Ex-smokers and non-smokers alike will understand the necessity of
getting rid of smoke smells and smoke odors. Whether the smell is in
your home or in your car, it’s one of the worst odors imaginable.
Cigarette smoke isn’t a quaint smell like a wood furnace or a fireplace;
it gets into everything: your carpets, your walls, your sheets, your
clothes, your jackets, even in your hand bags.
I think we’ve all known or have heard about that one aunt who smokes
like a chimney and no one wants to visit her because her house smells
like death—and now, thanks to her habit, she’s dead and it’s up to you
to deodorize her house before your family puts it on the market. Or
perhaps it’s up to you to get the smoke odor out of the ’89 Buick
Century she managed to drive only on church days–or when she ran out of
smokes. Well, hopefully the suggestions below will help you get the
smell of cigarette smoke out of whatever it is that needs it.
Smoke Smells in Cars
Probably the best bet for getting rid of smoke smell in your car is
to dust your interior with scented Baking Soda, leaving it to sit for a
day or two (with ventilation) and then vacuuming it up. Otherwise you
can try opening a can of coffee beans and leaving it to sit for a
while–if you like the smell of coffee, that is. Coffee beans are a
natural odor neutralizer. You may also want to check out How to get rid
of Car Smells if there’s something underlying that smoke smell.
Smoke Smell Removal
There’s something about vinegar that gets rid of smoke smell. Because
the smell of smoke is caused by the leftover resins and tars, vinegar
(an acid that cuts through resin and tar) is a great way to clean those
surfaces that aren’t made of fabric, and perhaps, some that are fabric. I
know what you’re thinking; vinegar doesn’t smell much better than
smoke. Well, that’s true, but the smell of vinegar eventually
diminishes, cigarette smoke doesn’t.
The carpets need to be shampooed if you want to remove smoke smell. You
have a couple of options here; you can either go to your local hardware
store and rent a carpet steam cleaner and shampoo the carpets yourself,
or you can hire a professional to bring in a big truck and do the dirty
work for you. If you want to save money, the choice is obvious, and the
guarantees some businesses will make these days smell funnier than the
smoke odor you want them to remove. If you do go the professional
business route, make sure they’re insured/bonded.
Baking soda is a good way to get rid of smoke odor. Now,
this takes time because what you want to do is get a box of Arm &
Hammer, dust the furniture and the carpets (if they haven’t been
shampooed), and leave the baking soda to settle for a day or so. That
will give it time to absorb some of the smoke smell and moisture around
it. Then, vacuum it up and repeat the process a few more times over the
course of a week. Use scented baking soda if you like.
Shades, curtains, and fixtures need to be cleaned to get rid of smoke odor. A
lot of people forget to clean things like shades, chandeliers,
curtains, and wall hangings, but these things have probably collected
quite a bit of tar and resin from years of hanging smoke. Do yourself a
favor and put the curtains in the washer, buy new shades, and wipe down
the chandelier with a good dose of ammonia, just to make sure that smell
is gone.
Fresh air is probably the best way to remove smoke smell and odor from a home. It
turns out that opening the windows and doors every couple of days for a
whole day will help get the stink of cigarettes out of a home. Lord
knows why, but I imagine the air flow allows tar and resin particles to
escape, leaving the house smelling more like a house than a tar pit.
Smoke Smell and Odor Removal Products
Don’t be fooled by the claims of odor removal products. If it doesn’t
have a cleaning agent in it, you’re not going to get rid of the smoke
smell. Scent-generating deodorizers only serve to mask the smell. Once
you take them out of the house, you’ll notice the smell of old
cigarettes again. Of course, we’ve all heard of Febreze, and wonder why
it works.
Well, Febreze uses a chemical compound called cyclodextrin that has
been used in household and custodial cleaning products for quite some
time. The sugar-like substance doesn’t necessarily “clean” the odors
out, but acts as an absorbent like baking soda or charcoal, to help soak
the odor out. Yes, Febreze does work, but let’s be honest with
ourselves. Spraying everything down with Febreze isn’t the answer to
years and years of built up cigarette tars and resins.
There is one thing I would suggest in an odor removal product and that is activated charcoal. Charcoal
is used not only to filter water and other things, but is also used to
soak up odors, just like baking soda. If you see charcoal in an odor
removing product, it’s likely to succeed at removing odors.
More Smoke Smell Removal
Washing the walls and ceilings is a good idea if
nothing else has worked. Try mixing up one gallon of warm water, one
half cup of ammonia, one quarter cup of vinegar, and one quarter cup of
washing soda. Work your way up from the baseboards to the ceiling while
you clean, making sure to change the solution often.
An ozone generator
will, apparently, get rid of any odor you can think of if it’s left on
long enough in a closed house/ apartment. I don’t know about the
specifics of this procedure, but if you’re getting desperate it might be
worth a shot. I can’t take any responsibility for what this might do to
your home or your health. Just be sure to air out the home thoroughly
after doing this because ozone is bad for your lungs.
Natural cleaners and odor removing products are a good
idea. I don’t know about you, but I care about my environment. So, if
you want to get rid of that smoke odor in an eco-friendly manner, I
would suggest using some of the cleaning products found in the organic
and natural foods section of your local grocery store. Often times these
products work just as well as the brand name chemicals.
Looking for a reliable
cleaning company? Call us today at
(316) 413-5754 for quality and cost effective
smoke removal service in Wichita !
