8 Steps for Removing Cigarette Odor From a House
If you’ve just moved into a home that smells of cigarettes, or if you’ve just quit and want to clean out the old odors as quickly as possible, following these eight steps can help.
8 Steps for Removing Cigarette Odors From a House
First things first: Know that spraying a room deodorizer or burning a scented candle will only mask the cigarette odor – it won’t eradicate it. (Even smokers’ candles aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.)
To remove cigarette odors from your home:
- Open all the windows
- Clean the ceiling
- Clean the walls
- Have carpets professionally cleaned
- Clean window treatments
- Replace light bulbs
- Have the evaporator coil in your HVAC unit professionally cleaned
- Have the ducts professionally cleaned
Open All the Windows
While letting in fresh air won’t get rid of all the odors, it’ll help. If you can, put fans near your windows that blow the air inside right out.
Clean the Ceiling
Smoke particles float upward and stick to the ceiling, so it’s usually the biggest culprit in lasting cigarette odors. Use a cleaning product that contains ammonia and glycol, or use a vinegar and water solution, to scrub the ceiling. (Make sure you test its effect on the paint before you go all-out.)
Clean the Walls
Use the same cleanser on the walls as you used for the ceiling. While walls don’t absorb as much smoke as ceilings do, cleaning them can make a huge difference in the way your home smells.
Pro Tip: If you can still smell the smoke after cleaning a few times, you might need to seal in the odor with a special base coat and repaint everything. (We know who you can call for interior painting in NC, SC and GA!)
Have Carpets Professionally Cleaned
An ordinary DIY carpet cleaning may not be enough to get the smell out of your carpet – you may need to call in the big guns. While you’re at it, have them go over your furniture, too, which can harbor smoke particles.
Clean Window Treatments
If you have blinds, clean them thoroughly. Drapes and curtains? Send them to the dry cleaner. Wash the windows, where residue from the smoke builds and heats up in the sun, releasing odor.
Replace Light Bulbs
Smoke-infused dust falls on light bulbs, and when it heats up, it releases both toxic chemicals and an unpleasant smell. Replace the light bulbs in your home, room by room.
Have the Evaporator Coil in Your HVAC Unit Cleaned
Your air conditioning and heating system is a closed system – that means the air in the house goes back out to the HVAC unit, which is then pumped back into the house as “conditioned” air. Smoke particles can deposit themselves on the evaporator coil, so have a technician come and clean it for you.
Have the Ducts Professionally Cleaned
Like everywhere else in your home, including that HVAC unit, the ducts that carry air can be coated in smoke-infused dust. Hire a professional cleaner to come clear them out.
Do You Need Help With Household Cleaning?
We can help you with routine chores and seriously in-depth cleaning jobs. Call us at 910-725-3226 (Southern Pines, NC), 706-256-8771 (Columbus, GA) or 843-491-5526 (Myrtle Beach, SC). We serve all the communities around each of these major cities, as well, and we’d love to give you a free house-cleaning estimate so you can focus on more important things.
Mack Maids’ cleaning services include:
- Housekeeping and laundry services
- Regular maid service
- Cooking services
- Extreme cleaning
- Window washing
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