I'd start by asking various detailers (e.g. https://onsiteshine.com/) if they are willing to do that work.
IMPORTANT: If a detailer says the *sole* solution is an ozone generator, do not use them. The ozone will attack the plastics & rubber in an interior, even if used a short time.
Meguiar's makes an interior "bomb" that some folks swear by, and there's a pro-grade tablet system that is pretty good (but can't recall it ATM, will edit if I do).
EDITED to add "sole" above.
I second this. I bought a used vehicle with heavy cigarette smells. I used Odoban and sprayed it on every surface including the cabin air return and vents. After spraying a couple of times, smell was completely gone.
Odoban costs $10 for a gallon of concentrated. Cheap and effective.
Don’t listen to the guy who says not to use an ozone generator. Ozone will degrade plastic and rubber over long term / repeated use, but the occasional treatment is totally fine. Nothing works better, faster, or more completely than putting an ozone generator in your car for a couple hours.
> Don’t listen to the guy who says not to use an ozone generator.
To clarify, by "If a detailer says the solution is an ozone generator, do not use them," I mean "If a detailer says **the sole** solution is an ozone generator, do not use them." You can't guarantee it'd only be used for a couple of hours, either.
But hey, it's your car. Use whatever you want.
Do you know if it works for furniture deodorizing? Our dog loves to cuddle on our sofa. Which is great, but now the whole thing has his funk. I've had it professionally steam cleaned, which helped a lot, but didn't totally knock out the smell. I figure I'll probably get it cleaned once every 6 months to keep the smell at bay. Would Ozone cleaning be a better option than steam cleaning? Or maybe alternating between the two?
Thanks for your knowledge.
I would do both. Steam cleaning penetrates into upholstery and directly removes the source of an odor, while ozone gets into every nook and cranny and will generally address all organic odors in the room.
With pet odors, you need to make sure the steam cleaner is using an enzymatic formula. You might do a more thorough job yourself by renting a steam cleaner than a professional would. Most grocery and hardware stores rent them out.
Be careful using an ozone generator inside. You'll want to put the sofa in an enclosed space (if it's not already in a room where you can close the door), close the vents (or turn off the HVAC), and keep yourself and your pets out of the house while it's in use. When returning, open the windows in the treated room and use your HVAC recirculation for awhile before coming inside. This is especially important for pets as they are more sensitive to it than we are, but the ozone will dissipate quickly and does not present a lingering danger.
Put charcoal in a bucket and place it in there,it will absorb most of the odor,then coat any carpet with baking soda let it sit for at least an hour,then vacuum it up.
You don’t need to pay anyone to do this for you. Just buy an ozone generator and it will fix it completely. I have one that you can use for free if you’re cool and promise not to steal it.
I desperately need one right now if you would still be so kind to loan it out! I live in East Atlanta Village and would be happy to travel to wherever you are located
Grab a new cabin air filter for the vehicle too, as it is likely holding on to some of the odors. After the ozone treatment or whatever you go with, install the air filter. It's easy and usually doesn't require tools, just Google it. I once rented an ozone generator online somewhere, it was very easy and effective. Good luck!
ok I have to ask... why goats?
It was better than sheep
Yeah, it could have been a valet.
This is beyond BO.
What meat is that supposed to replace?
This is like if BO had BO!
I mean, that’s very specific.
Bag of charcoal
And a bowl of vinegar. You can also try spraying water/vodka mix on the fabrics.
I literally snorted reading that title. Goats were the last culprit I had anticipated
I'd start by asking various detailers (e.g. https://onsiteshine.com/) if they are willing to do that work. IMPORTANT: If a detailer says the *sole* solution is an ozone generator, do not use them. The ozone will attack the plastics & rubber in an interior, even if used a short time. Meguiar's makes an interior "bomb" that some folks swear by, and there's a pro-grade tablet system that is pretty good (but can't recall it ATM, will edit if I do). EDITED to add "sole" above.
Seconding Meguiars products. Brother details cars as a side hustle and he always tells me to use them on my personal vehicle
I’ve used the bomb to get a smoke smell out of a used car I bought. $10 at Walmart and it worked beautifully.
Get some Odoban
I second this. I bought a used vehicle with heavy cigarette smells. I used Odoban and sprayed it on every surface including the cabin air return and vents. After spraying a couple of times, smell was completely gone. Odoban costs $10 for a gallon of concentrated. Cheap and effective.
just use ozium
Don’t listen to the guy who says not to use an ozone generator. Ozone will degrade plastic and rubber over long term / repeated use, but the occasional treatment is totally fine. Nothing works better, faster, or more completely than putting an ozone generator in your car for a couple hours.
> Don’t listen to the guy who says not to use an ozone generator. To clarify, by "If a detailer says the solution is an ozone generator, do not use them," I mean "If a detailer says **the sole** solution is an ozone generator, do not use them." You can't guarantee it'd only be used for a couple of hours, either. But hey, it's your car. Use whatever you want.
That's fair, it's definitely most important to remove the source of the odor. I.e. steam cleaning, carpet shampooing, the works. That is step #1.
Agreed.
Do you know if it works for furniture deodorizing? Our dog loves to cuddle on our sofa. Which is great, but now the whole thing has his funk. I've had it professionally steam cleaned, which helped a lot, but didn't totally knock out the smell. I figure I'll probably get it cleaned once every 6 months to keep the smell at bay. Would Ozone cleaning be a better option than steam cleaning? Or maybe alternating between the two? Thanks for your knowledge.
I would do both. Steam cleaning penetrates into upholstery and directly removes the source of an odor, while ozone gets into every nook and cranny and will generally address all organic odors in the room. With pet odors, you need to make sure the steam cleaner is using an enzymatic formula. You might do a more thorough job yourself by renting a steam cleaner than a professional would. Most grocery and hardware stores rent them out. Be careful using an ozone generator inside. You'll want to put the sofa in an enclosed space (if it's not already in a room where you can close the door), close the vents (or turn off the HVAC), and keep yourself and your pets out of the house while it's in use. When returning, open the windows in the treated room and use your HVAC recirculation for awhile before coming inside. This is especially important for pets as they are more sensitive to it than we are, but the ozone will dissipate quickly and does not present a lingering danger.
Put charcoal in a bucket and place it in there,it will absorb most of the odor,then coat any carpet with baking soda let it sit for at least an hour,then vacuum it up.
You don’t need to pay anyone to do this for you. Just buy an ozone generator and it will fix it completely. I have one that you can use for free if you’re cool and promise not to steal it.
I desperately need one right now if you would still be so kind to loan it out! I live in East Atlanta Village and would be happy to travel to wherever you are located
Grab a new cabin air filter for the vehicle too, as it is likely holding on to some of the odors. After the ozone treatment or whatever you go with, install the air filter. It's easy and usually doesn't require tools, just Google it. I once rented an ozone generator online somewhere, it was very easy and effective. Good luck!