Last owner was a Smoker (need help)

[kyledewolfe]

Alright i just bought a 97 4runner limited

The previous owner was a smoker so the inside of the car has a black tint to the leather, dash ect. I have been able to remove it but it takes alot of time and i have to apply pressure, I dont want to strech the leather. I also used leather cleaner but it still is hard to remove. Any ideas? And any ideas on how to remove that smoker smell from the 4runner. If i can get this fixed the 4runner would be in perfect shape.

Thanks

 

[kev7706]

For the leather you can try a number of things:

1. Woolite cut down with water. You will need to experiment with strengths, but it shouldn't hurt the leather.

2. Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner (or similar from Poorboy's, etc). When diluted 10:1 or so, it is said to be safe on leather.

As far as removing the smell, you will need to get deep into the fabric that has absorbed the smoke. I would recommend shampooing, scrubbing and extracting the carpet. You can use the All Purpose Cleaner mentioned above, or try something like Kids 'N' Pets, which is designed for removing odors. And don't forget about the headliner.

 

[kyledewolfe]

Alright, i will try this and tell you guys how it worked.

 

[sketch1]

Also the smoke smell should dissapear over time, when I bought my first car from my dad (suburban with leather) he smoked cigars in it so it stunk for a while, so I just drove around with the windows down and it took care of itself. But I can understand the want to just get rid of the smell.

 

[Falls]

Start smoking on you'll never notice it again.....

Just kiddin , check over on www.autopia.org and you can get really good tip's over there on int. & ext. detailing.

 

[DemBones]

I use Bounce fabric softener sheets. You put them in clothes
dryer

I put a sheet under tthe passenger seat and another under the rear bench. Your vehicle will start smelling April fresh :beer:

 

[animator]

Previous owner of my 4runner was a smoker, and to get rid of the smell I spray "new car" scent air freshner into the head liner from time to time which has seemed to help quite a bit.

 

[pipspeak]

Smoke odor is notoriously hard to remove, as I discovered from experience. You'll probably find the carpet does not smell at all (because smoke rises) -- get down and smell it up close just to check. If it doesn't, don't waste your time cleaning it.

The headliner is where I'd say 70% of the smoke smell hangs out, and the headliner is tought to clean thoroughly. The only way I found that works it to use a carpet shampooer - the type that sprays on wet cleaner then sucks it straight back out so the liner doesn't get too wet for too long. Using it upside down is challenging, however!

The other 30% of the smoke smell will by in the HVAC system, within the dash, door inserts etc etc. If you can nail the headliner then the rest should fade away over time. I took apart the center console of my smoke-smelling car and found traces of ash underneath, for example, and the seals around the cabin air filter housing was stained brown and stank of smoke. The more of those little sources you can get rid of the better.

Bounce sheets, fabric fresheners (like febreeze) and all those type of products merely mask the smell for a while. Trust me, they do not remove odors, much as they might like to claim. Been there, tried that! One thing that some people swear by is using an ozone generator that most professional detailers should have access to. That's supposed to neutralize odors permanently, but I haven't tried one.

 

[Griffeycom]

When I was looking for my runner i found one that had been smoked in. We were going to get it but then we discovered the oil leak. . . anyway, i researched how to remove smoke odor from cars and i found a few tips;

One was to put a couple bowls or cups of vinegar in the car overnight a couple nights (i guess it was supposed to absorbe the smell)

Another was the dryer sheet solution put them in your vents to help get rid of the smell that might be in the air system.

I didnt get that runner so i never got to try it out but it's supposed to work and may be worth a try?

 

[pipspeak]

One was to put a couple bowls or cups of vinegar in the car overnight a couple nights

Yeah, I saw that tip too... tried it and it doesn't work. Just like all the other tips on the web. And alas, I hat ehte smell of bounce!

My next step is to try ozone treatment.

 

[Quart2000]

Meguiars makes "Car Odor Eliminator". Spray it on anything that may trap scent, i.e. carpet, headliners, seats. It has a very minor scent, but it disappears after it dries, just crack the windows for a while. This stuff works pretty good I used it on a friends car he bought that smelled like a cigar bar and stale old man after-shave, 2 applications and it's gone. It's only like $3.50 or something around there.

 

[pipspeak]

Well I seem to have finally almost got rid of the smell... I gave up on the ozone treatment idea because I couldn't find anyone with a generator and a couple of detailers said it actually didn't really work too well.

Instead I spent a few hours with my nose pressed to the roof lining to find hotspots of odor and clean the area with upholstery cleaner - the foaming kind - making sure I blotted it dry afterwards (headliners don't like to get wet). I actually ended up cleaning pretty much the whole thing in small sections. The hottest spot was the foam insert in the sunglass holder and the headliner around there, right up to the edge of the windshield (tough to get to). The backs of the seats also smelled a bit.

Even the slightest smell in the fabric can translate to a strong smell in the car I found. The rest of the seats and the carpet I found to be relatively odor free, probably because the dealer had them professionally deep-cleaned - something you shoudl consider if you haven't already. Forget about calling the auto-detailing places. Instead call a carpet cleaning (chem-dry) place... most people think they just do homes, but many of them also specialise in deep-cleaning car interiors. They're usually cheaper than the auto places and will come to you.

Another thing that then helped, ironically, was baking the car for a couple days in the 100-degree sun on a trip I took. First day the heat brought out the most horrendous smoke smell, as expected. Second day, afther driving and airing, less so. Once I'd aired the car out for a few more days the smell never really returned and the very faint odor that remains is very easily disguised and will probably fade over time to nothing. Chemically it kinda makes sense. The extreme heat would have helped oxidize the remaining nicotine and odor.

 

[tarheeltp17]

yea I got a 4runner about 3 weeks ago and the previous owner obviously smoked with the windows up. I've tried a few things and even talked to a detailer... his advice is just give it time. I think the best that can be done is just to keep using products to mask the smell untill it basically goes away.