Simple Steps to Get Smoke Smell Out of Your Car

Cigarette smoke odor in cars can be extremely difficult to remove. The smell permeates the interior’s upholstery, carpets, vinyl, leather and plastic surfaces. It gets trapped in the vehicle’s air vents and duct system. No matter how much air freshener you spray or how often you drive with the windows down, that stubborn cigarette smell just won’t go away.

So how exactly can you get the smoke smell out of your car for good?

The process involves thoroughly cleaning both soft and hard surfaces, using odor eliminating products, removing residue and preventing more smoke from getting into the interior. It takes diligent effort to fully remove long-lingering cigarette odors from your car.

In this guide, you’ll learn steps for:

• Cleaning your car’s cabin air filter and vents
• Steam cleaning the upholstery and carpets
• Deodorizing leather, vinyl and hard plastics
• Hanging effective air fresheners
• Neutralizing odors with baking soda and vinegar
• Sealing out new smoke residues after cleaning

Follow these odor busting tips and you’ll be cruising in a fresh-smelling set of wheels in no time.

Why Smoke Smell is So Hard to Remove From Car Interiors

Cigarette smoke contains microscopic residues and gases like hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, ammonia and radioactive polonium 210. When cigarette smoke enters your car’s interior, those particles latch on and get trapped in the upholstered seats, carpets, roof lining and any other soft porous surfaces they come into contact with.

The oily, sticky tar residues also land on hard plastic surfaces like the dashboard, cup holders, door panels and storage bins. As the car moves and air circulates, the smoke smell gets distributed through the vehicle’s duct system as well.

Unlike other smells that dissipate over time when exposure stops, the stubborn cigarette smoke continues haunting your car’s interior long after the last cigarette was smoked in it.

Step 1: Clean the Cabin Air Filter and Vents

When cigarette smoke enters your vehicle, some of those microscopic smell particles pass through the cabin air filter. This filter is designed to clean dust, pollen and debris from incoming air. But when the pores get filled with tar and nicotine residue, they can no longer function effectively.

Replacing a clogged filter allows your car ventilation system to start circulating cleaner, fresher air again. The filters are generally easy to access behind the glovebox. Check your owner’s manual for the exact location in your vehicle make and model.

While replacing the cabin air filter, also take the time to wipe down the interior air vent slats and any reachable air duct surfaces with a microfiber cloth, mild soap and hot water.

Use a thin air vent brush or pipe cleaner to dislodge any cigarette particles or buildup trapped deeper inside the ducts.

Removing residues directly from these passageways helps eliminate smoky particles from circulating when you later run the AC or defrost.

Step 2: Steam Clean Carpets, Mats and Soft Surfaces

One of the most effective solutions for removing smoke smells embedded in a car’s upholstery and carpets is through steam cleaning. The combination of hot circulating steam and cleaning solution helps lift any tar or smoke particles lodged deep in the upholstery fibers.

For best odor removal, use a bissel little green or other handheld steam cleaner to thoroughly treat all soft surfaces in the vehicle’s interior, including:

• Carpeted floor mats
• Carpets
• Cloth upholstered seats
• Fabric door panels
• Headliner roof fabric
• Trunk lining

Check your car floor mats and steam clean them thoroughly inside and out if needed. Mats can harbor smells over time. Consider replacing them with fresh ones that match your vehicle’s interior color scheme.

Vacuuming prior to steam cleaning saves the machine’s heat for penetrating the fibers to lift stains rather than just drying surface debris. Allow all upholstery items to fully dry before reinstalling.

Step 3: Clean and Deodorize Hard Interior Surfaces

While steam cleaning works wonders to dislodge odors from soft porous surfaces, you’ll need to take alternate approaches for hard non-porous surfaces.

Hard plastic components like the dashboard, trim pieces, cup holders, console and storage bins don’t absorb smells the way upholstered items do. However, a film of cigarette smoke residue containing tar, nicotine and oily film does build up on their exterior over time.

Use a diluted all-purpose cleaner and microfiber cloths to wipe down all hard plastic surfaces inside your car. Cleaners containing citrus oils or grease-cutting agents work well to dissolve sticky residues.

Pay special attention to crevices or indentations around air vents, gear shifters and cup holders where grimy buildup tends to collect.

Once the plastics are fully cleaned and residue-free, there are a few options for deodorizing and sealing them against new smells:

• Wipe down surfaces with white vinegar or vodka which help neutralize odors
• Spray a light mist of essential oils which adhere well to plastics and smell pleasant
• Apply 303 Aerospace Protectant which conditions plastic and repels new grime

For smoke damaged leather seats or vinyl, clean thoroughly with a leather cleaner and then apply a leather conditioner. This helps moisturize the material after aggressive cleaning while sealing pores where smells can collect.

Finish by rubbing a cut onion or coffee grounds over all leather surfaces which can absorb and mask stubborn cigarette odors that cleaning alone doesn’t eliminate.

