# Remove Smoke Smell From Tank?



## Bretzz (Aug 6, 2010)

Bought a new tank/hood, and the previous owners mustve been the heaviest smokers in the world. The tank and hood smell very heavily of smoke, even after washing it and spraying it with 'smoke eater'

What should I do? I'm filling it with water to check for leaks, should I add vinegar or bleach? Any other help? And what for the hood?


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## AquaNeko (Jul 26, 2009)

Hmm....have you dried to air dry it in the sun for a few days? Or put it in a bag with baking soda sprinkled all around and/or over it and the whole box of baking soda kept inside the bag and tie it up and wait a week and see? Or yess... dust off the powder and use a vaccum to remove any of it in the fixture. It sounds like the smoke penetrated the plastic. 

It may be worth letting the sun do it's magic while you do something else.


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## bae (May 11, 2007)

Bretzz said:


> Bought a new tank/hood, and the previous owners mustve been the heaviest smokers in the world. The tank and hood smell very heavily of smoke, even after washing it and spraying it with 'smoke eater'
> 
> What should I do? I'm filling it with water to check for leaks, should I add vinegar or bleach? Any other help? And what for the hood?


You can wash the outside of the tank with dish detergent. That should help a lot. As for the hood, plastic does absorb odors, and as AquaNeko says, airing it out should help. You can also wash it with detergent and/or a paste of baking soda. Be careful with any electric contacts -- bleach will corrode them.

Old smoke is a really nauseating odor. Good luck!


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## Bretzz (Aug 6, 2010)

Yea it smells bad >.<

Ill try leaving it outside on my patio for a few days, I wiped everything down with dish detergent a few days ago, and the smell went away for a bit, but when everything dried it came back. I just wiped everything with a water/vinegar mixture and that helped a bunch, but its still there.

I'll leave it outside and see what happens, thanks


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Ammonia is good for getting rid of some odors. You might try that.


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