How to Get Smoke Smell Out of Car Fast and Forever | Under 2 Hours!
It can be tough to get smoke odor out of your car. This is mostly because cigarette smoke particles are tiny and very sticky. They find their way into every nook and cranny, making them difficult to remove.
In this guide, I will outline the fastest way how to get smoke smell out of your car, permanently. I’ll also discuss preventative measures that you can take to help keep the smoke smell from invading your car in the first place!
Related: Issues with bad smoke smells at home? Check out my how-to guide for removing smoke odor from your house?
Table of Contents
How to get smoke smell out of car
Key points:
- To completely eliminate smoke odors, you must first identify and eliminate the source of the problem. Wasting time on items or techniques that either (a) treat the air or (b) just cover up the smell is not a good idea.
- Many of the “natural” cleaning options require that you clean with a solution made from scratch. However, unless you have a really not light odor problem, homemade solutions may work. Vinegar can destroy and break down smoke proteins, but placing out bowls of vinegar and sprinkling baking soda will never be as successful as specialized products designed to remove cigarette smoke components.
- When you smoke, the particles from your cigarettes float around in the air and settle on surfaces throughout your car. It is difficult if not impossible to completely clean all locations where they are located using only one technique. To effectively eliminate the source of cigarette smoke odors, I highly recommend a two-step approach that includes first wiping and then treating with chlorine dioxide gas, which is an eco-friendly product you can easily purchase today.
- Once you have removed the bad odor, I also give you options to keep your car smelling fresh and clean.
Step 1. Clean all surfaces that may be holding onto the smell.
Open all of the windows and doors to let fresh air flow for a few minutes. If it’s cold outside, turn on the heater to assist circulation. Set the air vents to bring in fresh air rather than recirculate the air. Keep in mind that ventilation reduces the odor molecules in the air without actually removing the source of the odor.
The next step is to focus on removing the source so that it stops producing the odor.
Vacuum the floors and seats, as well as carpets. All surfaces should be dampened with a wet cloth. You’re trying to get rid of all the dirt, ashes, or debris at this point. Sprinkling baking soda on the carpets before vacuuming may also help get rid of the cigarette smoke smells by removing smoke particles.
Step 2. Once the car is wiped clean, use a product to neutralize the cigarette smell.
Make your own natural air freshener
If you’re having trouble with a light smoke odor, consider the following. Even though these methods won’t be expected to work in heavy smoke odor situations, they are worth a try before taking more stringent steps.
- Place a bowl, some water, and a few drops of essential oil in the car. Essential oils will aid in the removal of smoke smell from your automobile.
- Another approach is to use vinegar bowls. The vinegar will absorb the smoke smell from your automobile and make it smell fresh.
- Another alternative is to fill cups with coffee grounds and place them inside the vehicle. Coffee grinds will help absorb and remove smoke smell, similar to activated charcoal, another useful odor absorber.
Using a commercial odor eliminator
If you have a heavy smoke odor problem, then it is almost certain that natural odor absorbers will not be effective at getting rid of the weed smell problem.
In this situation, I highly recommend using a chlorine dioxide gas treatment.
CLO2 has been around for a long time and is primarily used to disinfect drinking water. CLO2 is also an excellent odor remover in addition to being a highly effective disinfectant. The gas effectively destroys odorous compounds like smoke proteins.
The good news is that there are now solutions on the market that allow you to implement a CLO2 treatment quickly and safely.
Check out this short video on how to use these products safely and efficiently for your weed odor removal problem.
The best products for smoke odor removal in vehicles
- Healthy Environs Mobile Refresh product. This kit includes enough CLO2 (one 20 g tablet) to perform one treatment to remove the smoke smell. The kit also includes a mixing container. The price is $19.95 for the kit.
- Reset CLO2 100 g package. Reset’s 100 g package includes 5 x 20 g tablets. This is enough to perform 5 treatments! The price is $59.95 for the five 20 g tablets.
