New SUV, former smoker auto problem...

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breakpoint

Return of the Krugen
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LEGION138
Well I just bought a 2000 Nissan Xterra for a really good deal, the thing was just filthy inside, ungodly filthy really. After spending all day sunday I got it cleaned up as well as could be without putting in new carpet. The only thing now is after cleaning it and shampooing the carpet and all it still has slight nasty cigarette smell. Does anyone have any tricks to get the smell out? Few years ago I could have just used the thermal fogger at work but since I don't do crime scene clean up anymore I don't have access to that now:grumpy:
 
Maybe try some Febreeze, that seems to work well.

Or the old school method.
nextnature_little_trees.jpg
 
Yeah, I'll third or fourth Febreze for you. If you can, unbolt the seats and let them sit outside the car over a sunny weekend to air out. You should have a good weekend for it coming up in the next few days. Go to BJs or Costco and buy the milspec-sized bottles of Febreze and spray the crap out of everything, then let it air dry.
 
he bought a smoker's car, I don't think he smokes. As for fabreeze, it only covers up odors, it doesn't eliminate them. Ren a shampooer or steamer and go to work.
 
I have tried febreez, I took the seats out when I did the carpet simply because it was so dirty I had no choice, neither have worked. Don't see the rhino liner doing anything because the odor is in the material not the sheet metal I would be sealing. I'm thinking of giving the volcanic rock odor eliminator that was mentioned in the link there, if that doesn't work I suppose I could make a negative ion generator (ozone) and stick that in there for a few hours, I hadn't even thought about that until I was looking through that link. They aren't hard to make at all, about 15 bucks in parts. I will give the rock a try first this sunday and see how that works out, sundays are the only days I can do anything, and no I don't smoke....if I did the smell wouldn't bother me. I am getting new carpet this summer for it though, its just ruined.
 
Use the trees. Just take it right out of the package and let it hang in your car. I change mine out every week and now my car practically smells like that permanently. (I recommend Vanillaroma)
 
breakpoint
Don't see the rhino liner doing anything because the odor is in the material not the sheet metal I would be sealing.
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It's not to seal the metal, it's to replace the carpeting (and in Jeeps at least, allow the interior to simply be hosed out). ;)
 
buickgnx88
It's not to seal the metal, it's to replace the carpeting (and in Jeeps at least, allow the interior to simply be hosed out). ;)
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Yeah, its just a 2X2 and its going to be my wifes ride so I don't think that would fly very well:) If it was a samurai then it would have already been done with lockers and diesel swap, If I ever get a rig for off roading it will for sure be a suzuki samurai, best damn rigs ever:tup:



The hanging a tree in the mirror would have no effect on this stench, it smells like a hookers crotch with an ashtray stuck in it, its horrible. It also had a busted rear window for months and it rained in it and of course she just left it and eventually put a garbage bag over it, so it has a nice musky smell also, plus she was just gross and you could tell by the dirty diapers, blunt shells, food, ciggs, ashes, more food, and a little more old food. Heres a quick pic of the passenger rear floor....


DSC_5112.jpg
 
Wow, I hope you got that for... [removing sunglasses] dirt cheap!


YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
 
Yeah that sucks big time and like they said I sure hope you got that dirt cheap. Dont even get me started with smokers....

Anyway you will have to wash every single part of the vehicle. I mean EVERY part. Smoke gets into everything. Seats, carpet,door glass, windshield, rear windows, headliner, door panels, console, dash, EVERYTHING. Wash every single thing you can see. Your best bet is to rent a steam cleaner and again, wash every single thing you can see. If you can see it, it needs washed. The worst part is smoke will get into the areas you cant reach like inside your air ducts, inside your doors, way up under your dash, and every area you cant reach. Good luck. Dealing with a nasty smoker vehicle just sucks so bad. :ouch::ouch::yuck:
 
Throw a few fish and blocks of cheese under the seats. In a few days, you won't be worrying about the smoke smell anymore. :sly:
 
Duke
Wow, I hope you got that for... [removing sunglasses] dirt cheap!


YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
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How does 1,500 sound? 130,000 miles, pretty good deal even with the nasty clean up having to be done. It runs great, has brand new tires, really I really have to bleed the brakes because the pedal is made out of sponges. Other than the nasty interior its not a bad vehicle really, just needs some tlc.
 
Gawd-dang, cleaning that car by your description makes it a project car by itself.

