Have owned the XJ for 2 years. I smoke. It is starting to develop a musty stale cigarette smell. What is the best way to clean it out? Fabric cleaner? Odor eliminator? Any advice on good cleaning agents would be great. Thanks guys!

 

You never truly get that smell out of a vehicle, in my opinion... don't smoke in your Jeep for one. I'd take out the carpets, pressure wash and shampoo them. Re-do the headliner because the fabric is probably holding some smell. Clean all hard surfaces very well. Also, remove the seats and deep-clean them. I don't know about 97+ seats, but pre-97 seats you can remove the skin and machine-wash them.

Do that and then never smoke in the Jeep again.

 

^^^^This

I too smoke in my jeep. Replaced the headliner a couple years ago and have cleaned the carpets a few times. I also have a supply of New Car scent trees in the glove box. I still think it smells a bit but other non smokers have commented on how good it smells in there.

 

The last sentence of my post should say and never smoke in the Jeep again. Oops. Can't edit it either.

 

your ****ting me?? really?? i never even looked!! well.. i know what im going to do!

 

im a smoker... bad habit from prior stupidity..

anyways... theres a ac duct cleaner you can get from a parts house that sprays in through the intake underneath your windshield/hood vent cowling (by the wiper blades)... that helps..

febreeze the hell out of it daily.. for weeks straight.. just spray down everything..

shampoo spots you can get to.. remove the seats if you have the time..

this could help without having to replace headliner and remove the carpet.. hopefully..

some of the "musk" that you smell could just be "old" fabric or cushion material

 

Yeah there's a writeup somewhere. Gotta be careful to not break any of the clips but you can really make them look brand new by washing them that way. I'd find the writeup but I'm on my cell.

 

I don't smoke but the parents do, and some friends do. I gave up and let them smoke in the Jeep because I honestly can't smell it anymore. A lifetime of being desensitized.

On a brighter note, I keep it clean and several people have told me they love the way my Jeep smells.

And apparently the back seat is very, very comfortable.

 

Try cutting an orange in half and leaving it in the jeep over night. I've heard this works but probably only a temporary fix....like if you're going to pick up a girl for a date lol

 

have you tried that? what if the orange rots? lol

chicks dig rotting fruit!

in my dating days.. i used to stock up on air freshners.. vent freshners.. febreze..

not too long ago.. it was a big deal to detail your car before picking up a date.. it was a must!

 

I haven't tried it, but a co-worker told me about it. I imagine you'd want to replace or toss it out the next day ;-)

 

But replacing your headliner is probably the best bang for your buck in addition to shampooing the carpets and seats. It's pretty cheap and not too difficult.

 

Use some dryer sheets. Place them under the front seats and anywhere else you can hide them so to speak. Had a guy that I worked with give the wife and I a sofa many years ago and his family were heavy smokers. So we used dryer sheets tucked here and there on it and they took the smell away.

Yea, I know it may sound crazy, but it worked.

 

You could...but I did it.

 

Fresh coffee sprinkled on a plate and covered in orange PEELS each night or left somewhere in the Jeep foe a while.

Got the smell out of a Subaru that a 350 pound guy offed himself in with a 12 gauge shotgun who wasn't found for 4 days in the middle of summer.
Somebody even bought the car from me.