Removing cigarette smoke odor from a home is a difficult and time consuming process.
Cigarette smell can permeate the carpet, furniture, curtains, and even walls of your house.
Follow the steps below to ideas on eliminating cigarette, cigar, and pipe smoke odor from your home.
Stop the Smoke
Once you start removing the cigarette odor from your home, make sure it does not make its way back inside.
Make sure every smoker who enters the home knows that the house is now a no smoking house.
Ensure that smoking areas are designated outside that are very far from any door or window so that the breeze does not blow the smoke back into your home.
Air the House Out
Open the windows and let fresh air in and cigarette smoke smell out of your house.
Open windows on opposite sides of your home to allow cross ventilation.
Air out your house for several hours before continuing with the odor removal.
Air Filters
Change all of the air filters in the house prior to cleaning and again once everything is clean.
You can even add an essential oil fragrance #ad to the return air ducts to help with the cigarette odor.
You may need to have your air ducts professionally cleaned.
Remove the Cigarette Butts and Ash
Remove all of the cigarette butts and cigarette ash.
Throw out all of the ash trays and take out the trash.
Vacuum and mop the floors.
Dust all of your accessories.
Basically, spring clean the entire house from top to bottom.
Launder Everything
Anything than can be washed in the washing machine should be washed, such as drapes, bedding, pillows, clothing, sofa slip covers, dinner linens, and all clothing.
Wash with the hottest water possible per the fabric washing instructions and add 1 cup of vinegar to the laundry for added odor elimination.
You can even dry them outside for added smell removal.
Dry clean all other fabrics.
Air Purifier
Use an air purifier #ad to clean the cigarette smoke out of the air.
You might need to change the filters more regularly than suggested for optimal cleaning.
Clean the Walls, Ceiling, and Cabinets
Using a mixture of soap, vinegar, and water, scrub the walls, baseboards, ceiling, cabinets (incuding the tops and inside), light fixtures, hard furniture, brick, paneling, and any other hard surface.
Steam Clean
Either rent or buy a steam cleaner or carpet cleaner.
Clean all of the carpets, upholstered furniture, and curtains.
Take your time and make sure to get in all of the edges and corners.
Paint
If you can't get the cigarette smoke smell out of your hard surfaces, you will have to paint them.
Don't forget about your ceiling.
Replace
If you can't get the cigarette odor out of your furniture, carpet, or drapes, you will have to replace them.
Specialty Cigarette Odor Removal Products
There are companies who sell specialty products for cigarette odor removal.
Make sure to read the reviews for these products before purchasing since some of these products work better than others.
