boostid

My wifey just bought a used car and it seems to have an unpleasant smell in the interior that isn't factory stock (it's all leather). It was probably a smoker's car. Cig lighter looks used. Is there anything I can do or use to clean it up or should I hand it over to the pros?

Thanks for any suggestions.

TOGWT

Smoke

Its molecules are microscopic and they exhibit a very strong adhesive quality; plus they don't conform to normal cleaning standards. It is these micro particulates that embed themselves in the fibres of the headliner, seats and carpet. These are particles of incomplete combustion with a size of 0.1 to 4µ, the average human hair is between 40 – 600 µ; whereas the average smoke particle is 150 times smaller.

A solvent will not break their bond; a detergent will not suspend them for extraction. More than any other dour problem smoke removal is a process. You cannot eliminate odours by shampooing the interior, and/or spraying a deodorizer. Many odours are caused by micro-organisms such as bacteria, mould, and mildew.

It amazes me that even professionals still think they can eliminate odours by shampooing the interior, and spraying a deodorizer. Nothing is farther from the truth, technically, an odour is an invisible gas, and so it can permeate any material or crevice. Many odours are caused by micro-organisms such as bacteria, mould, and mildew. Not only does shampooing not eradicate these odours, it spreads them over a much wider area

You eliminate dour-causing organisms with very specialized chemicals. Look for stains, if there are no stains, use the process of elimination; it is very effective when searching for the source of an odour; floor or seats, mats or carpet? If the vehicle has velour upholstery, a spill can penetrate on contact. If it is vinyl or leather, it will run to the deepest seam. Pay special attention to the headliner and all glass surfaces

The most important aspect of removing as opposed to using a product that will cover it, only for the odour to return later on, or at the very least mitigating an offensive door is that you must find and remove its origin. Don’t be fooled by the claims of odour removal products; if it doesn’t have a cleaning agent in it, you’re not going to get rid of the odour. If you thoroughly clean the interior and it still smells you have not removed the material which is generating the smell. You can use an ozone machine, steam / extractor, scrub, and vacuum etc but if you do not remove the origin the smell will remain. Replace the cabin air filter (if fitted) as it will retain the smoke micro-organisms

Deodorizer

PŪRWorld is a deodorizing application; Hydroxyl radicals are among the strongest oxidizing species, even much stronger than chlorine, ozone, and peroxide. They act as very powerful disinfecting agents by oxidizing the cells of microorganisms, causing rupture and leakage of vital composition. They accelerate the breakdown by destroying the molecular bonds. This will help combine the organic gases to form a single molecule that is not harmful to humans thus enhance the air cleaning efficiency.

Symptom that occurs from prolonged exposure to microbes that grow in automobile interiors, the presence of the microbes causes similar reactions as sick building syndrome. Some of the examples of odour molecules are: tobacco odour, formaldehyde, nitrogen dioxide, urine odor, gasoline, and many other hydrocarbon molecules in the atmosphere.

Generally speaking, disinfections by titanium oxides are three times stronger than chlorination, and 1.5 times stronger than ozone treatment. PŪRWorld provides photo catalyst surface coating for long-lasting effects of deodorization, sterilization, and anti-soiling purposes. Using specialized spray-coating equipments, a fine mist of photo catalyst can be applied on different types of surface material that guarantees the maximum result – DrivePur Protection Systems

andy928

Good morning, below is from another post a while back, hope it works for you.

I had the same problem about a year and a half ago with a Jaguar XJR I bought from an Importer from Hong Kong, sight unseen.

Great car but stunk of smoke.

I tried everything as you have outlined after talking to car dealers and reading the web.

However a dealer told me about an Ultra Violet Quartz Light made in Australia. I did not think it would work and did not try it until I got to braking point…

It worked!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not sure how but it did.

I borrowed one from the dealer.

I put it in the car over night with the windows up and in the morning I ran the car for one hour with all the windows closed with the air con on with the recycle mode on.

I left the car outside in the sun all day in the heat with all the windows up and no smell, I sold it about a year later to get a newer one, but never had the problem again.

I am not connected to this company in any way, and have called the dealer for you to get their contact details.

They are Australian Ultra Violet Services, their email is austuv@austuv.com.au .

The New Zealand supplier is okenny@xtra.co.nz that the dealer bought his one through.

I hope they will be able to help; they may even have a supplier in the States by now, as when I used it they were just getting started.

Andrew

TOGWT

Germicidal lamps are short wave low pressure mercury tubes that produce ultraviolet wavelengths that are lethal to microorganisms in the air, on surfaces and in water.

Germicidal lamps (sometimes also referred to as UVC lamps) should not be confused with sunlamps or backlight lamps, for while these are also ultraviolet lamps, the ultraviolet produced is of longer wavelength and is not useful for germicidal applications.

These lamps have a mercury resonance wavelength of 254 nanometres. This wavelength is in the region of maximum germicidal effectiveness and is highly lethal to virus, bacteria, protozoa and mould.

A good idea, but may be an expensive option for a one-off odour elimination project