The problem with bad car odours is that if they are in our own vehicle, we quickly become accustomed to them. That is of course is until a new passenger points out the bad car smell that we have been failing to address.
Addressing the malodour comes down to its cause. The first step to a fresh car scent is to solve what is causing your bad car smell? For reference, a musty smell is commonly due to water, spilt drinks, and damp or wet towels left in the car. We discuss how to fix musty smells in another blog article. The other problematic vehicle odour is caused by cigarette smoking.
Mistakes when trying to remove tobacco odours
The gaseous nature of tobacco ensures the cigarette odour is able to penetrate and linger in and around many surfaces. This makes tobacco one of the most difficult odours to remove from a car. For a non-smoker, tobacco scent can be quite offensive, making your car smell like a dirty old ashtray.
In order to remove the smell of cigarettes from a vehicle, you need to treat all parts of the interior. This includes the upholstery, vents, headlining and trims.
One mistake that people often make when trying to rid tobacco smells is to use common air freshers. Unfortunately, air fresheners will only mask the cigarette odours, just adding a further layer of scent, without resolving the odour issue.