How to get the smell of previous owner out of cloth seats (150k miles worth of smell)

To be really clear-

Katzkin means stripping everything off to foam and replacing the material with leather/vinyl:

 

Going to be my last resort.

 

Yep.

• Wet vac all seats and carpet with warm soapy water. I would probably do the seat bottom and back (whatever a human touched while sitting) multiple times, especially the driver’s seat.
• Power wash floor mats
• Fan dry in garage overnight
• $17 Activated Charcoal Odor Absorber for Strong Odors in Car, Closet, Shoe, Basement. 10 Activated Charcoal Bags Odor Absorbers for Home. Bamboo Charcoals Air Purifying Bag Charcoals Deodorizer Eliminator
  Activated charcoal deodorizers in the door pockets
• $12 EPAuto CP285 (CF10285) Premium Cabin Air Filter includes Activated Carbon
  Activated charcoal cabin air filter

Not a big fan of chemical deodorizer bombs or fake chemical freshness if it can be avoided.

If the smell doesn’t go away after the above list, it’s probably also in the dash, headliner, and door panels. Just keep checking things off the list. You’ll get it eventually.

 

I found out by accident with my 25 year old car in college that smelled of a combination of dehydrated garlic, exhaust, and mildewed lamb skin seat covers that a new tire and a bundle of new carpet squares left in a hot car for a few days will make it smell like it just rolled off the assembly line. It’s intense at first but once it tames down, that rubber and formaldehyde new car smell lasts and lasts. It was remarkable.

 

Just leave a dozen Porto's cheese rolls in the cab for about a week. Rinse, repeat as needed.

 

That “new car smell” is full of carcinogens

New Study: That New Car Smell Is Actually Toxic

 

When I bought my pickup the owner had let his dog spend a LOt of time in it. The dog smell was simply overwhelming. A good detail followed by a bucket of charcoal in the cab for a few weeks too care of it.

 

I did not read all the replies so I don't know if someone else mentioned this. Worth a try and what you don't use in truck you can use in house if you have carpet.

 

Full interior detail with quality products. Carpets, seats, glass, plastics, headliner, should all be cleaned and extracted where applicable. If you invest in some detailing equipment now, you will find you have also found a new hobby.