Bottom line:
If you expect to need more than one treatment, the 5 x 20g package from Reset is the best bargain. I’d go for the Healthy Environs kit if you just have one car to treat; what’s really nice is that the healthy Environs kit includes the mixing container.
Reset also offers a 16 g packaged product, and if you’ve already watched the video, you saw that Reset recommends a two-step treatment, with the first step being a wipe down using liquid CLO2. The liquid product is produced by mixing one 4 g tablet with 32 oz of water.
In my experience, you will not need to perform an initial wipe down with CLO2 unless the smoke smell is really bad. And, if so, I would simply perform a second 20 g gas treatment.
Also, be aware that CLO2 gas can discolor textiles if they are wet (no problem when fabrics are dry). So, whether you are wiping down the fabric in your vehicle with Reset’s liquid CLO2 product, dilute vinegar, or even water, make sure the fabric is dry before doing the gas treatment.
Don’t forget. You will also need to get an aerator (watch the video) to speed up the process of CLO2 generation. This is the aerator I use and it costs less than $8.
Tips for preventing smoke smell in your car
Once you’ve taken the time to get rid of the weed odor problem from your car, here are a few tips you can take for preventing car smells due to smelly molecules from smoking weed:
- Keep your windows open while smoking. Remove cigarette butts and if you have one, empty the built-in ashtray or ashtray cup immediately.
- Replace your cabin air filter periodically. At least every 3 months if smoking is consistent to avoid having a smoke-saturated filter contaminate the car.
- Keep your car clean. Vacuum regularly, including under front seat floor mats. Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet, including under the car mats, before vacuuming.
- Wipe down the car’s interior surfaces including leather car seats, steering wheel, floor mats, seat belts, and even the glove box. Use a microfiber cloth, and good quality glass cleaner (white vinegar works great, especially on cloth seats).
- Steam clean the hard and soft surfaces for deep cleaning to prevent cigarette odor buildup over time. Use leather conditioner as part of your interior detailing regimen to help protect your car.
The best products for keeping the air fresh in your car
While there are a variety of air fresheners on the market that can assist preserve the cleanliness of your vehicle, they aren’t actually odor removers, which is what you’ll need when combating smoke particles.
There is nothing wrong with trying a DIY air freshener to help attack a light odor, especially when you need to try SOMETHING in a pinch.
- A dilute solution of white vinegar in a spray bottle can be a great odor neutralizer to keep in your car for a host of unpleasant odors.
- Keep a box of baking soda handy to sprinkle on the car’s interior as an odor neutralizer if ashes fall.
However, what you will most likely need (and I say that meaning 99% of the time!) are products that actually destroy the source of the odor, in this case the tobacco smoke particles, on a molecular level.
Changing them so they never smell again. In other words, odor removers versus odor disguisers.
I cannot say enough good things about the Healthy Environs Odor Eliminator Canister 365 and Odor Eliminator 101 Sachet products.
The container is ideal for a fast-fix (higher kick to get smoke smell) while the 101 sachet pouch is better for long-term maintenance (60-90 days).
After using the deep clean technique above to remove the initial bad odor, these two items are both excellent for keeping your vehicle smelling fresh.
These products are very affordable, eco-friendly, and safe to use around people and pets.
Try them now to keep your car smelling fresh. You won’t be disappointed!
FAQ’s
Wrap-Up
My final thought is that you shouldn’t fall for quick fixes. It’s important to recognize that smoke smells are no joke to remove. You need to bring your A-Game and not waste time with quick fixes like vinegar or baking soda if you want the smell to really be gone.
This article has the secrets I have used to rid cars of cigarette and weed smoke smells. I also start with a deep treatment and then recommend an ongoing plan for keeping the car fresh smelling. By following these steps, you can keep your car smelling fresh and clean.
Problems at home (with stinky smell, that is!) Then check out my 25 Tips on how to keep your home smelling fresh.
