Why the need to remove smoke smell from house?
The smell can make a lasting impression. In fact it has the strongest link to memory than any of the other senses.
For instance, smoke smell is one of those that can trigger unwelcoming scents that linger on your clothes, furniture, curtains, and even your walls. Removing it will take lots of patience as it does not easily go away.
Smoke odors are simply a major turn-off for your non-smoking guests and compromise the air quality of your home.
The process of cigarette odor removal may depend on the severity of the contamination.
If the house owners or someone in the family has been smoking for decades, then a more meticulous approach is needed, like throwing your items or furniture (like your couch) that are most contaminated and even removing drywall and carpets where the cigarette smoke would likely have stayed on.
Fortunately, there are ways on how to eliminate smoke odor from your house to bring back the vibrant and freshness to your home.
Here are some guides on how to remove smoke smell from house and some natural air fresheners recipes for cigarette odor removal.
What causes a smoke smell in your home aside from cooking?
Cigarette smoking is known as third-hand smoking, which can cause smoke to linger in your home. It does not only give you a lingering smoke smell but can also bring danger to your health.
Cigarette smoke has active chemical substances that clings on to our skin, hair, clothes, and even to your curtains, beddings, and other furniture. If not removed, it can be absorbed by your skin, hair, and breath which can lead to multiple health issues over time.
Of course, the best way to remove cigarette smoke is to stop smoking cigarettes if you are a smoker.
But what if you recently stopped smoking and you want to get rid of traces of it from yourself and your home, or probably you purchased a car whose previous owner was a smoker?
Several effective cleaning solutions for cigarette odor removal can also eradicate its toxic residue and bring freshness into your home.
Read on to learn more about it.
How to Remove Cigarette Smell from Your Home
Cigarette smoke can permeate homes for months or longer. Third-hand smoking has toxic residues and gasses that can penetrate soft and hard surfaces. Here are tips on how you can eliminate smoke odors.
1. Removing lingering and old smell
- Keep the fresh air coming by opening all your windows in your home and using fans to encourage air circulation and speed up smoke odor removal.
- Remove cigarette accessories like ashtrays, cigarette packets, cigarette butts, or anything that is related to smoking from your room. This will not completely eliminate the smoke odor but can help reduce it.
- Clean all affected items that might absorb the smoke odors. This may include bedding, clothes, curtains, and couch cushion covers. You can run a full cycle on them in the washing machine, then let them out in the sun for a couple of hours to air out fully, or if the sun doesn’t shine fully on your side of town, you can machine dry them. If the smoke smell still remains, then it may be time to replace them.
- Wash your fabrics like carpets and upholstery. You can sprinkle everything with baking soda and then let it sit for a day. When the baking soda absorbs all the smell, you can vacuum clean them all up and then stream clean your carpet and upholstery.
- Clean tiled floors with a solution of water and bleach or water ad white vinegar.
2. Steer clear of thirdhand smoke build-up
- Keep open containers of activated charcoal or white vinegar in each room to absorb odors and change them weekly.
- Ventilating your environment by smoking near the open windows or putting a fan that blows the smoke out of the window or just go outside of your home to smoke.
- Change the filters and clean out the air ducts on your air conditioning unit, heaters, and furnaces regularly to avoid repeated cigarette smoke exposure.
- Strong items in airtight closets.
3. Removing cigarette smoke in your car
- Smoke only when windows are open.
- Wash the inside of your windshield every after smoking.
- Avoid leaving your cigarette butts in your car.
- Wash your carpets and car seat with a cleaning solution such as water, bleach, hydrogen peroxide, white vinegar, and water once a week.
- Clean rubber mats with a detergent.
- Keep an open container of activated charcoal.
Natural Cleaning Solutions to Remove Smoke Odors
If you want to go all natural in eliminating smoke odors, here are some solutions that can be helpful in smoke odor removal.
1. Baking soda
Sodium bicarbonate is actually effective in absorbing smoke odors rather than masking them.
