How to Eliminate Smoke Odors?

While much is known about first and second hand smoking, we are oblivious about third-hand smoking. Third-hand smoking refers to contamination by tobacco smoke that clings to clothes, hair, skin, walls, thereby causing smoke odor. If you are experiencing a smoke odor in your house, car or clothes, it’s because of the residual particles of smoke that clings to their surface.

Such odor may be bothering you and this is why in this article we’ll let you know how to eliminate smoke odor altogether by getting to the root of the causes. So without any further ado, let’s get started!

• Home

Before beginning your cleaning spree it’s recommended that you attack on the source first. So start by cleaning the ashtrays and take cigarette butts away from your home. Make sure they are properly extinguished before you dispose of them. 

Now follow the below-mentioned points to get rid of the smoke odor.

• Purifying the air first

Turn on the HEPA air purifier if it’s available with you. It’ll soak away lingering dust and smoke particles that are floating in your house. After the purifier does its job, make sure you clean its filter and properly dispose of the dust that has been accumulated by it.

Now, open the windows and let the house breath for some time and ventilate your house by opening windows and running fans for a good time. Meanwhile you can prepare for the next steps.

• Clean the walls and ceiling

Now first you may want to clean the walls and ceiling. Smoke leaves a greasy residue on the ceilings and walls. This is because they are the first hard surface it comes in contact with when it floats in the air. In order to clean the surface we suggest using Vinegar. Take Vinegar and water in 3:1 ratio and get a clean towel to begin the whole process.

You would have to wipe the surface, rinse the cloth and repeat till you have covered all the area. As the solution is bound to get dirty we suggest you take it in small portions. You can also use spray bottle, but make sure your eyes are covered and an adequate vinegar solution is spread on the surface.

• Carpet and furniture

In order to remove the odor from carpet and furniture, you need the help of Baking soda. Start off by arranging a good amount of baking soda and a large colander. Now turn on the game of sprinkling the baking soda, by sprinkling it on everything such as carpets, furniture, mattresses and others. As baking soda is an effective smoke odor eliminator it would neutralize the odor molecules and absorb odor from the surfaces. 

Now let the baking soda sit in for a day and then use a vacuum cleaner to suck it up. 

• Carpets, pillow covers, and linens

Cigarette smoke has the tendency of sticking up and penetrating into anything made up of fabric. This is why the best way to get rid of such smell and residual particles is washing them. You need to soak all the materials in one cup of baking powder overnight. Now after soaking, you need to wash, rinse and wash them again. Just make sure you put on cup of distilled white vinegar in the water. 

After you are done with washing the materials, dry them on a clothes rack in fresh air. Make sure they aren’t exposed to excessive heat as it might cause any remaining odor molecules to bind with the fabric.

 

• Car

Removing odor from your car would be pretty difficult as compared to your house or clothes; however it’s certainly not impossible. The below written steps would help:

• Removing fallen butt & particles of cigarettes

Here also, you need to eliminate the source first. There would be some cigarette butts and residue particles in your car. You may witness ashes on the floor of your car, so start by vacuuming all of them.

• Washing the inside of your windshield

Now wash the inside of your windshield as it might have a good amount of smoke and tobacco residue. You should use a water and vinegar solution as we had prescribed in the previous points. 

• Cleaning the mats and Seats

Try removing the floor mats, seat covers and do a deep vacuum. You can use a steam cleaner on the upholstery too. Now wipe the car seats and every surface with a solution of water and vinegar. At last, to remove any residue smell, consider using the ‘baking soda sprinkling solution’ again. And don’t forget to vacuum the surface thoroughly.

• Use dryer sheets

Using dryer sheets generously is helpful in removing the odors from the surface. We suggest you keep a pack of such sheets in your car, so that you can use them whenever you have a smoke. You can use them on other surfaces such as steering wheels and dashboard too.

• Cinnamon

This step is suggested by several blogs wherein you are required to put cinnamon in a small pot with water and boil it. Now just take the hot water in a mug and keep it in your car, closing the windows off. Letting the ingredient blend in for a while would mask all the smell and eliminate it too.

• Clothes

Removing the smoke odor from cloth is the easiest. Just follow the steps mentioned below:

• Soak all of ‘em

First of all soak all your clothes in warm water and put a cup of baking soda in the water. Leave the clothes overnight and next day put some of the clothes in the washing machine. You can use baking soda and vinegar again while washing your clothes. Afterwards, dry them in open air, and if the smell still doesn’t go away, consider rewashing them.

• Using Dryer sheets

We suggest using dryer sheets on your clothes every time you have a smoke. This would remove the residue thereby not letting it settle in on your clothes. 

Parting Notes

Overall, we suggest having a designated smoke area so you don’t have to deal with smoke odor or third-hand smoking effects. We hope you found the article on how to eliminate smoke odor helpful. 

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