Whether you’re a smoker looking to sell your car for the best price possible, or maybe you’ve just purchased a car and want the smell of cigarettes gone, there are ways to get the smell to go away. It will take a bit of work, but if you’d rather do it yourself than pay someone then here’s what to do:

Get rid of every possible source of the smell that you can
Throw out any old cigarette butts or packets, and then go through and see if anything you’ve left in your car like clothes, tissues or shoes is holding an odour. Throw them away or clean them depending on what the item is and how bad the smell is.

Clean your windows
Smoking usually leaves residue on your window glass, and it will take a bit of work to get rid of it. Get a glass cleaner and scrub scrub scrub! It might take a few tries to get all the residue off, but it’s definitely worth the effort.

Vacuum and deodorise your seats and carpets
Vacuum the carpets and seats in your car thoroughly. This is to pick up all the dust and ash left from the cigarettes. Then use baking soda to help draw out and get rid of more of the smell. Just sprinkle it around and let sit for as long as you can, then vacuum it up.
Get a fabric deodoriser and liberally spray it in your car’s interior, to further help eliminate the smoke smell.

Scrub down your car’s interior
You’ll probably have to clean up some of the remnants of these cleaning methods, since baking soda and cleaners can get a bit messy. Use a cleaner appropriate for your car’s interior, along with a good-quality cloth, and wipe over all the areas of your car to make sure you get rid of the remaining debris.

Clean the air-con and heating ducts
Find a mildew and mould spray to treat the smell that is specific for your car’s air and heating system, because this is a big reason you might think you’ll never get rid of the cigarette smoke smell, as most people don’t even think of the air ducts. Leave the spray overnight.
If your car has a cabin air filter, it’s a good idea to replace it as well.

If you’re serious about getting rid of the smell, make sure you’re as thorough as possible and really work hard, so that you get the best results. You can also call on car cleaners if you would rather leave it to a professional, contact your local car mechanic or service centre, but some people prefer to save the money and do it themselves.