Removing Cigarette Smoke in Used Cars in Stafford, Va

Tips for buying a used car in Stafford - Airport Car Dealership Virginia

Removing Cigarette Smoke in Used Cars in Stafford, Va

Removing Cigarette Smoke in Used Cars in Stafford, Va

The interior looked clean and immaculate when you purchased among the used cars in Stafford, Va. Unfortunately, that head cold that was going around stuffed up your nose and made it so that you couldn’t tell that a smoker had owned the car previously. Now that you can breathe again, you’ve realized that your brand new car smells like an ashtray. Cigarette smoke can be one of the most pervasive and unpleasant odors that a car can get in its lifetime. Since smoke can be one of the most difficult odors to eliminate without professional grade chemicals like we use at out Buy Here Pay Here lot at Airport Auto Sales, we have compiled our favorite list of home remedies. One other tricky element of cigarette smoke is that it will continue to release from carpets and upholstery as time goes on so some of these steps may need to be repeated a couple times to fully eliminate the problem.

The first step is to always clean out the vehicle of any trash.

Any additional item you take out of the vehicle will take some of the smoke odor with it. Once you have removed all the trash and excess items you will need to vacuum the vehicle out. Make sure to use the needle nose nozzle to get into all of the nooks and crannies. For many of the vehicles we detail at our Buy Here Pay Here lot at Airport Auto Sales, under and in between the vehicle seats are the dirtiest areas as they seem to gobble up crumbs and keep them forever out of sight and out of mind. It may feel like unnecessary cleaning, but it will bring you one step closer to eliminating smoke odor among used cars in Stafford, Va.

One you have vacuumed all of the surfaces

You can make a 1:1 ratio of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray down the upholstery, carpets, and ceilings with it. Then, you can take a microfiber cloth and gently rub the spray into the cloth. If you get the spray on any other surface, it is okay. The steering wheel in particular might benefit from a spray and wipe down as it is often the most covered surface in smoke since drivers often blow their smoke directly onto the wheel while driving. Since vinegar is a natural odor eliminator, it will get rid of most, if not all, of the smoke odor. However; you may want to leave the vehicle in a well ventilated area like a driveway with windows down for a while after so that your car does not smell like an old, Greek salad. If the smoke odor persists and you cannot steam clean the seats like we do with our Buy Here Pay Here cars at Airport Auto Sales, you can sprinkle them down with baking soda. The baking soda will absorb the odor. The longer you leave the baking soda on the seats, the more odor it will absorb. Then vacuum the baking soda up. A bowl of vinegar, kitty litter, or charcoal can also be left in the vehicle overnight as they are natural air filters and will neutralize the smoke odor.

Another surface of used cars in Stafford, Va that might also suffer from smoke is the windows.

Even if there is no smoke odor, the smoke will slowly release from the upholstery and create a tar film on the inside of your windows. A sprinkle of baking soda on the seats and floor will help stop the slow release of tar, but a quick wipedown with window cleaner should be able to get off the smoke tar. The last and often forgotten area of used cars in Stafford Va to clean of smoke is the air conditioner and heat system. Place the air conditioning on full blast (not in circulation mode) with the windows down until the odor dissipates. Then repeat with the heat system. You may need to spray odor eliminator into the air intake valve for stubborn cases.

If you notice a smoke odor after purchasing in your vehicle and cannot get the smell out yourself with these home remedies, you can call your dealership to see if they can detail the vehicle for you or you may need to get the help of a professional detailer who may have chemicals that you do not have access to. Smoke can be a pesky and stubborn odor in used cars in Stafford Va but with these tips, you can breathe clean air again in your new car!

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