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Old 10-23-2010, 01:55 PM   #33
d.uccello
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Dayton, OH
Posts: 39
Re: how do you get rid of smoke smell?

There are some good suggestions in this thread and I know the OP mentioned he bought another vehicle but should someone else stumble upon this thread I have some experience in recovering a vehicle from fire/water damage.

The main areas for lingering odors in the car will be the carpet padding, the headliner, the door panels and the heater/ac ducts. The only way to do a full recovery would be to gut the interior and the fresh air systems, replace all padding and sound deadener, clean out the inside of the doors, the wiring harnesses and the inside compartment sheet metal, steam clean the carpet, upholstery and especially the seat foam, then sanitize everything before putting it back in... quite a job, and still a hot day could bring out some smoke from the permanent insulation in newer cars and various nooks and crannies.

A quicker "fix" would be to just clean the upholstery as good as possible and run some Fire-D through the vehicle. Will not get everything but will help a lot... and leave your vehicle smelling like bubblegum for a few months :P
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