After use of an ozone generator...

S

ScrampaTeg03

New member
I am in the market for a car (used). I found one I REALLY like, but the only problem is the owner has smoked in the car before (has a cloth interior too). My question is, after use of an ozone generator, will the cigarette smoke smell return after awhile? Please tell me not!!! Oh how I hope not, I REALLY love this car!:sosad
 
I believe ozone is meant to destroy organic based smells. I wonder if smoke residue is classified as this?



I really wonder if it will remove the smell. You'd probably need to do havey interior cleaning (Extract all the carpets and seats and scrub the vinyl well) and then run an ozone machine in there.



I've never done smoke removal so I can't give you an honest answer.



I know one used car dealership around here runs some sort of machine in the cars but the smoke smell comes back after awhile.
 
Thanks for the reply. Has anyone purchased a used car where the previous owner had smoked? I was wondering if the smell fades after awhile or what you did to mask it (I can think of a couple things but would like further input). Thanks



-Brian
 
I have heard that a HEAVY HEAVY cleaning will get rid of the majority of the smell.

Heavy meaning remove seats, deep clean them, use steam cleaner on ALL carpet and scrub them. The Headliner is a major part that must be cleaned. Alot of the smell is in the headliner.



Hopefully more people will be able to give some input.
 
My sister bought a '93 Integra which was used by a heavy smoker. Burn holes in seats and all. We didn't have an extractor or an ozone machine, but what we did do was use an organic enzyme cleaner 4 or 5 times on the car. Seat removal, headliner and vent cleaning...the whole nine years. Except for the holes, you cannot tell it had been a smoker's car. So it can be done, but is a lot of work. I suspect an extractor would help greatly.
 
Jademonkey said:
I have heard that a HEAVY HEAVY cleaning will get rid of the majority of the smell.

Heavy meaning remove seats, deep clean them, use steam cleaner on ALL carpet and scrub them. The Headliner is a major part that must be cleaned. Alot of the smell is in the headliner.



Hopefully more people will be able to give some input.
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Yhea, forgot about the headliner.



You might think about just getting the headliner replaced as a heavy cleaning of them is pretty hard. If you get them too wet, then the glue might break down causing the headliner to fall down.



Also, if 2wheelsx2 was able to get rid of the smoke smell with an enzyme, then I bet the ozone would work. I would get the sets, carpets, etc. extracted. Scrub vinyl and windows down and ozone it.



Top of the line sells these odor bombs I've been interested in testing out. Might want to check them out.



Pull the ash trays in the car out and soak them in a solution of all purpose clean to clean them out well. Then you can spray clear-coat on them to make them look new again.
 
I know this is an old thread, but I happened to come across it and wanted to add my .02 cents. I recently bought a car from a smoker. I think the smoke odor can be majorly reduced but it is a LOT of work.



I bought a 2000 Integra almost a year ago. I started the cleaning by having the carpets extracted and an ozone treatment. The lingering smell of the ozone treatment masked the smell of smoke for about 2 months and then one day after the car was sitting in the sun, the car had a smell of smoke in it. So I proceeded to tear the car apart. I removed every trim piece from the hatch, where I found a bunch of cigarette ashes. I removed the guage assembly from the dash, where I found a bunch of ashes. I removed the armrest assembly and all other plastic dash pieces near the radio. They all had a cigarette odor to them. I scrubbed and scrubbed with vinyl cleaner and then with Carpet Fresh (don't ask), using a vinyl scrub brush. That pretty much removed the odor from those pieces. As others have said you have to scrubb the headliner, doors, seats, just about every square inch. I found that the rubber trim piece around the opening to the sunroof also could be removed and cleaned. The area around the sunroof had a really bad odor to it. Be sure to clean that too. Just about every square inch of the car needs to be scrubbed and cleaned good.



I'll never buy a car that was smoked in again. It's just too much work.
 
A little OT but what smokers don't realize is that a smoked up car kills the resale value of it by at least $1000, sometimes more.



And it takes a big percentage of buyers out of the market. There are lots of people who simply will not buy a car that's been owned by a smoker.



The Kiss Of Death for a used car is one that's been smoked in and is a manual transmission. I think there is, like, 7 people in the US who would buy that car. The other 279,999,993 will stay away. A car like this is almost unsellable at any price.
 
I have had good luck using ozium, in cars that have been smoked in (cigars and cigarettes).



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Getting all the ash out is really important. You can clean the oder out of all the fabric, but the ash is going to keep perpetuating the smell, which will eventually absorb in the fabric again.



Like Bgruver encountered, some ash can be blown around from open windows/ac and collect in odd areas and even look like normal dust.
 
that's pretty lame. i smoke but i don't smoke in my car or apartment or house. it just stinks up stuff too much. that smell is nasty.
 
Thanks for the be-lated help, but after seeing the car clean and realizing there were litterally one-hundred dents up and down the sides of the car I opted to move on and finally found another which I love very much ('00 VW Jetta 1.8T). AND...it was owned by a non-smoker.:up



-Brian
 
bretfraz said:
The Kiss Of Death for a used car is one that's been smoked in and is a manual transmission. I think there is, like, 7 people in the US who would buy that car.
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LOL!



I understand that smoke also increases the effects of aging on car interiors. It attaches to the glues that hold things like the headliner on and causes them to give sooner. It also gets in fabrics and stitching and causes them to fail sooner too just as dirt does (it acts like tiny little knives cutting away at the fibers). So I guess smoke just doesn't do anything any good.
 
I agree that you should remove as much as possible from the interior (seats, trim, carpet etc). Clean everything well.



I then like to use two products.



One is called Spray Tech 1 Shot "The Bomb". It is a car bomb that you release with all the doors and windows shut, let it sit a while and then open everything up. This stuff is wild. It leaves a bubble gum like smell.



I also like Sprayaway Malodor. I used this when reconditioning m Police Car and it has no odor any more.



I get both of these products from a local detail shop/car wash shop supplier. A local auto body paint store also carries the stuff. You will not find either one in your typical stores (department, hardware etc.)



When I met my wife she had recently quit smoking. I was cleaning her car and I was amazed by all the yellow nasty stuff that came off the interior of the car (tar maybe?). I did the steps above and the car never smelled again.



Definitely a lot of work. The smoke just gets into everything and it is all concentrated because the interior is relatively small.
 
In my house I have two dogs, and if I forget the clean the carpets sometimes it can have funny smell. Even cranking up TWO ozone generators in the house is only a temp solution, the smell comes right back. I'd imagine it's the same in an automobile.
 
Yes it can be done, I bought a smoked Toyota RAV 4 and I got it totaly smell-free:



* Total interior cleaning

* Wipe steeringwheel and shiftknob carefully

* Clean ceiling carefully, most smell is in the ceiling

* Use a vacuumcleaner that uses water (extractor)

* Use a ozone generator after total clean



Buy a new ashtray since most times it does smell after wash anyway.



You may have to run the ozone generator twice, I used it again after a week.



Regards,



Robert Wejdenstal

Sweden
 
The O3 generator should be used AFTER a thorough cleaning... My guess is your previous ozone treatment was done without a full interior cleaning... The interior cleaning will get rid of the majority of the odor that's lingering and has settled into porous surfaces. After all that is cleaned, all that's left are the nooks and crannies in between the dash, vents, etc. etc. that cleaning can't touch. That's where O3 comes in... The fog molecules are a lot smaller than any liquid and it'll get rid of those remaining odors.



Going straight from a stinking car to an O3 generator is quite useless...
 
Aren't Ozone Generators supposed to kill mold? I wonder if that would help a moldy trunk. My friend left his trunk open in the rain.
 
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