An insightful article on Ridding Your Home of Tobacco smells. Some very handy tips to pass along. Being an ex-smoker myself I can relate...
Now I will notice the smell of smoke in every home I go into and am very aware of it upon entering a home if a smoker lives or has lived there in the past.
Enjoy and a special thanks to:
Christopher Salviano
Foresight Consulting Home Inspectors
Tobacco smoke creates an odor that is notorious for its ability to saturate living spaces and persist long after its source is gone. Inspectors may be asked by clients who recently purchased a smoke-infused home, or by sellers before their house goes on the market, about how to remedy the situation.
Facts About Tobacco Smoke and its Residue
- Smoke particles can be as small as .001% of the width of a human hair, which allows them to penetrate almost any part of a house. Tobacco smoke can easily circulate through a building's ventilation system or come up through apartment floors. Tenant/tenant and tenant/landlord disputes commonly arise when smoke odors penetrate adjacent housing units.
- It is not clear whether tobacco smoke odor is dangerous or if it is merely a nuisance. While tobacco smoke is a known carcinogen, little is known about the health effects of the particles that are left in the air after you can no longer see the smoke. The American Cancer Society states of cigarette odors, "Though unknown, the cancer-causing effects would likely be very small compared with direct secondhand smoke exposure, such as living in a household that has a smoker."
Odor-Absorbing Materials
The following materials are believed to be capable of absorbing or neutralizing tobacco smoke odors, at least temporarily:
- Vinegar. Place a bowl of vinegar in each affected room overnight.
- Citrus. Leave a large amount of citrus peels in your home for several days or until they have become desiccated.
- Baking soda. Sprinkle baking soda over the smoke-affected area and let it sit for a few hours before vacuuming it up. Be sure to test the baking soda on a small part of the surface to ensure that the surface or fabric doesn't react unfavorably to the baking soda.
- Coffee grounds. Pour coffee grounds into several coffee filters and tie them closed,
leaving them in affected areas.
- Charcoal. As you would with vinegar, place charcoal into bowls and leave them in smoke-infused rooms overnight.
Removal Strategies for Smoke Odor
- Open all windows and turn on fans. Ventilation is probably the best way to remove any odor.
- Clean light bulbs. Just as some scent-diffusers rely on heat from light bulbs to disperse the aroma of the scented oil, it's possible that the oily residue from nicotine and other cigarette byproducts is dispersed throughout the living area the same way. Anecdotal reports suggest that light bulbs attract smoke residue. It has also been claimed that bulbs will release smoke odors when they are turned on. Perhaps replacing incandescent bulbs with higher-efficiency bulbs that do not get as hot would help alleviate this problem.
- Thoroughly clean all hard surfaces, preferably with cleaners that contain ammonia, although woodwork requires cleaners that are not as acidic.
- Surfaces may be painted to trap odor, although it may be possible for odors to gradually seep through paint barriers.
- Remove carpeting, as it is nearly impossible to remove smoke particles from carpet. Thoroughly scrub the flooring beneath before installing new carpet. If the carpet cannot be replaced, have it professionally cleaned.
- Soak blinds in a bathtub full of all-purpose cleaner, scrub them thoroughly, and hang them to dry.
- Send curtains out to be professionally cleaned or replace them.
- Purchase a chemical sponge to remove smoke residue from lampshades, books and other materials.
- Use an ozone generator. Ozone, as it has three oxygen atoms, is highly unstable and will oxidize easily. When it is introduced into an area, ozone attaches itself to the odor molecules and oxidizes them into their basic elements--carbon dioxide and hydrogen, which have no odor. Beware that ozone is dangerous and ozone generators should only be used in unoccupied spaces. Be sure to read our article on the subject before purchasing an ozone generator.
- Use a HEPA filter.
- Burn "smoker candles." Candles that contain enzymes to help neutralize and remove smoke odors are widely available. They may also be used to remove cooking and pet odors.
- Replace all heating and air filters regularly, as they tend to harbor cigarette odors and other irritants.
All good tlps to follow if your home has any tobacco smells in it when you want to sell your home.
Thanks again to Christopher Salviano
Foresight Consulting
www.foresighthomeinspections.com
If you or someone you know is planning a Move or Sale of their home in the near future, call for Bergen County New Jersey Home Sale information, Lisa & Bob Hammerstein at (201)218-6802. We'll be able to help you if you're Buying or Selling Bergen County New Jersey Homes.
For more Local Information about Bergen County, New Jersey, visit us online at www.HammersTeam.com.
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Citrus Magic canisters from the grocery store * I buy them by the case from Amazon * get rid of new-carpet, pet and smoke smells....peel off the top and stick them in closets, over refrigerators, etc. and they REALLY WORK
I have heard that when repainting, first prime with KILZ and then paint. I have heard this from numerous sources.
Great tips Bob. I have used an ozone generator on a number of occasions to get rid of odors.
I have people asking how to get rid of smoke odors all of the time. I will keep your list! Thanks so much for sharing.
I grew up with a granddad who smoked a couple of cartons a day, which probably is why I've never smoked, but I can sure smell smoke whenever I walk into a house.
I came back to tell you that I reblogged this post and that I also pushed the SUGGEST button.
Thanks for all this great information! My parents bought a condo years ago and cleaned it top to bottom, freshly painted it and had new flooring installed (it needed all those things to update it anyway) but every once in a while you still get a hint of the smell of smoke.
Excelent post with some great tips on getting the smell of cigerette smoke out of your home. It would probably work well on removing other odors as well. I hit the suggest button on this because it is very well done.
Very nice reference to bookmark. Thank you for all of your work in gathering this information.
Whoops - number 10 comment was mine. Just wanted to add that I've saved and bookmarked to send to my clients. I appreciate your time in this!
Great post! We've had houses languish on the market here due to the smoke smell! It's great to have these tips to pass on to our clients. Thanks for the post!
Hi B & L, much interesting information on a big problem for some people. I have had people offer less on a home because of the perceived cost in removing the smell. A post worth of bookmarking and a print out. Thanks for sharing
Suggesting this one. Great tips!
This is good stuff. Tobacco odors are nasty and difficult to get rid of. I printed this off for future reference.
This is such a great post. I also suggested it. (Came across it via a reblog). I hate the smell of cigarettes, and I've had to recarpet a few places that were drenched from chain smokers. As these were going on the market, they had to be replaced. I think they also had to replace all the window treatments. It was so bad in there that my eyes were tearing and I had to leave the house to do the estimate.
Oh, and I have another potential customer who lives in an apartment next door to a smoker. It permeated so much into her place that I thought that she was a smoker. She is eventually going to change out the carpet to hardwood.
Oh, and finally, Febreze is another good option. I used to work on that product years ago, and there is a professional version made for hotels for the smoking rooms.
Just the information I was looking for. Have a condo that has been vacated since the seller passed away a couple of years ago. The smell of the smoker has lingered. Sent your post to the seller's son. Hope we can get rid of the odor.
Thank you,
Margaret