Step 4: Hang Air Fresheners in Your Freshly Cleaned Car

Once you’ve given your car’s entire interior a thorough odor eliminating cleanse, help the new car scent last by hanging air fresheners or leaving trays of odor absorbers inside.

Look for solid gel air fresheners which slowly emit their fragrance over 30 days or longer. The gels gradually dissolve and deliver a consistently light pleasant smell.

Paper card air fresheners also slowly diffuse nice scents. Avoid hanging cardboard trees or vent clips which blow strong concentrated perfumes that quickly overwhelm.

Baking soda or charcoal odor absorbers left in cups help soak up new odors without adding fragrances. These complement air fresheners to promote neutral freshness.

Strategically place fresheners to allow AC or heating system airflow to circulate smells throughout your car’s interior. Out of sight areas near floor vents work perfectly.

Step 5: Sprinkle Baking Soda to Neutralize Lingering Odors

In addition to using baking soda as an ongoing odor absorber, you can use it to actively pull out smells embedded after cleaning soft surfaces. The baking soda will continue eradicating odors over several hours without leaving any scent of its own.

To leverage baking soda for odor removal:

• Sprinkle a thin layer evenly over all carpets, upholstered seats, and fabric door panels.
• Gently pat and rub the soda into materials using a soft bristle brush.
• Allow to sit for 6-12+ hours to fully neutralize and draw out odors.
• Thoroughly vacuum all traces of baking soda out of the upholstery.

The baking soda will clump and darken as it pulls smells from the vehicle fabrics. It’s vital to fully remove all traces of the powder afterwards by vacuuming and brushing repeatedly over all areas.

Step 6: Spray White Vinegar as an Interior Deodorizer

White vinegar makes another very effective DIY deodorizer for smoke smells in cars. The acetic acid in distilled white vinegar actually breaks down and destroys odor causing bacteria and residue on contact.

To apply:

• Mix 1 part vinegar to 3 parts water in a spray bottle.
• Lightly mist mixture over soft and hard surfaces inside your vehicle – seats, carpets, ceiling, plastic panels.
• Reach into crevices and spray directly into rear floor air vents to fully treat air circulation pathways.
• Allow vinegar solution to dry fully.
• Repeat treatment weekly or as needed to eradicate lingering smoke odors.

The vinegar smell dissipates as it dries, leaving all surfaces odor-free with regular treatment.

Step 7: Use Odor Neutralizing Foggers

In extreme cases, odor eliminating foggers provide a powerful means to permeate your car’s duct system to extract lingering cigarette fumes.

Meguiar’s Whole Car Air Re-Fresher uses natural essential oils to cling to every surface and neutralize stubborn odors for up to 30 days. Ozium Glycol-ized Air Sanitizer works via a proprietary odor eliminating agent you simply spray liberally throughout the interior.

Before deploying foggers, make sure to fully clean all surfaces and vents as drying agents could seal in residual smells. Follow all fogger directions carefully and thoroughly air out treated vehicles for 20+ minutes before driving.

These provide aggressive, long lasting odor treatment when needed. But also maintain lighter ongoing freshening systems.

Step 8: Help Prevent New Cigarette Smoke From Entering Car

Once you’ve finally gotten your car fresh and smoke-free, take steps to try keeping it that way:

• Ask passengers not to smoke inside the vehicle
• Keep a stash of disposable painting respirators available
• Park with windows cracked open if someone must smoke briefly
• Follow up with periodic odor removal treatment as needed

Also reminding all drivers to actively use the climate control fan when smoking near the car helps direct air pressure to keep new smoke from permeating the vehicle.

While cigarette smells can be vexing, following this thorough cleaning regimen helps restore car interiors to freshness again. Have patience and stick with the cleaning plan for best lasting results.

When to Seek Professional Auto Detailing

In extreme cases of heavy smoking or smoke damage, even aggressive cleaning may not fully remove cigarette odors from your car’s interior. Nicotine stains can also permanently alter headliners and upholstery appearance in irreparable ways.

For smoke removal services beyond typical owner efforts, specialty automotive detailers offer:

• High heat ozone generators to break down smoke particles
• Commercial sanitizing foggers
• Deeper extraction cleaning tools
• Access to wider odor eliminating chemical options
• Headliner replacement services

Expect costs ranging from several hundred dollars to over $1,000 depending on the smoke level present and size of the vehicle’s interior.

While costly, this level of thorough detailing becomes essential if you ever hope to eliminate heavy cigarette odors from the car you own.

Conclusion: Removing Smoke Smells Takes Diligent Effort

Cigarette smoke smell in cars stems from the microscopic residues and particles emitted that get trapped inside soft and hard interior surfaces.

Successfully removing odors requires cleaning both types of materials repeatedly over time. Using steam, vinegar, cleaners and deodorizers eradicates particles causing smells to linger.

Sealing freshly treated surfaces also helps deter new smoke smells from accumulating quickly. Maintaining light air fresheners provides ongoing odor masking as well.

With diligent cleaning effort using these odor busting steps, you can clear the air and keep your car smelling fresh permanently.