detailing a smokers truck

Discussion in 'Trucks [ Eighteen Wheelers ]' started by flightwatch, Nov 18, 2011.

  1. flightwatch

    flightwatch Road Train Member

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    Jun 22, 2011
    Somewhere in Texas
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    Ok...I have a pretty big (in my eyes) problem. I just leased a truck from my company, and the former driver was a smoker. I don't know how much the former driver smoked, but I can tell you that he smoked with the windows up. When I took possession of the truck, it smelled like an ashtray at the bar on a Friday night. The detail shop at the yard got 80% of the cigarette smell out, but it is still very much so there...especially in the HVAC system. It is bad enough where all of my belongings now smell like cigarettes, and I am all stuffy, and eyes watering, sneezing, etc. I'm a former smoker myself, so I am even more sensitive to the smell. I have bought close to $30 in cleaning products trying to quell the smell, but I'm kind of out of opinions. The smell is most prominent within the HVAC system...especially when I have the heater on.

    Truck is a 2011 KW T660.
    Any help would be greatly appreciated
     
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  3. tirednaz

    tirednaz Heavy Load Member

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    Wiping down all of the surfaces with Simple Green works well. As for the vents a product called Ozone will help. Did you have them change out the mattress? If not you wont get the smell out of the fabric.
     
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  4. flightwatch

    flightwatch Road Train Member

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    Oh most definitely changed out the mattresses. Not just for the smell, but for just plain sanitary reasons. I will try simple green. I have a bottle of ozone, but it didn't seem to do much.

    Thanks
     
  5. tirednaz

    tirednaz Heavy Load Member

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    That smokers smell is very hard to get rid of good luck
     
  6. sidewinder429

    sidewinder429 Light Load Member

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    Is there a filter for the cab air? I drove several trucks that had a foam air filter for cab air. That is one place to look at. Inside the vents and HVAC tubing delivering the air can get to be a tougher thing to clean.

    But I would think of some way to wipe them clean, perhaps some sort of giant home made pipe cleaner. A soft touch chimney sweep brush to run down the tubes and clean them out, get the residue off.

    Just some ideas.
     
  7. flightwatch

    flightwatch Road Train Member

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    Somewhere in Texas
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    I checked the cab filter...the yard changed it, but put a home a/c filter cut-to-size in there instead of the standard HEPA filter, so that's one thing on my to-do list. I do like your ideas quite a bit though...Thanks!
     
  8. fortycalglock

    fortycalglock Road Train Member

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    Boy that doesn't sound like a great company if the shop's doing that. Anything cloth, either steam clean or douse with febreeze. The bunk AC/heater should have filters as well. You should have got the smell out before moving in, as now your mattress will always stink. Good luck.
     
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  9. billm89

    billm89 Bobtail Member

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    Hello,
    I have had very good results with a product called Nok Out. The truck I purchased had been sitting for awhile,and had also been smoked in. This product took care of the problem. It also worked very well on a couch with pet odors. You can check it out at www.nokout.com. Good luck!
     
  10. Flightline

    Flightline Road Train Member

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    I heard some detail shops are pretty good about this but can't say first hand.
     
  11. CondoCruiser

    CondoCruiser The Legend

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    You can always start smoking again! :biggrin_2559:
    The smell will get in the duct work. If I found a good product, I would turn the vent on full blast and go outside and remove the cabin filter and spray in the duct work from that end since that's where it draws.

    There's another big thread on this somewhere with alot of good advice. Use the forum search feature and I bet you can find it.

    Duct, mean green, smell, cigarette might be good keywords.

    Edited: Here's one of them... http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...vers/56695-that-smoke-smell-in-the-truck.html
     
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