Did you just move into a home whose previous owners were heavy smokers, and now the whole space smells of stale tobacco?
The persistent tobacco smell in your home can be annoying and even reduce the value of your property! While hiring professional tobacco odor removal services is the best way to get rid of the persistent cigarette smoke odor, there are some tips you can try to remove it yourself.
In this article, we will discuss some tips on how to remove tobacco smoke odor from your property to help you get a fragrant and smoke-odor-free home.
How to Remove Tobacco Smoke Odor
âž¡ Open all the Fans & Windows
First, you can eliminate the tobacco odor from your home by opening all the windows in your home. Then you can place a portable fan in front of the windows with the blades facing outwards. It will pull the smoky air from inside the house and disperse it to the outside.
âž¡ Neutralize the Odor with Natural Sunlight
The natural light from the sun can also help neutralize the musty cigarette smell in your home. Place things that reeks the most, like old books, furniture, and clothes, in a sunny spot for a few hours.
However, if you have delicate natural or dyed fabrics, place them in a shady spot, as intense sunlight can damage them.
âž¡ Absorb the Smell with Vinegar
Another household alternative for removing the cigarette smell is using white vinegar. White vinegar has a low pH, and when it reacts with high-pH smoke molecules, it neutralizes the musty tobacco odor. You can use white vinegar in the following ways.
- Fill several bowls with vinegar, place them in the areas where the unpleasant odor is the strongest, and leave them overnight to absorb the odor.
- To speed up the process of odor removal, you can simmer a pan of white vinegar on the stove for one to two hours. The steam will help remove the smoke molecules from the air.
- If you want to remove tobacco odor from clothes and fabrics, you can use ½ cup of white vinegar instead of normal laundry detergent while cleaning them. The acidic molecules in vinegar will break down the odor-causing particles and remove the musty odor.
Tip: Don’t worry about the strong vinegar smell. It will dissipate on its own after some time.
âž¡ Use Baking Soda
You can use baking soda to absorb the tobacco smell and effectively remove it from your space. Here is how to remove tobacco smoke odor with baking soda.
- Sprinkle a dusting of baking soda over the carpet or fabric you want to remove the tobacco odor.
- Leave the baking soda on the carpet or fabric overnight or for at least two hours.
- After that, vacuum the baking soda, and don’t leave any baking soda particles unvacuumed.
- Empty the vacuum bag outside your house to ensure that the unpleasant odor doesn’t return.
- To remove the cigarette smell from objects like books, put the object in a plastic bag along with a handful of baking soda powder. After 2-3 hours, remove the item from the bag, and shake off the excess baking soda.
âž¡ Trap the Smell with Charcoal
Yes! You can use charcoal to remove tobacco odor from your home. Buy some activated charcoal from a home appliances store near you and place it in different ziplock bags. Set these zip-lock bags in the areas you want to remove the smoke smell. Let them sit for a while to absorb the tobacco odor.
Make sure you don’t place activated charcoal directly on the carpet or any other area of your home without enclosing it in something, as it can leave a stain.
Is Hiring Professionals to Remove Tobacco Smell Worth it?
Sometimes, even after trying your best, the tobacco odor in your home persists. And to remove it, you have to seek professional help. Before hiring professionals, a question arises, is hiring professionals to remove tobacco smell worth it?
The answer is yes. Hiring professionals to remove the cigarette smoke smell from your home is worth it for the following reasons.
- Professionals have many years of experience in odor removal. And they know how to deal with the tobacco smell.
- After the professionals remove the cigarette smell from your home, you don’t have to worry about it for a long time.
- Professionals use effective cleaning solutions to remove the tobacco odor from your home without any side effects.
- Professional cleaning doesn’t just mask the odor. It eliminates the root cause of the problem.