While you may be a smoker or you welcome smokers into your home, that doesn’t mean you want your home to smell like cigarette smoke all the time. Even nicer-smelling products like Black and Mild cigars or pipe tobacco can be troublesome when you feel like you can’t get rid of it. Fortunately, regardless of what you or your loved ones smoke, there are ways to get the smell of those products out of your home.
Here are a few tips for getting cigarette smells out of your house.
Replace the carpet.
Smoke can get stuck in fabrics, making them smell even after being cleaned. Companies like Carpet Outlets of Texas offer a wide selection of low-cost flooring options. You can choose area rugs, hardwood, or vinyl flooring for your home that will be easily washable and won’t hold the scent of smoke. While the area rugs will keep the smoke smell, they can be removed and cleaned. Even if you decide to get a new carpet, frequent deep cleaning can ensure the odors do not build up over time to the point that they can’t be eliminated. The thicker the carpet, the more likely it is to hold smells, so short, firm carpets may be the best choice for replacing carpet.
Dry clean the drapes.
The drapes are another significant source of smoke smell because they, too, will hold the scent. Fortunately, drapes can be removed and professionally dry cleaned to ensure all of the scents are removed before they are hung back up. If you want to avoid frequently having to clean them, you can switch to blinds that can be spray cleaned, or choose drapes that are machine washable so you can reduce the expense and work involved in getting them cleaned. When washing drapes, use a fabric refresher to ensure they smell lovely when hung back up. The smell will linger for a few days.
Get an air purifier.
An air purifier is designed to remove dust, dander, mold, allergens, and pollutants from the air. This can include tobacco smoke. The air purifier should be placed in the area of the house where the smoke is most prevalent. It needs to be plugged in like a fan but run without noise so that it is easy to forget about and won’t disrupt TV watching, talking, or sleeping. Running the air purifier can help improve the quality of the air, not just the smell of the air.
Use scent eliminators.
Scent eliminators are different than artificial scent sprays. Room sprays essentially spread perfume throughout the room and will temporarily block out the smell of the smoke, but they do not eliminate the odor. There are many scent eliminators available, but you have probably heard of Febreze, which is a popular option. When living in a house with smoke, the smoke particles and smell can get trapped in your clothes and other fabrics that are difficult to wash, so scent eliminators are great for stuffed animal toys, couches, chairs, and even your clothes.
Getting the smell of smoke out of your house is an ongoing job if the house is still smoked in. If you are trying to get rid of nasty odors, thoroughly clean all fabrics and replace what you can to eliminate the smell. If it is awful or the walls have a yellowish tint, a fresh coat of paint in the whole house will remove any lingering odors after the fabrics and carpets have been addressed. Keeping air fresheners or burning candles will help replace the old smoke smell with something more enjoyable.