What are some good tips for freshening a home?

Question

My boyfriend is in the process of giving up smoking, until then there's no point in me trying but once he has done it (I'm sure he can), what are some good tips to get the smell of smoke out of everything? I know carpets can be shampooed but I have a 2" thick carpet that I dare not get wet! Opening the windows is ok to a certain extent but I really want a blast of freshness! Any ideas?
Thanks!

I do vacuum every day by the way! To be honest, I think it's a kinda unclean person who doesn't! Also, thank you for your tips but I should mention I'm in the UK so might not be able to get some products. (Except Febreze of course).

Answer 1

We just moved back into our house after renting it to someone who smoked in the house for three years. The most significant thing you can do is to wash the walls frequently. That will help a great deal.

Use baking soda on the fabric of furniture and carpets frequently. Sprinkle it on they 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. 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 won't be able totally remove it but you can make the situation much better. These links have many good suggestions. I hope this helps.

Answer 2

Ozium will give you a blast of citrus freshness, instantly and will keep working long after you spray it. It is formulated to break down the chemicals in cigarette smoke that cause odors. You can also use the new Lysol freshener for upholstery which does the same thing on fabric. If you want to continue to have freshness, get a furnace filter at the home improvement store. You attach them to your furnace filter and everytime you turn on either the heater or AC the scent is distributed throughout the house. They come in a variety of wonderful scents, too.

If you cannot find these products at the discounters or drug stores, try using Borax or baking soda on your carpet and upholstery. Leave it on as long as you can and then vacuum it up. You can also leave plain old white vinegar in bowls around the rooms for a couple of days, it will remove odors, but will also smell like what it is, vinegar.

Answer 3

You need to wipe down and clean everything in the home....everything that was smoked around has now collected it. Also wash down all of your walls.....and shampooing the carpets really needs to be done for the best results...If you're not willing though, at least get some of that carpet fresh powder, sprinkle it down and then vacuum it back up off the carpet...they have smoke/odor removal kinds. You also will need to wash all the curtains and window coverings to get rid of the smell. Febreeze everything when you're done....the carpets, drapes and furniture. It sounds like alot, but really it will be well worth it. Also get a good air freshener or scented candles and start burning those...he'll notice the fresh smell really well too because when we quit smoking our sense of smell goes back to where it naturally should be as well as our sense of taste. Enjoy the new smoke-free environment!!

Answer 4

Baking soda does work for a lot of odors, so maybe you can use that on the rug that you can't get wet.

Also, try using white vinegar to clean your glass. It really does clean well, and does seem to help with a lot of smells too.

And for a while when I had a pet that kept getting sick on my bedding. I would wash that, then rub cinnamon and cloves into the matress, and vacuum it out after a while. It worked beautifully!

Good luck! And I'll be cheering your boyfriend on!

Answer 5

Vanilla beans, potpoury, fresh orange and lemon peel in a nice dish or hidden in a flower pot.
Buy some dried eucalyptus and arrange in a nice vase.
Our grocery stores have carpet fresh for pets and smokers, you just sprinkle it on the carpet, leave for a while and vaccuum up

vinegar works too but it stinks.

Good luck

Answer 6

Yuppers! I have the perfect air-freshener----> Good-ol-Baking Soda! Sprinkle generously on the carpet, let stand 5 mins, then vac. It does wonders for freshening up all most every thing!!

Answer 7

A mixture of baking soda ,citris oil and water. Everything mixes better if you boil the water. Baking soda absorbes odors, citris oil has a fresh long lasting odor and of course the water is the carrier.

Answer 8

Vinegar & newspaper for glass, windows etc. Lemons left overnight usually get rid of most smells cut in half of course.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

try the febreeze 7 day challenge. and vaccuum everyday. Keep your windows open and light nice candles.