How do I get rid of cigarette smell in my apartment?

Question

I have recently stopped smoking, I have noticed that my home still smells of cigarettes, Any suggestions on how to get rid of the smell without purchasing new furniture, carpet etc. etc.?

Answer 1

The cigarette smell usually comes from your fabrics. Wash or dry clean your curtains or draperies and bedding. Use the fabreeze on any furniture that may have absorbed the odors. You can also use the carpet deodorizers that vacuum up. Sometimes the nicotene smell can cling to walls, so try repainting. Paint is cheap.

Answer 2

Best odor eliminator is charcoal. You can buy a great little carbon odor absorber called FRIDGE IT. It is a little purple cube with an activated carbon filter inside that is really great. It works so much better than sprays and baking soda and all those fragrances that just cover up smells and don't get rid of them. I also don't really like sprays that have warning statements about eye irritants. Just place some around the house and you can also use for lots of other areas including fridge and under sinks. No messy pieces or carbon powder to worry about. The carbon filter in this product literally eliminates the odors and works for a long time. I have friends that use it on cat litter box and also diaper pails - it's that good. I really recommend it and it's not expensive. You can buy it in kitchen gadget sections in stores like walmart and linens and things. I also think camping world sells it. Definitely worth trying. It's the best product for any odors around the house.

Answer 3

A good "Spring" cleaning will do the trick. You can rent an upholstery/carpet cleaning machine at most grocery stores. Get one and clean ALL the furnature, wash ALL the curtains/table clothes, etc in your home. Even in rooms that you didn't smoke in, you'd be amazed how pervasive smoke is.

I would also suggest having the walls cleaned along with every other flat surface in your home. First it is going to get rid of the smell, and you will be getting rid of the yellow nicotine stains that you may not realize are there.

Congratulations on quiting. you have my utmost respect, I know how hard it is to quit.

Good Luck
Eric.

Answer 4

You've gotten some good ideas already, but don't forget your air filter on the HVAC. You may need to have the ducts cleaned as well (by a professional), and by all means, change the filters often. We don't smoke but rented a house from someone who did. We repainted, shampooed carpets, cleaned everything, but still on humid days, the smell would come back. It wasn't in OUR furniture, but it came back. Oh, have you done ALL your laundry?

Answer 5

Air out your apartment.Then you may want to have the carpet and furniture cleaned.Also, use enzyme spray. You can buy it from a janitorial supply store or catalog.Buy the kind that you can use on carpet, fabric,tile and so forth. You can get it in many different scents.You may want to take very diluted ammonia water and a cleaning cloth to wash the walls. Good Luck.Congratulation on quiting smoking.

Answer 6

Clean the carpets and wipe down the walls. There are machines you can rent that come with an attachment for furniture as well...just be sure the fabric is water safe.

Answer 7

Time: This is the only way. It's almost impossible to get that nasty smell out of everything. It gets into the paint itself. Clean, clean and clean again. Don't let anyone smoke in the house.
When I stopped my daughters mother-in-law from smoking in my home she threw a tizzy: several months later she was diagnosed with Emphysema, and had to go on oxygen and, had to stop smoking. Ironic.

Answer 8

Contact a company that does fire restoration work, like Servicemaster.
They have ozone generating machines. They can deodorize the entire house in a day or two. But, it will cost a few dollars.
The alternative: clean everything with Murphy's Oil Soap and water.

Answer 9

There is a special type candle out there that when you light it, it takes the smell away. I have a few of them. It
is in a glass jar, white. The other ways that work is lots of cleaning of windows, fabric etc.

Answer 10

Leave these tasks up to the landlord. If i were you, I would search out another apartment as some landlords do not give a dam. This may be the case here as 5 pets would be unacceptable to most sane landlords. Smoking is also a taboo with sane landlords.