If you are a non-smoker, and have become the owner of a home, car, book, or sofa that once belonged to a smoker, you are likely here because you want to remove that awful cigarette smoke smell. Here are some suggestions:
Cigarette Smoke Smell in Furniture
The Fabreeze Controversy
When confronted with any odor on furniture, curtains, or bed linens, the natural thing to do is reach for a deodorizer such as Fabreeze. Some argue that this simply masks the odor temporarily and it will return as soon as the spray product evaporates. There have also been reports of breathing problems associated with the use of fabreeze and other deodorizers. Others swear it doesn't work anyway. It just turns the odor into a disgusting blend of smoke and the great outdoors. If the odor you are battling is very weak, it's worth a try. If it's strong then don't even bother.
Get it Steam Cleaned
Cigarette smoke smell in fabrics emanates from tar ash and oil deposits left in its fibers. In order to remove the smell, you need to remove these deposits. Unfortunately, when cigarette smoke condenses onto something, the resulting 'goo' is very, very stubborn. If you've ever cleaned (scraped) this residue off of glass or painted walls you know exactly how stubborn it can be - imagine that same goo stuck in every fiber of the piece of furniture you wish to clean. The bottom line is that household cleaners just won't cut it, hire some professionals to come and clean it for you. Make sure they use a van-mounted steam cleaner and tell them exactly what your objective is so they can use the appropriate cleaning solution.
Low Budget?
Completely cover the piece of furniture you're cleaning with baking soda and then rub it and pat it into the fabric so it gets as far into it as possible. Let it sit overnight and then vacuum it all back up.
Get Rid of It
This is not meant to be flip, but sometimes you just have to cut your losses. When cigarette smoke gets deeply enmeshed into the fabric of an ex-smokers favorite couch, there may be nothing that will ever get it out. Unless you enjoy reupholstering furniture, you might just have to throw it away. Better yet, sell it to a smoker.
Removing Cigarette Smoke Smell From Carpets
Carpets aren't as hard as walls, but they're still a lot of work.
Rent a Shampooer
Most home improvement stores have carpet shampooers available for rental. Go pick one up, along with a bottle or so of shampoo, and get to work. A good carpet shampooer can remove the cigarette smell, but it may take several passes through each room to get it all. To make your job easier, sprinkle baking soda liberally over your entire carpet the night before you plan on shampooing, and vacuum it up just before using the carpet shampooer.
Call in the Professionals
Get the carpets a serious and professional cleaning. Hire a carpet cleaning company that uses van-mount steam cleaners. Tell them exactly what your goal is so they can use the appropriate cleaning agent when they arrive. If you have furniture to de-smokify, make sure they use smaller upholstery attachments and not the huge vacuum-like wand they use on your carpets.
Low Budget?
Fill a large tub with bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), add a few drops of essential oil and mix well. Lavender smells nice, but the flavor is up to you. Sprinkle the mixture liberally over the carpet, let it sit for at least four hours and then just vacuum it up. Repeat as necessary.
Cleaning Cigarette Smoke Residue From Walls
Cleaning a smoker's house is a nightmare, brown and yellow stains will be on everything from the windows to that intricate crown molding. Unless you're willing to hire somebody else for the task, get ready for a lot of work.
Vinegar
Next to Italian salad dressings, this may be vinegar's most important job. Even if you are going to paint the walls, you still need to clean them first. In a large bowl or bucket mix one cup of white vinegar for every two cups of warm water, then add a scoop of baking soda - it should fizz. Use a sponge mop or brush to wash down your walls and ceilings with it. This solution will make residue much easier to remove and should be easy on your paint too. Follow this up with a vinegar based window washer for windows (can be found in organic grocery stores), and your basic bubbly vinegar/baking soda mix on the window moldings.
Paint
If you're still not happy with the result, you can attempt the last step again, or just repaint your walls.
Removing Cigarette Smoke Smell From Your Car
Good Old Vinegar
The same mixture of vinegar and baking soda that you used on the walls inside the house can work on the interior of the car (one cup of white vinegar for every two cups of warm water along with a good scoop of baking soda). Wash down the windows, plastic moldings, and metals with a generous amount on a sponge. Don't use this on fabric, however. Treat fabric as you would carpet inside - saturate it with baking soda, spray with a diluted solution of essential oil and water (optional), let sit overnight, and vacuum.
Cigarette Smoke Smell Home Remedies:
There are almost as many cigarette smell removal remedies as there are people. Some of the ideas appear to mask the smell with another more powerful odor rather than to remove, so be sure you are going to be happy with the result. Here are some of them:
Fill a tub with vinegar and place it on the floor in the front seat, close the windows, open the floor vents and turn on the heat full blast. Let the car run in this state for an hour before removing the tub. Another version of this remedy requires hot summer weather and allowing the tub sit on the floor with the windows closed all day.
Leave an opened bag of charcoal in the car overnight.
Put a few drops of vanilla extract on a rag and toss it under the seat.
Put a sliced apple in a cup and set it on the floor. Leave it until it shrivels.
Sprinkle dry coffee grounds on the floor of the car, let them sit there for a few days and vacuum them up.
Mix of apple sauce and cinnamon and put it into a jar with holes punched in the lid. Place the jar on the floor of the car.
Whichever method you try, be prepared for several re-applications. You are going to most likely need them. If you have any tips to make this easier, please share them with the rest of us using the form below. Good luck!
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