Odor elimination

If you want to refresh your Truck or any vehicle there are a few good options.

The cheaper are just throwing in a good old chlorine bomb. Activate it and let it sit in the vehicle for 24 hours-ish without opening the doors. When you're about ready to open it up then turn on the vehicle and set the air to recirculate to hit the vents as well.

The other option is using the Meguire's air refresher. This is a 20 minute deal.

 

Thanks for posting this. I’ve been fighting a smoke odor from the previous owner. Think I’ll try the Meguiars option.

 

No problem! We use the chlorine bombs a lot for stolen recovery vehicles. The Meguire's is something new that I stumbled on.

Theres also ozone treatments but that can be costly because of the machine needed.

 

I've used this in my Corolla after a cabin filter replacement and it's not bad at all. Since our trucks do not have a cabin filter, a lot of dirt and gunk can gather on the evaporator core. If you use a foam cleaner through the A/C drain tube, that will work and clean a lot of the gunk out and permanently get rid of smells.

You can also remove the blower motor resistor to get a quick inspection of how dirty it is. Two Phillips screws to remove the resistor; remove and handle the resistor using the connector, do not touch the white part with your hands and be careful not to damage it when pulling it out. @shifty` has a great post detailing this procedure as well as the process of using a foam cleaner here: https://www.tundras.com/threads/wha...-gen-tundra-today.2558/page-1571#post-3126837

 

This is a great suggestion. Thanks for linking the post! I'll definitely do this as well.

 

Portable ozone machines are significantly cheaper today than they were 10 years ago. Like, you can get a good number of them for $200 or less, and they work without fail to get even the deepest, nastiest of odors out.

 

Bought a very nasty, heavily smoked-in truck. I took the whole dash apart, removed the seats and sprayed them with soapy water. The final touch was running an ozone generator in it for several nights. If you just have regular stank, the ozone generator alone may be enough. You can rent them from commercial cleaning places and vacuum cleaner stores. I just got a cheapo $60 one on the Bezos-zon.

 

Or if you work in a hotel - borrow one from housekeeping for free.

 

I wonder how much a good interior detailing is these days. They usually have those machines too.

 

Actually, an ozone generator is $69 on Scamazon. I got one several years ago to get rid of the smoker stank in a car we bought for my wife. It took a few doses but it worked really well. Used it again when my daughter bought her first car -- it had kind of a janky smell. Again, worked great.

I think this is the one I have:

$100 Enerzen Ozone Generator 40000mg Industrial O3 Air Purifier Deodorizer (40000mg - Black)

https://www.amazon.com/Enerzen-Comm...t=&hvlocphy=9002649&hvtargid=pla-348060749742

 

That’s probably exactly what I have. Can’t recommend it enough. Ozone either bonds with or displaces oxygen though, so be careful not to leave them on if you or kids or pets or whatever are in the house.

 

I bought an ozone machine from ebay last year for less than 50 bucks. Left it on overnight with a jackery and it got the baby spew stink out of my truck 100%. Did take a couple hours of window open driving to then get the ozone smell out though.

 

100 as of yesterday..

 

ProKure is what I would use first (chlorine dioxide gas). While ozone machines have come down in cost, they still have some health concerns - as does ClO2. Ozone can impact natural rubber, unsure how much natural rubber is in a modern vehicle however.

Should one opt for ozone, have the vehicle running and turn the heat on. Ozone works better in higher temps due to the pores of materials opening and allowing the ozone to penetrate materials better. Ozone certainly is a health hazard, as is ClO2. Be sure to follow instructions carefully for both.

 

Thanks for this info - I knew it was a health hazard but never knew it could impact materials within the truck. I’ll have to read up further on this.
But I will say, I’m amazed at how well it works. I have the same machine listed above. Bought it a year ago. At the cost of paying someone to do it, I have my own and have used it a few times. Very pleased with it.

 

Ozone generators are awesome and relatively cheap, but use them in moderation. It can damage the plastics and electronics if used too long or often. Also make sure and ventilate it very well afterwards, as it’s not really healthy to breathe in.
The Meguair’s air refreshers work great, but another word of warning: On occasion you might get a defective one that will coat your interior in a white residue. Check everything after using and clean that off asap if it’s there. Once it dries, it’s a bitch to get off. I’ve used these dozens of times and still do, but I’ve had this happen twice.
First time I didn’t even see it for a week because I didn’t get back in the vehicle afterwards. There’s still some I haven’t gotten out of the door speaker grills.
Overall both are great options, just pay attention.

 

WTF does a "janky smell" smell like? I'm imagining that it has to be something close to what my youngest son's car smells like. Sort of a hybrid cross of freshmen boys football team after a game (that is a force to be reckoned with) and spoiled food in the back seat. I hate getting in his car.

 

Janky is just bad... not right -- synonymous with funky . I have a son too, and am familiar with the smell you describe. I would also call that "janky". My daughter was a recent college grad and needed an affordable car. Mechanically sound was higher on the priority list than pristine interior or exterior. It had clearly been owned by a mother with at least two kids. Not well kept, kids snack between the seats... and a funky (janky) smell to it.

 

Thank you for the little laugh. Janky. New vocabulary word for me.

 

I finally got around to trying the Meguiars option and it worked like a champ. No more smoke odor!

 

Came to chime in about Ozone Generators but see that's already covered.

I also had good luck with these. The local parts stores used to have them in stock also.

$13 STAR BRITE NosGUARD SG Auto Odor Eliminator - Quick-Action Vapor System, Eliminates Damp, Musty Smells, Smoke & Pet Odors in Cars within 4-6 Hours, 10g (19970)

https://www.amazon.com/STAR-BRITE-Eliminator-Eliminates-19970/dp/B00J4GHLFI