My apartment smells like smoke! I am quitting. How do I get rid of the smell?

Question

Simple air fresheners? Febrezing the place?

Answer 1

Wash everything, including the carpet; that's where the majority of the smell will be coming from.

Answer 2

Well, You should first get rid of anything that should cause the smell. Then add little bit of febreze but not a lot because that could cause irritation. Then you should try one of those plug in things where it acts slowly and gives the place a new scent. This is kind of odd but if you want to you could spill some laundry detergent on a napkin and lay it out. They smell really good. And if you are in the mood try cooking something

Answer 3

Commercial air fresheners only mask odors with an artificial scent and don't provide a long-term solution. Instead, try to prevent and neutralize odors. One of the most effective ways to deal with the smell of cigarette smoke is to air out the room for a short time every day. This will also help prevent new odors from building up. To neutralize the smoke smell, place saucers of white vinegar around the room and near affected furniture. Charcoal or baking powder has a similar effect. Leave it in the room overnight or for several days, preferably with the room closed off. Then thoroughly air out the room again.

To remove the smell from fabrics, such as furniture upholstery, sprinkle the fabric with baking soda. Leave it for a few hours, and then vacuum it off. If you're concerned about baking soda messing up your fine materials, test it first in an inconspicuous area of the fabric. Upholstery shampoo, either a commercial brand or a one you make yourself using liquid dish or laundry detergent and warm water, can also help remove smells from furniture. Be careful that you don't get the furniture too wet while you're cleaning it, and speed the drying by keeping windows open and using a fan. Don't forget the carpets. These can suck up smells too. Sprinkle the carpet 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, you'll need to wash all the surfaces of the room thoroughly. Smoke can leave a residue that causes the smell to linger, so you need to wash it away. 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. How you clean wallpaper will depend on the specific type of paper. Newer vinyl papers can be washed with water, but older papers may be more delicate.

If you have machine-washable curtains or other fabrics in the room, try washing them with heavy-duty, phosphate-based detergent plus 1 cup water conditioner and 1/2 cup bleach. Other fabrics may need to be professionally cleaned.

Answer 4

Someone else mentioned charcoal. I have the perfect product to get rid of the smoke and other odors that I've used for years and know dozens of other people that use it. It is a product called FRIDGE IT odor absorbers. It is a little purple cube with an incredible activated carbon filter inside that is really, really, great. It works so much better than baking soda and all those sprays and fragrances that just cover up smells and doesn't get rid of them. Also, alot of sprays have warning statements about being eye irritant. The carbon literally absorbs and eliminates the odors and works for a long time. Just place these little cubes around the house and problem areas. I use this product everywhere including car, storage, closets, my fridge and also under sinks, near trash and have friends that use it in cars for smoke and on cat litter box and also diaper pails - it's that good. I really recommend it. 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.

Answer 5

Using air fresheners or febreeze will only add to the smell, it will not eliminate the smell. You need to clean your air, not add to the problem.
Actually, the best air purifier on the market is Fresh Air by Ecoquest International. This is the only company that uses the same technology as the space station to purify the air.
I have had customers that one person smokes in the house and no one else in the house cares to smell it. When they use the Fresh Air purifier, the smoke smell is completely gone and the air is fresh and clean! One customer of mine had guests over to his house and they were convinced that he had quit smoking. He had just smoked a cigarette before they had arrived!!

I am not telling you this to make a sale of my product. Only to give you info on a purifier that IS the top of the market and WILL work!!

I am not even going to give you any of my personal business info. But I will give you the website to the company so you can further learn about this fantastic system!!

http://www.ecoquestintl.com/index_home.asp

Answer 6

With an apartment I don't know if the smell is from your place or an adjacent unit?

If you've really burnt something while cooking, the suggestions to clean/wipe down everything are on the mark. But don't forget to wash the curtains, and if you don't want to shampoo the surface of your coach and cloth chairs - try Fabrezing them as a start.

(I hope it isn't the smelll of something burning in your walls! Make sure your smoke detector is working by pushing the test button.)

Answer 7

First, I commend you for quitting. I think you will need to launder everything in your apartment that can be laundered. Have your carpet cleaned. Wipe down the walls and blinds and then febreze everything. Open all your windows to air the place out while you do this. Good Luck!!

Answer 8

Steamclean the carpets, wash the walls/ceiling/any other surface.

Clean all the drapery, furniture, clothing, anything else that the smell could cling too.

Febrezing and air fresheners just cover the smell.

Answer 9

I am not a smoker, but I can suggest how to get rid of the smell.
Any cloth, material, curtains, bedding, towels exposed to the smoke should be washed thoroughly. Wash the windows, shades, blinds, wash or repaint the walls and ceiling. Clean any carpets thoroughly. Clean all countertops, cabinets and furniture. Have your sofa and cloth like chairs cleaned. All of these absorb the smell of smoke and whatever else the cigar or cigarette emits.

Answer 10

You don't get away that easily. Fabrics absorb smoke odor. You need to machine wash everything that can be machine washed (pillow covers, clothes, towels, curtains, etc) rent a carpet shampooer, wipe down walls and counter tops, change the filters in the AC system, wash the windows (you'd be surprised how much smoke gunk accumulates there). Generally totally clean the house. Otherwise it will never really be gone.

Answer 11

Cigarette smoke sticks to everything. you need to clean it all. Shampoo your carpet/rugs. you'll even need to have your drapes dry cleaned. Wash all bedding/linens and clothes. It is amazing as a non-smoker how i can smell the cigarette smoke on anything. I know it sounds like a lot of work but just using febreeze, air freshners or candles will not get rid of the smell, it will just cover it up. i can tell when people have done this also.