Freshen Up Your Home: Expert Tips on Removing Cigarette Odor

One of the many disadvantages of smoking is the acrid smoke, which is quickly absorbed into everything around you. In a flat where people smoke regularly, furniture, clothes, and even wall decorations can smell unpleasant over time. The smell of cigarettes in a flat can persist for many years, even if it has not been smoked for a long time. We have prepared for you an overview of the most effective ways to combat tobacco smoke indoors.

Why does the flat smells like cigarettes?

The main and obvious reason for the smell of tobacco in the flat is the residence of a smoker. And even if he tries to go out on the balcony, the smoke still penetrates through the gaps in the doors and windows.

However, there are a number of other factors that can cause a strong odour of nicotine indoors:

• buying or renting a “smoky” flat. Some tenants have the habit of walking with a cigarette right through the house;
• poor insulation in the flat – if you have a neighbour who smokes, the smoke will enter your home through micro-slits in the front door, through the ventilation hole or windows (if you smoke on the neighbouring balcony or loggia).

In addition to harm to your health and the appearance of a persistent unpleasant odour in the flat, smoking increases the risk of fires. There are many sad cases when whole flats burned out because of an unextinguished cigarette. And sometimes the fire occurs not in the dwelling of the smoker himself, but in the neighbours on the floor below, to whom the smouldering “bull” accidentally flew on the balcony.

Consequences of smoking indoors

About the severe consequences of cigarettes for the health of the smoker himself, much has already been said and written in detail. We want to answer the question – how exactly does tobacco smoke affect the flat and the people in it?

Negative effects:

1. Everything around is impregnated with acrid tobacco smoke – gradually nicotine is absorbed into all things in the flat (clothes, furniture, carpets, home textiles, etc.).
2. Unpleasant plaque – during the combustion of a cigarette, a large amount of impurities, oils and tar is released into the environment. They settle on almost all surfaces in the flat and can lead to a change in the original colour. Curtains, tulle, wallpaper, ceiling and other surfaces often start to turn yellow.
3. Harm to the health of the household – even if a smoker goes out on the balcony, in any case, people living with him or her are also forced to regularly inhale the smell of cigarettes. The harm of passive smoking has long been proven. There is also a high risk of developing lung cancer, bronchial asthma and various cardiovascular diseases.

Especially undesirable is the smell of tobacco in a flat where there are small children. In addition to inhaling the acrid odour, they will also be in constant tactile contact with it. As we know, children have a peculiarity to touch and lick everything. At the same time, if there is a smoker in the flat, nicotine and cigarette impurities will settle on all surrounding objects, including children’s toys.

How to fight the smell of cigarettes: 7 ways

Despite the increased acridity of cigarette smoke, there are several ways to get rid of the smell of tobacco in the flat. They can be used both separately and in combination. In the latter case there is a chance to achieve maximum effect. So, let’s stop in detail on the main methods of combating the smell of cigarettes in the room.

General cleaning

Removal of tobacco smoke should always begin with a general cleaning of the entire flat. What manipulations should be performed:

• thoroughly ventilate all rooms and get rid of ashtrays, old cigarette butts;
• things strongly impregnated with tobacco smoke, it is better to throw away (if they do not represent a special value);
• all surfaces in the flat should be thoroughly wiped with a cloth soaked in soapy water (shelves, tables, niches, etc.);
• the floors in the entire flat should be thoroughly cleaned several times using a special detergent;
• wash all windows and doors.

When performing general cleaning, special attention should be paid to the walls, since wallpaper also tends to absorb unpleasant odours. If the wallpaper is washable, wipe it thoroughly with a damp cloth.

Cosmetic repairs

Sometimes there are so “smoky” flats that even a thorough cleaning of all surfaces and general cleaning do not save the situation.

Cosmetic repair will help to radically solve the issue of tobacco odour in the flat. When choosing such a solution, it is necessary to remove all the old finishing on the walls (wallpaper, paint) and make a new one. If the floors, doors and windows are painted, then the old paint should be removed and the surfaces should be painted again.

If the white (in the past) ceiling is covered with a yellowish patina (this can also happen with frequent smoking in the flat), it should be refreshed. It can be whitewashed or covered with water-emulsion.

