Odour removal in Hamilton.

Hamilton has a busy used-car market, and plenty of people drive vehicles that have had two or three owners. Smoke, pets, wet gym bags and spilled drinks leave a record in the upholstery, and a quick look on the lot does not show it. The smell appears the first hot day after you take delivery.

If you have just bought a car, start with our guide to detailing a used car after you buy it. For many of these cars the interior detail with an odour add-on is the most useful single service.

Ask the seller what they can tell you about the car's history, but do not rely on it. A cabin that has been aired and sprayed for a showing can smell fine on the day and different a week later. The smell is in the materials, not the air.

Hamilton is a lakeside, escarpment-edged city with plenty of humid summer days and wet falls. Cars here collect moisture: in carpet under leaking door seals, in blocked sunroof drains, under mats that never fully dry. Dampness is behind most of the musty smells we meet, and it grows if you leave it.

Pull up the driver's mat and press the carpet underneath. If it is cold or damp, tell us. We can deal with the carpet and foam, but a leak that keeps feeding it needs fixing at a shop, and we will say so rather than clean it again and again.

Odour removal is a +$50 add-on to an interior detail. Interior details start from $119 $149, and SUVs add $30. The work runs like this:

1. Take out the sources: rubbish, old food, wet items, damp mats.
2. Dry vacuum everything, including seat rails and under the seats.
3. Steam the cabin surfaces and extract the carpets and fabric seats with shampoo.
4. Clean the vents, door cards and glass, which hold smoke film.
5. Clean and condition leather, since it absorbs odours as well.
6. Let the interior air out and check it before we hand it back.

You can read more on the smoke and odour removal page.

Fresh spills and recent smells usually come out in one visit. Long-term cigarette smoke is harder, because it has soaked into the headliner and foam as well as the surfaces. We can improve it a lot and we will tell you if a second visit is likely to help. We do not promise to erase every trace from a car that was smoked in daily for years.

Fresheners and hanging cardboard just add another smell on top. If you are trying to sort it out yourself first, the smoke smell guide shows what is worth doing.

Leather is a special case. It cleans well and takes a conditioner, but a perforated or heavily worn seat holds more than a smooth one. We check how it responds as we go and adjust.

We serve the lower city, the Mountain and the neighbourhoods in between, and we bring water, power and lighting. Space beside the car is what we need. Start at the Hamilton car detailing page or use the quote form. A short note on what the smell is like helps us plan.