Please help getting rid of car air freshener smell!!!

[sjdavenport]

So I inherited a car from my dad, who smoked a LOT. The car reeked of cigarette smoke and had ashes everywhere. It also had the words "Bitchin Edition" on the back of it. The cigarette smell was giving me a headache, and Bitchin Edition doesn't exactly scream professionalism, so I took the car to get detailed and to have the letters completely removed yesterday. I've never had a car detailed before, and it was quite a splurge for me, but I was completely and utterly thrilled with how squeaky clean the car was and the fact that they were able to get up the fine layer of ash over everything. They said they used the ozone machine or whatever to get rid of the smell......however, when I picked it up, the cigarette smell was replaced by a horribly sickening, potent perfume/air freshener smell. I am sensitive to smells like this (just riding in a car with a handing air freshener or one of those febreeze clips over the vent makes me really sick). Even wearing antiperspirant with too strong of a smell gives me a headache. Needless to say, this is not going to work for me. I get an instant headache and get nauseous as soon as I get in the car, and it lasts for 45+ minutes after getting out of the car. I've been riding around with the windows down (quite chilly), but if anything, I feel like it's gotten stronger! Please help! What is the best way to rapidly deodorize the car? Baking soda? Some of those activated charcoal thingies? Does febreeze have products that don't smell super strong? I almost feel like taking it back and asking the car detailing place to get rid of whatever they doused my car in. Do you think they'd charge me again? I guess I should have asked them to avoid strong smelling products, but I had never had a car detailed before, so this isn't what I was expecting at all. Maybe let Rhaegar swim in the creek and then let him shake it off in my car? Lol, at this point, wet dog smell would be a huge improvement for me!

 

[cj-sharpy]

Give the whole car a good vacuum to get any scented powders or anything out of the seats. And carpets.
I've also heard something about baking soda absorbing smells.
Maybe worth putting a saucer of that in the car over night.

Only other thing I can think of is wind the windows down for a few days.

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[NYDDB]

Yuck. And I know what you are talking about; all of the taxis here in NYC have the air freshener thing dangling from the rear view window, and it's awful. I don't take cabs too often, but sometimes it's a necessity--- and I usually have my head out the window if the scent is too strong. And I don't even have a sensitivity to smells , in general.

I would also suggest baking soda, maybe some white vinegar, too, as that will help. That, plus open windows and time should help a lot. Good luck!

 

[TricAP]

2x the baking soda idea - sprinkle it heavily on the carpet and or upholstery. Leave it overnight and then vacuum it out. If you have someplace to safely park it with the windows open that would help also. I'm same way with any scents that car detailers use. They look at me like I'm crazy when I say no scent. If that doesn't work I would take it back. Ozone treatments shouldn't have a smell.

 

[TricAP]

I almost forgot - check under the drivers seat for a little paper packet that may be soaked with scent. Some places use those and they can be VERY strong.

 

[Hector]

I heard coffee grinds do a good job soaking smells up. I also heard that bags of diatomaceous earth does too. I have not tried any of those.

 

[teodora]

if they used the so called "odor bombs", the fragrance will dissipate in 3-4 days anyway.

 

[DennasMom]

I would at least call the detail place and find out what they did to stink it up so much.... i.e. pellets, powders, or sachets under the seats... that way you could at least get the BIG culprit out of there ASAP.

If the detailer says they put stink powder everywhere... I'd take it back and ask them to vacuum the car again to get rid of it.

Febreeze does have some unscented sprays that might (?) help.

I like to use beeswax candles to remove odors in the house... but I don't think that would work in a car. LOL.

I feel for you!!
Personally.... I'd never be able to ride in a car previously owned by a smoker. Smoke make nauseous - and gives me headaches. OLD smoke is worse. Ozone is how they treat hotel rooms to get rid of smoke, but it's not perfect, and too much ozone harms the lungs, too... Good Luck!!

 

[spearchucker]

Most pros will use an ozone generator. Or you can crunch up some charcoal briquets.

 

[Yamizuma]

I'm like that too...I can't even breathe sometimes with Febreeze type things. I second advice here to check under the seats for stinky little deathly awful air "freshener " tabs, call the detailer and ask the WTH they did, and if they can't/won't de perfume it, baked nag soda, fresh air and sunlight will hopefully eventually do the trick.


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[DDSK]

Run around with my dogs in the car for a couple hours.After they pass gas a few times you won't notice the air freshener, hell you wouldn't notice a road killed skunk!

 

[sjdavenport]

Thanks for all the suggestions! That horrible smell was not dissipating at ALL. I couldn't get ahold of the detailing place, it seems like they never answer their phone. No hidden packets of stink under the seats - I looked like 5 times. It was so bad! My clothes smelled like it after riding in the car for 5 minutes and it'd give me a headache all day. It's been raining so much, I haven't been able to leave the windows down very much to air it out. I did finally sprinkle backing soda, leave it overnight, and vacuum it up. It helped a little, but not nearly enough. I placed open boxes of baking soda around the car, and have left them there for 5 days or so. Then a couple days ago, I bought some spray called Zero Odor. I have to say that I'm pretty impressed. I've been spraying down all the fabric surfaces in the car two or three times per day the last couple of days. It has cut down on the air freshener smell significantly. It's actually tolerable now, no more headaches. It does have a very mild chemical smell until it dries (almost like bleach? but normally bleach smell makes me sick too), but that smell didn't bother me at all. I'm so happy I found something that works (and that gets rid of a smell without covering it up with another also intolerable smell. I felt bad for my poor dogs riding around in that stink machine. I imagine it would be pretty harsh on their sensitive noses. Give me pet odor any day! No more "freshener!" I've learned my lesson!

 

[sjdavenport]

Run around with my dogs in the car for a couple hours.After they pass gas a few times you won't notice the air freshener, hell you wouldn't notice a road killed skunk!

As sad as it is, I'd take the worst dog fart smell ever over this air freshener smell!

 

[Yamizuma]

As sad as it is, I'd take the worst dog fart smell ever over this air freshener smell!

Sadly, I agree.


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