How do I remove cigarette smoke smell from a house?

Question

I work for an apartment community and I have a townhome that smells horribly like smoke. The entire place has been primed and painted (ceilings and walls), we've shampooed the carpets 3 times, washed all the woodwork down, opened all the windows for a week straight...and other short periods, cleaned all the vents, even used a home remedy of putting charcoal around the house...and it still SMELLS! Does anyone have any ideas on how to get rid of this? The previous owners smoked non-stop with the windows and doors closed. It was disgusting to see how yellow everything was...yuck. But anyway, do any of you have any other ideas for us to try? And it has to be affordable it's the end of the year and I have almost no budget left to work with. THANKS!

Answer 1

There is no point in using anything that masks the smell - you need to remove it or absorb it.

We just moved back into our house after renting it to someone who smoked. There is no quick or easy solution, but persistence will pay off. Remember that if the odor is still lingering there your furniture and curtains and carpets are re-absorbing it.

Use baking soda on the fabric of furniture and carpets frequently. Sprinkle it on the furniture. Let it sit for a while, or even overnight, and vacuum.

Wash or dry clean fabric curtains frequently. Clean all glass and mirrors frequently with vinegar and rinse.

Let your house air frequently. Don't use things such as incense, candles, etc. That is what our renter did and it actually just masks the odor and makes it more overwhelming and oppressive. You need to focus on absorbing the odor. Use small bowls of vinegar placed in unobtrusive but strategic positions about the house. Vinegar absorbs odors. Charcoal also abosrbs odors as you know. You can buy the boxes of baking soda packaged to use as odor absorber in refrigerators - place some of those around the house in unobtrusive locations.

Hotels, bus companies, taxi companies use a special ozone product to remove smoke odor. Talk to a professional about one of those. Here is one solution I found at the Bob Vila website .....

"Use the Vamoose 1808T Tobacco Odor Fabric Spray. Several Rental Car Agencies and Major Hotels are using it. It works by getting into the fabric and chemically converts the tar and nicotine into a non-volatile gaseous state. It smells strong for about an hour but after that...the odor is permanently gone. This stuff is amazing!! One company that sells it is called Hill Country Distribution in Austin Texas. You can contact them at sales@hillcountrydistribution.... or call them at [phone]. "

You may not be able to totally remove it for a while, but it will disappear -it has disappeared from our house.

These links have many good suggestions. I hope this helps.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Commercial air fresheners only mask odors with an artificial scent and don't provide a long-term solution. Instead, try to neutralize the odors.To neutralize the smoke smell, place saucers of white vinegar around the house. Leave it in the room overnight or for several days, preferably with the room closed off. Then thoroughly air out the house.

The odor may have also seeped into the second layer of carpeting, which is tough to get rid of. To remove the smell from the carpet, sprinklle with a mixture of 1 cup Borax and 2 cups cornmeal, wait an hour, and then vacuum.

If the odor has really sunk in and these tricks don't help, then the smoke residuals need to literally be washed off. I know you've already painted your walls, but you should wash them anyway.

For painted walls and ceilings, try a solution of 1 gallon of warm water, 1/2 cup plain ammonia, 1/4 cup white vinegar, and 1/4 cup washing soda (which can be found in the laundry additives area of supermarkets). Refresh this solution frequently while washing, and you won't need to rinse. Start at the bottom of a wall and work your way up.

Combining all of these steps should definitely do the trick. I hope this helps!

Answer 4

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Answer 5

There is a product called 'Smoke Away' and 'Odor Ban'.Both are products that have been on TV.There are some " AS seen on TV stores around here.Aparently it has some kind of molecular formula that attracts to the nicotine's molecules.My mom bought it back in 1993 and it worked well.You can also call some Fire Restoration Companies and find out what they use.

Answer 6

Some carpet cleaners have a machine that will remove the smoke smell, but you will need to kept it close up and empty during treatment. They use it to remove smoke after a fire. You can also find it at an insurance re-construction compant. It will work.

Answer 7

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Answer 8

Just a thought.....filters in airconditioning, central air, furnace, over-the-stove hoods, ect. Are their blinds, shades, curtains, anything cloth that would have been missed in cleaning? If none of this helps, try placing scented dryer sheets in vents & filters to disperse a more plesant smell (also works great in vacumm cleaner bags)

Answer 9

There is a great products called No Smoke, it neutralizes smoke odors and leaves a fresh and clean scent.

Answer 10

You may have to replace the carpet because smoke will stay in any material. That's the only thing I can think of since you've done just about everything. Put a plug-in in every room that has the "for strong odor" smell, that may help too!