If someone smokes in your vehicle, the smell can seem permanent. Smoke is potent and very difficult to remove from a car. Removing any odors or smoke from your vehicle is especially important if you plan to resell your vehicle. Smoke odors can impact the resale value of your vehicle. Cigarette smoke may leave you needing a professional detail. Before you scheduled that appointment, below are some tips to help remove the smell:
Air out your vehicle
During and after smoking, roll your windows to let the car air out. Remove all belongings and shake them out to air out as well. Your car cabin isn’t the only place that can hold an odor, don’t forget to clean the trunk. You may need to wash any fabric items to remove the scent.
Vacuum
If heavy smoking was done in your car, remove all rugs and seat covers to vacuum. If you can, air the rugs out in the sun for a bit before vacuuming.
Wipe all glass surfaces
To remove any residue from the glass, wipe it with a glass cleaner and microfiber cloth.
Ventilate
Turn on all the fans (cold and warm) to ventilate. Make sure you keep the windows open as well. It may be helpful to spray an odor neutralizer as well.
These tips should help remove most smoke trapped inside the vehicle. Smells such as cigarette smoke are difficult to remove from most surfaces, and odor concentration accumulated in a car is a more significant challenge. If all else fails, enlist the help of a professional cleaning service. Depending on how bad the odor has been retained, a steam cleaning may be exactly what your vehicle needs to combat the smell.