There are not many problems a life hack is unable to solve.

One problem with an almost unlimited number of solutions is removing smells from your car.

A simple, effective way to remove odors from your vehicle is by using two household items: a clothespin and essential oil, Wimp reports (video below). It might seem too good to be true, but this trick does the job.

The DIY air freshener is made by rubbing essential oil on the clothespin and then sticking it inside the car's air conditioning unit. That’s all it takes to get the car smelling clean. You can also use this trick for your home air conditioning unit.

Another trick to remove odors is done using powdered baking soda and powdered charcoal, Lifehacker details. The substances can be easily vacuumed and cleaned, and they’ll remove foul odors like cigarette smoke in no time and much more easily than common remedies like coffee grounds.

One solution to remove foul odors that is often overlooked is to wipe the surfaces of the car, Wikihow reports:

Use a soft cleaning cloth to wipe every plastic, wood, glass, and metallic surface inside the car. If you want to use anything other than warm water, rely on mild detergent as it will be safe for most surfaces, and glass cleaner for glass. For leather seats, use an appropriate leather cleaner. Alternatively, you can ask for a suitable interior car cleaner at your automobile store. If it's a really hot day, leave the doors and windows open to let the car cool down first or it'll be hot and unpleasant as well as super odorous!


Vacuuming your car also does the trick, as does sprinkling deodorizer. Steam cleaning is another good idea, but Wikihow gave some important tips to follow if you go that route:

Try to get an extracting machine that has a clear nozzle. This will allow you to see the water that is being extracted from the seat. As soon as the water turns clear and you don't see any dirt coming up through it, this means your car seats are clean and that there is no more dirt inside them. It also indicates that when they dry, they'll come up looking like new again.