You know that moment when you walk or drive by a bad smell, like skunk spray or burning motor oil, and that nasty smell hits you out of nowhere? Eventually, as you continue to move away from the source, the smell dissipates, but imagine if that intense odor never went away.

That’s what it’s like to drive a car filled with the smell of smoke.

Whether you bought a car from a previous owner who smoked, or you’ve lit up a couple of cigarettes yourself, the scent of tobacco and cigarette smoke can linger inside your car for years, and it can seem impossible to get rid of. Every time you open your car door, it hits you, and no matter what combination of air fresheners you’ve tried, including “bamboo charcoal” or “crisp morning air,” that that stubborn odor always returns.

But before you stress about boiling a few cinnamon sticks or any other weird, complicated lifehack the internet says is your only hope, let us hit you with the facts: 50% of those smoke odors can be removed just by giving your car a simple clean.

And if you think that’s easy, we have some other tips and tricks that will make getting rid of the rest of the odors inside your car a breeze. Hopefully a fresh, spring breeze, because that would sure smell better than that awful smoke smell.

In this guide, we’ll share the easiest way to remove the smoke smell in your car—and no—it doesn’t involve dryer sheets.

Then, treat your carpet and upholstery. We recommend using our Power Out! Upholstery Cleaner and POWER OUT! Carpet & Mats Heavy Duty Cleaner to clean these soft, absorbent surfaces. This professional strength carpet and upholstery shampoo is infused with advanced, Odor-X technology that penetrates just as deeply as any odor molecule to seek and destroy the source of the smell.

Just spray this foaming cleaner all over your carpet, floor mats and upholstery and use the bristle brush attachment to scrub and agitate any dirt, stains or soils. Then wipe away the excess product and soils with a white cotton cloth. The cloth will become soiled as you clean. Flip to a clean side and continue wiping until the cloth comes up clean.

Next, use an interior detailer to spray and wipe all the nonporous surfaces inside your car, including the trim, dashboard and center console. We recommend our Oxy Interior 1 spray, which contains the same odor elimination technology that neutralizes odors at the molecular level.

Using our Odor-X products in your regular cleaning routine is a great preventative measure to stop any odors, including from tobacco and cigarette smoke, from taking hold inside your car. It takes only two cigarettes for stubborn smoke molecules to penetrate every surface inside your car. Plus, smoking in your car can actually hurt its resale value, making it nearly impossible to get a good price when you’re ready to move on to another car.

The American Lungs Association’s Lung Helpline is open 7 days a week, and they have tons of incredible resources on their site to help you quit the habit and live a healthier life. And with healthier lungs, you’ll have more opportunities to make the most of your fresh-smelling car!