How to Remove Cigarette Smoke Damage

There are few things worse than realizing your home smells of cigarette smoke. Perhaps you recently purchased a home once owned by a smoker, or an inconsiderate guest took a smoke break right outside your open living room window. Smoke odor has a way of getting into fabric and lingering for what can seem like days, weeks, or even months. Luckily, there are steps you can take to remove the scent from your home so you can focus on other things besides the invasive smell.

Once you realize your home smells of cigarettes, remove any fabric materials affected by the smoke smell and move them to an unaffected area. Anything that can be machine washed (curtains, pillow, blankets, etc.) should be immediately placed in a washing machine with two cups of vinegar and cold water. It’s important not to use warm or hot water which will set the smell further into the fabric. Once they are washed, air dry them outdoors to prevent the dryer heat from damaging them and increasing the smoke smell. After these items are clean, it’s important not to return them back to the smoky area or they will soon smell like smoke again.

After the removable items have been taken care of, it’s time to address the larger items like furniture and carpets. Seal the room off from the rest of the home to prevent the smoke smell from traveling throughout the rest of the house. Any upholstered furniture that smells of smoke needs to be professionally deep cleaned to remove the odor. Carpets and rugs can be shampooed or dry cleaned if possible. Once the smell is gone from the room, the clean fabrics and items that had been removed previously can be returned to their original places.