Getting the Smell of Cigarettes Out of a Home

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Perhaps you're a landlord whose tenants have just moved out of your investment property. Perhaps you just moved into a new home. Perhaps you've recently given up smoking. If you're a non-smoker who enters a living space where people have been smoking, the smell can be rather obvious. The lingering scent of cigarettes isn't something that makes a home more inviting, and for non-smokers, it's going to have the opposite effect. The smell can seem to come from everywhere⸺from the very carpets, walls and ceilings themselves. While opening the windows and allowing the air to circulate might seem like the first step (and a valid one at that), it's not going to be enough to get the job done. How exactly can you banish the smell of cigarettes from a home?

Carpets and Upholstery

Obviously the carpets and upholstery are absorbent, so much like you can wash your clothes to get rid of cigarette smoke, you will need to do the same with your carpets and upholstery.

Professional carpet cleaning is a critical step. Carpets might be deodorised with carpet shampoo and/or steam cleaned (with the best process depending on the composition of the carpets).

Any upholstered furniture in the room should also be steam cleaned, and your chosen carpet cleaning company can generally take care of this for you.

Curtains should be taken down and washed. Some can be machine washed, but others might require specialist cleaning. Unless the curtain still has a care instructions tag attached, it can be prudent to err on the side of caution and have them professionally cleaned.

The Walls

Walls might also need to be deodorised, and this can be accomplished by simply washing them, using a cleaning solution made of warm, soapy water or diluted white vinegar. Numerous applications might be necessary. This can be rather labour intensive (particularly if numerous rooms need to be treated), so it can be quicker and easier to simply repaint after priming the walls accordingly. This is also more beneficial if the walls have been discoloured by nicotine. And don't forget that the ceiling will also need to be treated or painted over.

Additional Surfaces

Any types of wooden skirting boards and even the very doors themselves can also be treated with the diluted white vinegar solution.

So while a fair amount of elbow grease is needed, it's worthwhile to banish all lingering traces of smoking in a home.

8 August 2018