scottj Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 The previous owner of my Legacy was a smoker. I was thinking about renting a Rug Doctor with an upholstery attachment from the grocery store to clean the carpet, upholstery, and headliner. Are these things safe and effective for cleaning car interiors? Or will all the adhesives holding everything together dissolve and fall apart and the car still smell of smoke? Are there better options at tool rental places? What should I look for? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
06Limited Posted June 29, 2009 Share Posted June 29, 2009 I just ran into this problem with my wife's new car. The rug doctor should work, as we used a carpet cleaner on hers. You will also want to change the in cabin air filter and clean all of the vents out. We also let her car bake in the sun for days, with Tide detergent placed in plastic bowls. This helps to remove the smoke smell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarryN Posted June 30, 2009 Share Posted June 30, 2009 You can also get some baking soda and put it in the car for a while to absorb the smell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zarooo Posted July 11, 2009 Share Posted July 11, 2009 My wife and I own a steam cleaner because we have three dogs, and I have used it on my interior of my car to get spills out of the seats. Works just fine, but I would recommend waiting till a nice, warm and sunny day to ensure that it dries quickly. I have found that the "Pet Stain and Odor" type cleaning solvents, as they kill smells and odors with ease, including mildew smells. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inigo Montoya Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 You might try a bissel little green, should be under 100 bucks, works wonders, I would look into one. They you can keep it for spot cleaning after that, great for floor mats or puking cats and dogs. When you do the clean make sure you pull out all the seats, and do the headliner if you can as well. I look for smokers cars by looking at the drivers side window, where the top of the window hits the door frame, you cal almost always fine marks up there from flicking ash. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad023 Posted July 17, 2009 Share Posted July 17, 2009 my car had all the burn marks of a smoker but no smell. dealer got the smell out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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