82 votes
If you still have the car, or run into this issue again, YES, the baking soda cabin air filter works. IMO Fram makes the best ones. I had almost your identical problem. As soon as the filter dies, the cigarette and perfume odors spew from the vents. I also did the ozone and vinegar treatments. I also had no luck with the carbon filters. The only thing that worked for me is the Fram baking soda cabin filter.
fram cabin air filter. been using them forever on all my cars. and also their engine air filter.
Otherwise, the Fram cabin filters are fine, too.
Just get a multi layered, charcoal infused filter for cleaner air inside the cabin. Fram makes a good example and it's available at all Walmarts.
I bought a Fram/Arm & Hammer cabin filter from Walmart for about $20
I use Fram not the greatest but I change them regularly
You don't need to buy OEM - *especially* for a cabin air filter - but you could save some money by finding a good source of Bosch or Wix filters. Never Fram, ever.
Some of the reviews are iffy like for the Fram one. Ended up ordering the Fram Fresh Breeze let's see if that works it's been smelly turning on my AC lately
The aftermarket ones like Fram with charcoal have noticeably restricted airflow for me. As I understand it, using the thick ones that restrict airflow can cause issues with the blower motor and resistor overheating and failing since there's not enough airflow to keep them cool (similar to operating with clogged filter).
Go to Part Source. Take your filter in and see if it matches the CF11819 FRAM Fresh Breeze Cabin Air Filter for $30 dollars. Note, some of the filters on Amazon do not have the same amount of pleats as the OEM or the FRAM.
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