Auto Shocker

My wife and I found her dream car in terms of model, options, and color, which was kind of a unicorn since it was a combination of multiple rarer choices. However, we were then dismayed to discover that the interior smelled of cigarettes. We ended up buying the car anyway since it wasn't overpowering, but I immediately set off looking for a remedy. Most answers were that it would never come out even after expensive and/or time- and labor-intensive treatments since smoke adheres to practically everything more strongly than solvents can dissolve, and since it's a gas it can even get under fabric and porous leather -- but then somebody mentioned this. Further research on this specifically indicated that it had succeeded for people who had tried several other remedies with no success, so considering how simple and inexpensive it was, we gave it a shot. WOW! The smoke smell is now COMPLETELY gone, replaced briefly with a faint chlorine smell (like a swimming pool) from this since it's chlorine dioxide, but that goes away after no more than a few days and then there's no smell at all. This does NOT just layer a new smell on top of unpleasant odors. It actually reacts with the odor-causing particles in the car to neutralize them, and since this is a gas just like nicotine, it can go everywhere nicotine can to chase it down. We let this thing sit in the car for 22 hours in a garage and followed all of the included instructions, including jumping into the car to turn on the AC in recirculation mode (and then closing it up the again with the Auto Shocker still inside) for the final 15 minutes when the gas concentration is highest. Also, since the cigarette smell was also in the trunk area and we had fold-down seats, we wanted to treat that area too, but folding the seats all the way down would prevent their surfaces from getting treated, so prior to starting this treatment, we daisy-chained some zip ties together, ran them through the LATCH child safety seat loop behind the seats, and then around the metal headrest supports on the seats -- thereby suspending the rear seats partway down. Next, we covered the front, rear, and side glass with beach towels and a bed sheet since the product notes that UV makes it less effective (though this may have been overkill.) Finally, we changed the cabin air filter to an activated charcoal version just for a fresh start, although the car had a new standard air filter when we got it anyway. On most cars that requires no tools or expertise at all, and there's probably a YouTube video for whatever car you have. Just don't confuse the cabin air filter (aka microfilter) with the engine air filter! The results were better than we had dared to hope since we didn't think perfection was possible for something so inexpensive and simple, but that's exactly what we got. My wife is now over the moon since her dream car is now no longer tainted. HIGHLY recommended! (Note that after using this, just for completeness we also used Einszett 961108 to clean the AC evaporator core in case that reintroduced any smells into the cabin. That requires removing your AC blower fan, which is also pretty easy, but a mechanic could do this if needed. However, the overwhelming majority of the improvement came from this Auto Shocker, so you could also just use the Einszett 961108 if you find the smell coming back only when your AC/ventilation is running.)

Didn't know what to think, but it was worth the try. I had a horrible grease and BBQ spill in my VW Atlas. I hired a car detail company to detail, shampoo and deodorize the interior. That did help with the smell. I tried other deodorizers on Amazon. They didn't work. After reading other reviews Biocide seemed promising. The packaging was convenient and the product was easy to use. I activated it and let it sit in the vehicle overnight. In the morning, I opened the doors to the vehicle for about 45 minutes, then pulled it into the driveway and let it run on the clean air cycle for about 15 minutes. The smell is gone! The product leaves a bit of a chlorine scent, but I would rather that, then then the stench of BBQ smoke and grease.

I used it on a used car that had some dog odor. I shampooed all the seats, carpets and cleaned the windows and headliner. As a last step, I used this product, i let it sit for 24 hours, ran the AC in recycle for 15 mins as suggested and let it vent. The smell got slightly better but still there and I'm not a person sensitive to smells. The instruction manual directs you to their website for their return policy and this is what it says ... "There are really only two ways that they don't work: they are used incorrectly, or (rarely) there is a packaging defect". So there wasn't any problems with the package now they are going to say that I use it incorrectly even though I followed every single step on the instructions? (The TIPS are listed after all the 9 steps, its funny that step #9 says to place lid back on the Auto Shocker but then it says on step 10 to allow vehicle to ventilate before entering ...how can I put the lid back and open all doors for ventilation if I'm not supposed to enter the vehicle for at least 20 mins ... So even if I were to try to get the money back, they want me to send the foil package that was properly disposed per their instructions ... and spend a bunch of time on shipping, an invoice should suffice but that's their way around it. So read reviews outside Amazon before buying this and check their BBB rating. Don't waste your $$$