Flavouring the room

As an additional method of dealing with cigarette odour, you can consider scenting the room. What you can do to create a pleasant aroma in your flat:

• take freshly ground coffee, distribute it into small containers and arrange them around the house. The coffee should be replaced periodically;
• place cinnamon sticks pre-wrapped in foil in an oven heated to 180 degrees Celsius, keep them there for 15 minutes and then open the door. The rich aroma of cinnamon will quickly fill the whole flat;
• activated charcoal will also help to solve the problem of cigarette odour. It doesn’t smell like anything, but it absorbs the aromas around it. It can also be placed in different rooms;
• the use of special aromatisers for the home. These can be scented candles or aroma lamps, anti-tobacco air freshener, etc.

Aromatherapy is effective only when the main sources of tobacco odour are eliminated and the flat is cleaned. Otherwise, the aromas will mix with the smell of cigarettes and it will become even more difficult to breathe.

Technical solution

To achieve maximum effect in the fight against the smell of cigarettes in the flat will help special devices.

For example, you can buy a breezer. This is a supply ventilation, equipped with a function of heating the air. The main possibilities of this device are:

• neutralisation of unpleasant odours, as well as dust, various contaminants and viruses;
• there is a function of recirculation, that is, in this case, the air in the room is cleaned;
• the breezer also provides for cleaning of air streams coming from the street.

Another solution to the problem of tobacco smoke can be the installation of a powerful extractor hood in a room where people constantly smoke. For example, in the kitchen. In this case, at the time of smoking, cigarette smoke will be pulled to the street. Completely get rid of the odour this equipment will not help, but the acrid smog will not have time to be absorbed into the surrounding things.

Washing all textiles in the house

Especially strongly impregnated with cigarette smoke various textiles and surfaces. These are usually carpets, upholstered furniture, mattresses, curtains and drapes, clothes, etc.

If you want to remove the smell of tobacco from your flat, you should start by washing all textiles. Curtains, drapes, tulles, tablecloths and other items made of softer and lighter fabrics can be washed in a machine. Carpets and mattresses are better to hand over to a dry cleaner, as it is almost impossible to clean such products qualitatively by your own efforts.

Use vinegar

The smell of cigarettes is well absorbed by vinegar. Soak a towel in a vinegar solution (1 tbsp. per 1 litre of water) and hang it in a smoky room for a couple of hours. Vinegar will neutralise the acrid smoke of cigarettes and the room will be fresher. On the same principle, containers with such a solution can be placed throughout the flat in different places.

Vinegar can also be added to water for cleaning floors and wiping all surfaces in the flat. The vinegar odour will quickly dissipate and the tobacco smoke will be neutralised.

Steam treatment of surfaces

If there is no possibility to hand things to the dry cleaner, then steam will come to the rescue. This method has also shown high efficiency. Steam treatment of surfaces is well suited for furniture and carpets. This will require a steam cleaner or steam generator, as well as special deodorising agents. This treatment works well on embedded tobacco particles.

If you don’t have all this equipment, you can call a team of professional cleaners to your home. They will arrive with all the necessary equipment and will clean the surfaces properly.

Your neighbour smokes, but you smell: how to solve the problem?

There are no smokers in your flat, but your home still smells like cigarettes from time to time? Especially it is felt in the hot, dry season. The reason is obvious – a close neighbourhood with a smoking person.

You can solve this problem in the following way:

1. First of all, take care of quality insulation of windows and doors. It is possible that the seals are cracked. In this case it should be replaced. Also examine the entire flat for cracks and holes through which smoke can pass.
2. If a neighbour smokes on the staircase landing, he can be influenced by the threat of administrative liability.
3. If a neighbour smokes on his balcony, it will not be possible to bring him to responsibility. In this case, you just need to close tightly the doors and windows to the flat. You can also try to negotiate peacefully.
4. If the smoke penetrates to you from the general ventilation, then the problem will help to solve the hood with a check valve.

Despite the acrid nature of tobacco smoke, there are many effective ways to neutralise it. Together they will provide the maximum effect. So do not waste time and take the necessary measures as soon as possible. Take care of your health and your loved ones!