To purge smoke from a room or car:
Step 1: Fill several bowls with baking soda.
Step 2: Set them on places that have a strong cigarette smoke.
Step 3: Leave the baking soda for at least 24 hours or until you don’t smell any smoke odors anymore.
Step 4: When baking soda absorbs odors completely, then refill the bowl if necessary.
To remove cigarette smoke from rugs or carpets:
Step 1: Sprinkle a thin layer of baking soda on rugs and carpets.
Step 2: Let it stay overnight or at least 2 hours.
Step 3: Vacuum thoroughly.
Step 4: Repeat steps if necessary.
To remove smoke odor from the smelly sofa or plush chair:
Step 1: Sprinkle with a light coating of baking soda on the sofa or chair.
Step 2: Let it sit for a minimum of two hours.
Step 3: Vacuum it completely with an upholstery attachment.
To remove smoke odors from clothing, small decors, and books:
Step 1: Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into a large garbage bag.
Step 2: Carefully put the contaminated items in the garbage bag and tie the bag.
Step 3: Give 8 hours of dwell time before removing your belongings from the bag.
Step 4: Dust and shake off the baking soda from the items.
2. White vinegar wash
White vinegar is another non-toxic household staples that have acetic acid that can neutralize smoke odors. You don’t have to worry about the unpleasant smell of the vinegar, as it will disappear once it dries out or is removed.
To reduce smoke odor from a room or car:
Step 1: Fill several bowls with white vinegar.
Step 2: Set them in places that have a strong cigarette smoke.
Step 3: Leave the white vinegar at least 24 hours or until you don’t smell any smoke odors anymore.
Step 4: When white vinegar absorbs odors completely, you can refill the bowl if necessary.
To remove smoke odors from clothing or washable fabrics:
Step 1: Toss the clothing or fabric into the washing machine with 1/2 cup of vinegar instead of laundry detergent.
Step 2: Run a full cycle in the washing machine.
Step 3: Let it dry thoroughly.
3. Activated charcoal
The carbon molecules of the charcoal can effectively trap all lingering smoke smell and cleans it from the air. Activated charcoal is processed for more porosity and absorbency power which is not treated with flammable chemicals.
Step 1: Put activated charcoal to tea bags or any plastic bags with little holes.
Step 2: Hang the bag in the smoky room and car or place it atop the contaminated furniture or carpets but don’t put un-bagged directly to any fabrics as it will leave stains.
Step 3: Replace every week if necessary.
4. Use essential oils for cigarette odor removal
Essential oils offer complete natural solutions, for they are 100% safe and can help with smoke odor removal wherever it resides.
Remove smoke odors from tugs or carpets with lemon oil and baking soda:
Step 1: Scoop 1 cup of baking soda into a container and add few drops of lemon or lavender oil depending how strong you want the scent to be.
Step 2: Shake well and then sprinkle on the carpet or rugs.
Step 3: To ensure deep penetration, you can use a brush to go over the areas.
Step 4: Let it sit for 2 hours.
Step 5: Vacuum well.
To remove odor from the air:
Step 1: Combine 1 cup of distilled water with 5 tablespoons of vodka or rubbing alcohol
Step 2: Add 40 drops of lavender or citrus oils
Step 3: Pour into a spray bottle but do not fill completely. There should be room to shake the liquid and then shake to combine.
Step 4: Start spraying around the house.
Note: Avoid spraying it near candles, gas stoves, and open flames.
The Best Air Freshener to Remove Smoke Smell from House
There are a lot of ways to eliminate smoke odors that can lurk around your house. You can try the recipes here, or if you are not confident to concoct the recipes on your own, you can always use a natural air freshener that can solve all your problems with smoke odors.
The Crown Choice Lemon spray is made of natural plant-based essential oils that is non-toxic and safe to use around children and pets.
It is a natural deodorizer that safely attracts and neutralize even the strongest smoke odors.
You can try it out and see how it will help you put an end to any smoke odors in your home.