Smokers interior

[Rob]

I am starting to work om you 87 Fleetwood sixty Special. I have an unusual problem. I have allergies and I bought the car from a heavy smoker. I will have to replace the headliner and all padding and was thinking about removing the carpet to have it cleaned.  The rear seats are almost perfect so I don't want to replace them right now.  I have a guy that tells me that he has an ozone machine the he says will get rid of all the smoke. Any comments would be appreciated.

[TJ Hopland]

I have heard of mixed results from those ozone machines, especially diy ones.  Having a pro do a complete cleanup may be worth a try, certainly cheaper than a new interior. I once bought a car from a dealer that was just traded in and smelled of smoke, part of the deal was they would clean it for me.  Dont know what they did but I never noticed the smell as long as I owned the car.  Other than that I have had the best luck with open doors and windows sitting outside on a sunny day.   Sitting inside with open windows helps a bit but the sun seems to be part of the magic.   

[Fred Zwicker #23106]

When we moved into our new home a few years ago, something evidently died between the walls.  The smell was so bad that the contractor wanted to remove the dry wall to take care of it.  The odor was concentrated in our hall closet and was really strong.  I borrowed a commercial ozone machine from work and the odor was gone in 2 days.  You may be able to rent such a machine.  Another trick is to pour vanilla into an open dish or two and leave inside the car with doors and windows closed.  This really works well too if you cannot get an ozone machine.

Fred

[Bob Hoffmann CLC#96]

I bought a low milage 88 Buick from an estate sale years ago. Lady was a heavy smoker, car had a cloth interior.
I had a complete interior detail done. Helped a lot, but still smelled smokey at times. I had not heard of the ozone thing or I would have tried it.
Bob

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

If you elect to have the interior "ozone cleaned" by a pro, ask him about interior color
fading.

Ozone can and does fade the dyes in fabrics (carpet, seats, headliner) so I would get
his opinion / guarantee on this before having it done.

Also, there is a product called "Febreeze" that's made by Procter & Gamble that's supposed
to remove odors from fabric.  It's available in most stores like Walmart, K-Mart, etc.  I've never
personally tried it but heard good things about it.  Might be worth a shot.

Mike

[Bill Hedge CLC 14424]

I have had several realtor friends report good results with ozone cleaners in removing unwanted odors in a house.  However, I would definitely heed Mike Josephic's concern above about possible color fading.  Nonetheless, if the choice is between replacing the interior and using the ozone cleaners, you probably have nothing to lose by using the ozone cleaner and possibly much to be gained.

Based upon the recommendation of an upholster, I have used "fabreeze"  to try to eliminate the musty smell that old cars acquire when locked up in garages for long periods of time.  "Fabreeze" helped, but did not totally eliminate the smell.  Based upon the reports of several others, I would definitely avoid the use of the air fresheners you sometimes see hanging on rereview mirrors.  Several people reported not only the color fading that Mike refers to, but also the deteriation of headliners and cloth seats from the use of these air fresheners. 

[76eldo]

I would talk to a detailer.  I am sure that many new card trades stink from smokers, and they have tricks for dealing with it.

Brian

[okccadman]

We have an ozone machine at my office.  It seems to work really well in removing smoke and spilled alcohol odors and other human generated from our limousines and livery vehicles.

[76eldo]

"Human generated odors"

I just love 21st century politically correct terminology.

Brian

[Fred Pennington 25635]

Go for the Professional Ozone treatment. I have restored fire damaged RVs. I used fire clean up companys with ozone generators after the rebuild and there was no trace of smoke smell. There is an oily film on everything that had to be wipe clean from every, and I mean every surface

My 2 Cents

[jeff1956]

After getting my daily driver back from my sister after her having it for a week, due to the total loss of her vehicle by roll over....I noticed that she had smoked in my car, which I bought new, and has always been a non smoker car.  Seems I forgot to mention she couldn't smoke in it when I loaned it to her, but she already knew I didn't smoke beforehand and obviously didn't care.  I tried a spray called Ozium, in the blue bottle andgot it at the local parts house, and it leaves a better smell than smoke, but it's quite strong at first..almost like the smell of a hospital.  It stayed around for a few days pretty strong, but now it's just a hint, but there is absoluntely no smoke undertones or anything.  Said not to spray it on plastics so I sprayed it on my seats, carpet, and headliner.  It seems to have worked pretty good with my light smell....I'm sure if you're using it on a car that has been smoked in for quite some time...It may take several applications.  Just a thought....

Jeff

[jaxops]

I would try the Febreeze after a thorough cleaning or have it done professionally as was suggested.  Also- make sure to clean out your air conditioning and heating ducts.  My '56 had been cigar smoked-in and I had to clean the heater elements under the car to get rid of the smell.