How to Remove Cigarette Smoke
 

Just bought a used Sony EX1 online. Everything's great except it reeeeeeks of cigarette smoke. I feel like hosing it down with a firehose, but I suppose that wouldn't be very good for it.

Any suggestions on getting rid of the smoke? I have a ozonator, but don't want to kill the camera.

A mate had this problem with his used BMW no one would ride it in till he got rid of it. Cheers.

How To Remove Cigarette Odor: Car & Home Smoke Removal

Once bought a used pickup truck for household hauling.

Same deal. The previous owner was clearly a heavy smoker. Had it about 4 years and NEVER was able to get the stench out of it.

Eventually gave it away.

With a video camera, the issue is that you've got a closed shell with a zillion microscopic spaces inside between all the moving parts and transport gears.

I doubt you'll ever get all the smell out.

Airborn tobacco smoke is pervasive and the tars and other compounds are amazingly sticky. That's precisely why it takes so long to get them out of lungs after someone stops smoking. New cells have to replace the old cuz you can't get the stuff off the old ones.

Sorry there's not better news.

An ozone generator could eliminate the smell. It's used to get rid of the smell after floods and fires in homes. It pops the smell molecule completely eliminating it. Check with a camera manufacturer first.
You could place the camera in a home being treated. It's kind of like a termite tenting for smells.

How Does Ozone Remove Odor? : Ozone Journal

On one of the ham radio forums, I've seen suggestions to pack some fabric softener sheets, such as you'd use in a dryer, into various nooks & crannies. Then, seal it up in a plastic bag for a few days. A lot of older radios have lived much of their lives in smokey environments, and this reportedly alleviates at least some of the problem. Here's the link:

Cigarette smoke elimination - QRZ Forums

I haven't tried it, but it seems like a low cost effort that wouldn't damage the camera.

A wipedown with a towel misted with Febreeze might reduce the outside surface contamination, often theres a layer of "yuck" that builds up on exposed surfaces - be careful nto to let liquid get inside of course, and I'd skip the lens unless you use regular lens cleaner. I've used it a couple times on used items that had smoke smell, with good results

Long term smoke exposure is bad, but it can go away over time or more rapidly with some intervention. I've restored a lot of vintage musical instruments, smoke does VERY bad things to lacquer based finishes(meaning THE finish on old and often valuable instruments), but it can be pulled out of the finish with the right treatments, and surprisingly it helps a lot with the stench. I used to call the unique odor "BBC" for beer body odor and cigarette smoke... if you've played in bands in bars, you know the smell...

You might try placing a box of Arm-And-Hammer baking power in a closed carrying case with the camera. This is the same principle as you would do with removing bad odors from a refridgerator.