use some elbow grease for this step.
How to clean the ventilation system in your car.
Smoke will not only stick to the visible surfaces of your vehicle but will cling to the internal ventilation system inside your car.
It can be tricky to penetrate deep into the air vents to remove the smell, but it is possible.
The easiest way to do this is by using a steam cleaner. Direct the steam into the vents, which will travel through them and loosen up the cigarette residue as it flows through the system.
Then, turn on the fans to the highest setting and the air conditioner to the coolest setting.
Next, open the windows, and leave the ventilation system alone for 5-10 minutes.
This should be enough time for the steam to have loosened the residue and for the system to push out the nasty odors.
Additionally, as an extra precaution, you can locate the air intakes in the car. Then, spray an odor neutralizer into the air intake system.
The intakes are usually near the wiper blades at the front of the vehicle.
Odor-eliminating spray from amazon.
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To Summarize.
Removing cigarette smells from your car is a tedious, annoying process. However, it’s worth the effort. You and your passengers will thank you once you put in the effort.
The methods do work, and they very much depend on the effort you put in. Use some baking soda on the soft furnishings to absorb smells, and use a dish soap and vinegar solution on the hard surfaces.
Make sure to vacuum between all the cracks and crevices because the smoke will quickly make its way into every little nook. Plus, it never hurts to hand an air freshener!
