7 Easy Steps for Removing Stale Smoke Odor from Your Car’s Interior

What You'll Need:

- Odor Eliminating Automotive Shampoo
- Bucket
- Sponge
- White Lint Free Cloths
- Paper Towels
- All-Purpose Interior Cleaner
- Commercial Leather cleaner or Homemade Leather Cleaner Conditioner
- Vacuum
- Baking Soda
- Commercial Window Cleaner or Homemade Glass Cleaner
- Odor Eliminating Spray
- Refresh your Car! scented gel air fresheners

Removing smoke odor from a car will require a complete cleaning of your car's interior. A big job to be sure. But if you follow the systematic approach below you should be able to remove the smoke odor from your car.

Step 1 - Vacuum:
Completely vacuum the interior, including the console, door pockets under seats and in the trunk. Vacuum ashtrays to remove residual ash. If an ashtray still has visible residue after vacuuming, use an all-purpose cleaner and paper towel to remove the residue, then air dry. With the ashtray is clean and dry, place a small amount of baking soda into the ashtray to absorb odors.

Note: Before using any cleaner in your car, test a small hidden area first for color fastness.

Step 2 - Shampoo:
Shampoo the car's interior, including carpets, upholstery, headliner, door panels, seat belts and floor mats with an odor eliminating shampoo, available at auto parts or hardware stores. Don't forget to shampoo under the seats! Clean leather upholstery with a commercial leather cleaner/deodorizer available at your local auto parts store, dealership or home improvement store or use our homemade leather cleaner/conditioner. The recipe for the cleaner can be found on our website at www.refreshyourcar.com/backroads. Let the interior air dry completely, before moving on to the next step.

Step 3 - Wipe Down:
Clean all washable interior surfaces with the same shampoo from Step 2 or use our all purpose interior cleaner. The recipe for this cleaner can be found on our website at www.refreshyourcar.com/backroads . Put a small amount directly on a damp sponge, work in and wipe off. Be sure to rinse all washable surfaces with a moist clean white cloth and then wipe dry. Don't forget console, map pockets and any storage areas like a glove box.

Step 4 - Clean:
Clean the inside of your windshield and all the windows with a commercial glass cleaner or our homemade glass cleaner. The glass cleaner recipe can be found on our website at www.refreshyourcar.com/backroads. We recommend cleaning all inside glass at least twice. Be sure to wipe off the rubber door seals!

Step 5 - Sprinkle:
Sprinkle baking soda on dry carpet, working it in with your hands. Here's where your patience comes into play: Wait a week and then vacuum.

Step 6 - Replace:
Replace the cabin air filter if your car has one. Then, spray an odor eliminating spray like Clean & Green into air intake ducts outside of car and run the fan according to package directions.

Step 7 - Place - Place Refresh your Car ! brand scented gel air fresheners under the front seats and in the trunk.

For more information on keeping your car looking and smelling fresh, visit www.RefreshYourCar.com.