Hello, I recently purchased a used LC500 about six months ago. The previous owner smoked cigars, but the dealer masked it with a nearly insufferable cologne smell. Albeit the smell has has gotten better, I haven’t been able to get rid of it. I’ve tried (in order):
- steam cleaning/interior detail
- two car bombs
- wiping surfaces with white vinegar
- dryer sheets
- AC drain plug cleaning
- AC intake cleaning (in interior vents and exterior intake vents)
- spraying lysol thru AC intake
- spraying ozium thru AC intake
- Ozone treatment
Notably the interior is full of suede, specifically on the seats and headliner. The only thing(s) I haven’t tried yet are a bowl of charcoal or white vinegar. Is there anything else I should try?
I’ve had to get rid of cigarette smoke but never cigar. Cigarette smoke is disgusting enough. Can’t imagine how bad the cigar was.
I did multiple ozone treatments of 30 minutes each. I think I did an ozone treatment with the ac running too. Make sure the sun visor is down and any place else that could trap the smoke and not get exposed to the ozone. Replaced the floor mats and cabin air filter.
Took out the seats to clean underneath. Scrubbed the plastic interior pieces with all purpose cleaner. Make sure to use a brush to get the cleaner into any crevices that could trap the odor. Spent extra time cleaning the driver’s area where the smoke would likely go. Seats were leather and used leather cleaner/conditioner on those.
I was afraid I was going to have to replace the carpet and seat foam/covers, but I eventually got the smell out. It just took a lot of work. Probably spent at least 20-25 hours disinfecting the car of that odor.