How To Fix Bad Smoke Smell Odour in Cars

I just bought the worst smelling car I have ever known.

The lady I bought it from must have smoked 2 packets a day in there!

If your car smells like this, and you are trying to sell it, do yourself a favour and fix it first.

We humans rely on our five senses.

And a bad smell leaves a terrible impression.

And therefore will definitely reduce the asking price of your car whether you sell it to me or anyone else.

My obvious first suggestion is, don’t smoke in your car!

But if you do – or have bought a used car that smells of smoke and/or cigarette odours, there are some things you can do.

There are a lot of websites selling miracle cleaning sprays and potions, but some of the best remedies are the simplest and un-marketed ones.

Sound familiar? Similarly, women get ripped off by the cosmetics industry with slick marketing their whole lives… but that is a rant for another day.

The best products I’ve found for getting rid of smelly odours in used cars (including smoke, cigarette and pet smells) are the following:

  • Bi-Carbonate soda (baking soda).
  • Ammonia.
  • Vinegar.
  • Coffee grinds.
  • Apples.

Sound too good to be true?

Firstly, get yourself a cheap spray bottle for spraying.

Mix 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of warm water. Then add slowly 2 tablespoons of baking soda. Be careful adding the soda slowly because it will fizz up everywhere if you put it all in at once.

With your spray bottle and a microfibre rag, spray the whole inside of your car with the solution and wiping with the rag.

Also the hood lining is important to get – but be careful – some cars like BMWs and Jeeps amongst others have thin and delicate linings which may not be suitable. Test first.

Spray all over the seats and the carpets.

PLEASE NOTE: This method when it dries will leave a white powdery residue everywhere. You will need to thoroughly wipe every area down with an upholstery cleaner you can buy from any car parts store or even supermarkets.

Once you have done this, get a brush and brush pure baking soda into your carpets. Leave for a few hours then vacuum carefully away.

Then, get 3 plastic dishes.

Add baking soda, ammonia and coffee grounds to individual dishes and leave in your closed up car for a few days.

If you don’t care for the smell of coffee, crush up some apples and leave in a container for a few days until they dry.

You should also deodorise your car’s AC system which is a post I’ll explain for another day.

It’s a bit of effort to remove the smell of a smoker or a pet, but it can be done.

And it is well worth it for the price you will sell your car for in Brisbane or anywhere else.

So whether your car you want to sell today smells or not, give me a call me on 0411 362 229.