The pungent, acrid smell of cigarette smoke lingers in enclosed places such as the inside of your car. Nicotine from cigarette smoke creates a yellowish-brown stain with a greasy residue. This stain contains the smoke odor that adheres to every surface in your car. Even though smoke odors cling to surfaces, you can remove the odors and stains, and return your car's interior to its fresh, odor-free state.
Fill a spray bottle with undiluted white vinegar. Spray all plastic, vinyl and glass surfaces inside your car to clean off smoke stains and remove smoke odors. Wipe the vinegar spray with a clean cloth, applying more spray as needed and changing to a clean cloth as each cloth becomes soiled.
Shampoo all carpeted or upholstered surfaces in your car using a carpet shampooer and shampoo that has stain remover in it. Leave the windows open, if possible, to allow the air to help dry the carpet and upholstery.
Deodorize your car interior further by sprinkling baking soda on all soft surfaces. Work the baking soda into carpet, upholstery and other soft surfaces by gently scrubbing it in with a bristle brush. Leave the baking soda to sit on the surfaces overnight.
Vacuum the baking soda the next day, after it has the chance to absorb any remaining smoke odor from your car.