This stuff works well. I used it overnight in my Honda Civic after the dealer replaced the fuel pump and the interior smelled of gas. I let it sit 12 hours overnight and the smell was 100% gone in the morning. HOWEVER - per the instructions, this stuff can (and will) "pop" when the water interacts with the pouch and little white granules ended up in the interior of the car - it was on the seats, center console, roof, rear seat, etc. It wasn't horrible, but there was a little bit everywhere. Be prepared to clean all this up! I used a vacuum cleaner then a Bissel little green machine filled with Woolite to clean up the residue. It took a lot of scrubbing and cleaning to get rid of the hardened droplets of this stuff. The car smelled great after using the product, but there's a good chance you'll have an hour or two of clean up of the debris after using this product. I can't imagine how someone could clean this up without a Bissel. Maybe a handheld brush and lots of scrubbing? I'd give it 5 stars if the cleanup wasn't so bad, but it does get rid of bad smells. Pretty amazing, I wasn't expecting it to work so well.

Amazing! Leaves chlor smell sometimes even after weeks pass, but better than what it was befroe

UPDATED REVIEW (March 2020): I purchased a new (used) vehicle a few months ago and it was a bit musty. So I decided to use this product again, since it had worked so well on my other vehicle (see review below). I set it up, closed my vehicle and went about my business, planning to leave it for about 24 hours. After about 4 hours I had to get back into my car, and the packet in the cup had EXPLODED ALL OVER THE INTERIOR, and it COMPLETELY BLEACHED OUT AND RUINED the floor upholstery in the back seat. The stuff was EVERYWHERE - all over the floors, seats, ceiling, doors, windows. Fortunately it didn't bleach out the seats (leather) or anything on the doors or head liner, but the carpet is ABSOLUTELY RUINED and I'm going to have to tear it out and have it replaced. I have no idea why that happened, as this was the third time I've used this product and it's not done that before at all. But it wasn't left in my car long enough to remove the smell, so it was an epic disaster this time. Caveat emptor. ORIGINAL REVIEW (Jan 2015): Used this after my car was stolen and recovered. The car was very clean before it was stolen, and I am NOT a smoker. The vehicle had been smoked in excessively, filled ashtrays left for several weeks before it was cleaned out - so it STUNK. I did clean out the vehicle VERY well prior to using this product - lots of detailing, Febreeze and other types of cleaners, but, as expected, that nasty smoke smell just didn't go away. This was the last step in the cleaning process and seemed to work really well. I followed the directions EXACTLY and the smell did dissipate quite a bit. The cleaning/chlorine smell was really strong after using, but I didn't mind, as it faded after a few days - I drove with the windows down for a while, and the smoke/dirty smell did fade very noticeably. If I were more OCD, I would have probably used another packet of this, but under the circumstances, one treatment was fine. Considering how nasty/dirty the vehicle was after being stolen, this worked really well. Not sure how it would work if a vehicle was smoked in over a long period of months/years, but I would use this again in a similar situation. I would purchase again and recommend.

The last post was 2019. Now it's 2022. The smell did not return. Unfortunately that vehicle was a total loss in July, and here I am once again needing to shock the smell out of another used car. I cleaned the ac again with a klima cleaner, changed the cabin air filter, and set this thing off in the shade of the late afternoon in my driveway. We aired the vehicle out the next morning. It didn't make a mess in the car, and it does currently smell like a public swimming pool, but I'm hoping that goes away by the weekend as it did with my last car and application. I will update if the scent of this vehicle comes back, and after how long. I got a used car, and it was gross. The cabin air filter hadn't been changed in years, and it took me an hour to clear the system of debris and foam out the vents, and replace the filter. I suppose the seller of the car hadn't inquired about the smell (he was third hand mechanic) and told his people to go nuts. The fragrance they used was sort of effective, but very NOT GOOD. I'm one of those people that does not like fragrance. If I smell something, it's usually bad. This was easy to use, and while I didn't have a garage or carport available, I did wait until the late afternoon when my driveway was not longer in direct sunlight. I removed it in the mid morning next day. Followed the instructions (which were kind of a pain to follow) after I watched their YouTube video for clarification. Later in the day I ended up spending an hour in the car working on other things interior, and wasn't bothered at all. EDIT This worked great for the upholstery and that awful fragrance the seller used to cover You may also need to clean your AC evaporator to finish getting the smells out My car didn't smell of chlorine after about 3 days. I cleaned the evap last week. I also found a sunroof drain leak in the rear that I am working on fixing before I say all possible odor sources have been eliminated.

This product worked beyond my expectations. I have a corvette that was in storage and the mice had a field day. The car smelled of urine so bad that I couldn’t even drive it. I tried poof and so many other products. I was going to remove entire interior but decided to try this product. It worked wonders. The smell is gone and I was amazed.