I picked up that Auto Febreze (it's in a gray bottle) from the discount rack at Target a while back. Works nicely for occasional odor reduction, but don't over-do it. Remove everything that isn't bolted down, and vacuum out everything. Wash and wipe-down everything, and underneath the seats might be all sorts of ungodly treasures. Make sure the carpeting is not entirely soaked with water, otherwise the water seeps down underneath the carpet, thus mold and more odors start to form. Make sure the carpet is as dry as can be before putting the mats over it. Hose out the floor mats with soap and water. Scrub them with a bristle brush (the trick to hide stains is to use a "combing" motion in one direction throughout the entire mat). Leave them out to dry for a few days, although use a wet-dry vacuum to get most of the water out first.

My old Corolla was a smoker's car, and I just washed the interior frequently for about a week, during the driest time of year (that's when I acquired it). Blowing some compressed air takes out all the hidden crap in the car. Don't forget the headliner, it's usually the smokiest part of the car (since smoke rises). Some things like the old car mats, are best replaced with new ones; Nissan's set might be a bit steep, but Wal-Mart and others have their own varieties.

It's also an Xterra, it's supposed to have that macho-anti-clean look. Although dirt and use is one thing, food wrappers and bags are still unacceptable; although eating kids do a number on the back seat. How many legacy Goldfish crackers will I find today?

I would also get that rear-window replaced as soon as possible; thieves tend to think that once a car is stricken, the owner will return to leaving all sorts of valuable goodies in the car. Even if it was not damaged by a break-in, that plastic bag gives easy entry to thieves who might not think that tearing a plastic bag is as much of a crime as smashing a window. People who might not normally commit crimes will steal things form an unlocked door, but they won't necessarily cross the psychological threshold of breaking-and-entering (the destruction of property).
 
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Like I said in post #16, the only answer is to wash everything. There is no other alternative to remove the smell. You can spray and cover the oder all you want but you need to remove the odor. See post #16 again.
 
I am planning on cleaning everything well this sunday when I will have time to get all the seats out, I might even pull the carpet out and take the carpet to the car wash and use the pressure sprayer on it. The window is getting replaced within the next few weeks, there isn't anything inside it to steal anyways, most of the time I leave my doors unlocked just because I would rather have my door opened than my window broken, I never have anything valuable in my car so it doesn't matter. The only thing in my car is an old coffee cup with dip spit in it, if they want that they can have it.
 
from a STILL smoker.

give the windows a full once over, tobacco tar is the biggest pain in the butt to remove. also, go over the heat vents best you can. that stuff gets into the vents, and gets offensive when you turn on the heat or air (it can knock over anybody)
 
The coffee had completely went from my brain, I remember when I did crime scene clean ups that some of the people would put the single coffee things inside their masks to mask the smell because even the face masks couldn't keep out the stench of the dead. I never had a problem with the sweet smell of death, I never even used the masks, and even was called a "weirdo" because I was eating my sandwich I brought for lunch while watching my people work once, its not that big of a deal to me, I have gut a deer and ate at the same time before. I will prob put some coffee in some of my wifes old panty hose and throw them under the seats, not only will that help the smell but it smells so good on a hot day! I had it under the seats of my old Chevelle just for that nice coffee smell. The other problem smell is pot/weed/smoke/whatever you call it. I love the smell of unsmoked good weed even though I don't smoke it, but the stench of redneck weed in a car is just not good. The windows are going to get a beating with cleaner sunday, I will let all you guys know what the results are monday morning and exactly what I did to fight the whore stench in the car :)



EDIT: Cabin filter! Thanks Jim Prower! Someone had said they replaced the cabin air filter I had hadn't thought about that at all! So, sunday after all my cleaning I will be throwing a new filter in the cabin as well/
 
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You were a crime scene guy, and you haven't even used the blacklight yet? You don't know what's on those seats! :lol:
 
buickgnx88
You were a crime scene guy, and you haven't even used the blacklight yet? You don't know what's on those seats! :lol:
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I wasn't CSI, I was clean all this blood, puss, bile, and anything else that leaked out of the victim up guy:sly: The usual was blood, but I have cleaned chunks of brain and skull of the ceilings and walls etc. after suicides etc. It makes it entertaining to throw a bit at your workers.....:dopey: What can I say, I don't hold human life very high up unless I know the person. And looking at the chic that I got it from I don't want to know what is on those seats mate! Ugggghhhh!
 

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